After the Utah Mammoth signed Dylan Guenther to his eight-year extension last season, everyone knew whose big deal would be on the to-do list next. His usual linemate, Logan Cooley, who at that time was entering his second season in the league.
A little over a year later, after some tough negotiations and a tad bit of uncertainty, Cooley has been locked up for the next eight seasons by the Mammoth. Being on a team for the next eight years is a commitment. You don’t know what will happen in the 2033-34 season.
However, Cooley is taking the security and perhaps the risk not just because he believes in the core the Mammoth have built around him but also because of his love for his new community.
The Next Eight Seasons in Utah Have Gotten Cooler
With the new NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the maximum term a player can sign for beginning next season will be for seven seasons. Getting Cooley’s contract locked down was a priority for general manager Bill Armstrong and team owner Ryan Smith. They both believe there’s a championship window in those eight seasons.
“We love the fact that we’re able to get an eight-year deal accomplished,” Armstrong said. “We feel there’s a championship window in there…The one thing that comes through in the negotiations is that they want to win and they believe in each other, and that has a good part to do with why they’re signing here.”
As Armstrong mentioned, a lot of the younger players for the Mammoth have signed extensions as of late. Guenther signed his eight-year deal last fall. JJ Peterka signed a five-year deal when he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. The Mammoth are ensuring that their youth are around for the long haul.
With the amount of pain the team went through in Arizona to get the ability to draft players like Cooley and Guenther, and the incredible production they’ve put up ever since arriving in Salt Lake City, it makes sense why the Mammoth want to be quick to lock these players in for the foreseeable future.
Smith compares the recent extensions to the NBA’s Utah Jazz’s 1990s team when they had John Stockton and Karl Malone locked in for numerous seasons. Of course, that Jazz team never won a championship, getting defeated in the finals in back-to-back years by Michael Jordan and his legendary Chicago Bulls. Smith wants the outcome to be different this time around in hockey.
Related: Newest Mammoth Players Are Enjoying New Home and Life in Utah
When the Mammoth make the playoffs and if they make the Stanley Cup Final, odds are, they won’t win it on their first run. It rarely happens. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lost in 2008 to the Detroit Red Wings and won the Cup the next season. Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning went to the Finals in 2015 and lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. It took them five seasons, but they eventually returned and won it.
Even recently, the Florida Panthers lost in 2023 to the Vegas Golden Knights, but then proceeded to win the next two Cups. With that in mind, it was even more crucial for the Mammoth to lock Cooley and the young players before him down even longer.
“For us to be able to say, Logan, you’re buying a house, lock in, it’s super refreshing,” Smith said. “You’re hoping, from our standpoint, that you’re building continuity throughout. These contract links are actually really good, because we get a chance to build around it. You’re watching some of the moves that Bill (Armstrong) was able to make in the offseason and go back at it. Most championship runs don’t just happen on the first click. They never do…To be constantly pushing forward, you need time.”
Cooley’s contract has an annual average value (AAV) of $10 million. His contract will last until he’s 30 years old. However, in the final four seasons of the deal, a modified no-trade clause will kick in, which will have Cooley submit a 16-team no-trade list.
At only 21 years of age, it will be the most amount of money Cooley has ever received from playing hockey. He hasn’t made any big purchases yet (although Smith recommended that he buy full-sized candy bars for trick-or-treaters on Halloween). He still can’t believe the journey he’s been through to get this contract.
In his first two full seasons in the NHL, Cooley has done a lot. He’s scored 109 points in 157 games with the Arizona Coyotes and the Mammoth. He helped Team USA win its first World Championship in over 90 years. He went through a relocation after his rookie season. Not every 21-year-old can say they’ve been through all of that. Despite that, he’s been having the time of his life in the past year, and he’s looking forward to the next eight seasons.
Logan Cooley scores his first NHL hat trick in his career. 8-4 Coyotes. #Yotes pic.twitter.com/SrC2uxfbbz
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) March 29, 2024
“I love it here,” Cooley said. “It’s the best time I’ve had playing hockey. The fans, the facilities we have are second to none. The team we have with Gunther, Keller, Sergachev, the core we have here, it’s a special group. I’m excited to add to that. The way we’re playing and the team we have, we’re going to be a dangerous team to stop.”
A Championship in Mind
Cooley’s contract was signed before the Mammoth went on their four-game road trip. Perhaps that’s why he went on a monstrous tear throughout those games, producing nine points, including six goals and a hat trick.
LOGAN COOLEY WITH A NATURAL HAT TRICK IN ONLY 4:48!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/OdhMXSy4H7
— NHL (@NHL) October 24, 2025
With the extension in place and Cooley producing like crazy, Smith had a sit-down conversation with the forward before the contract was announced to talk about the future. The goal in the next eight seasons is clear. Win a Stanley Cup.
“What we’ve talked about a ton is winning a Stanley Cup,” Cooley said. “That’s why you play this game, and that’s why it’s fun working every day at the rink. Trying to get better, trying to work on your game, individually, as a team. The best in the league, when it’s all said and done, is judged by winning, and that’s what we love to do, that’s what we want to do, and that’s what we’re going to.”
Armstrong has watched Cooley even before he was drafted in 2022, when he was playing with the University of Minnesota. He knows the player and the person well. He knows that Cooley will be a massive piece of an eventual championship for the Mammoth. This extension means everything for the player and the franchise because of the commitment the young center has made.
“This eight-year contract signed today by Logan will help this franchise take a huge step toward becoming a championship organization in the future,” Armstrong said. “The reason I’m so excited today to sign Logan to an eight-year deal is the same reason on draft day we’re so excited about getting this young man. He’s an elite centerman with speed, and they’re extremely rare and extremely hard to find. What makes him unique is his drive and character, his ability to improve, with a huge hunger to win. He’s an impressive young man.”
The future is bright for Logan Cooley. 🌟
Let’s keep it going, Utah. pic.twitter.com/irpNTbpw8Z
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 29, 2025
Cooley will get even better as the years go on. Not just as a player but as a leader as well. He has already spoken about how he wants to continue growing as a voice in the locker room and be a player that the younger guys can talk to, like the up-and-coming Cole Beaudoin, Tij Iginla, and Caleb Desnoyers. He also wants to be leaned on during the tough times. That’s a player anyone would want on their team.
The Cooley extension ensures that the Mammoth’s best center as of right now is staying in Salt Lake City for the next eight seasons. Without Cooley, this team wouldn’t be as good as it’s been. It’s a slam dunk decision for both player and team.
Ultimately, this is the place Cooley wants to be. He loves the city. He loves the ownership. Most importantly, he loves the team, and he truly believes he can win a championship in Utah.
“We just have an unbelievable group,” Cooley said. “I’m excited to be with this group for a while.”
The extension shows that Utah is a market players want to be in. With Cooley locked down for the foreseeable future, it wouldn’t be surprising if players start wanting to sign with the team just because they see star players like him wanting to be in the market. He’s a big name now, just three seasons into his career.
With his future set in stone, Cooley can now focus on the future. While Utah fans can point to this as one of the biggest wins during the Mammoth’s franchise history, the young center’s full attention is now on adding a bigger win in the next eight years, bringing the Stanley Cup to Salt Lake City.
