The Utah Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar on Wednesday. Here’s what the players think of the deal.
PHILADELPHIA — Vibes are high in the Utah Mammoth locker room.
For so many years during the Arizona Coyotes days, this time of year was bitter. Bad season after bad season resulted in the team selling in March, rather than buying. But it’s different this year.
The Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, bolstering their defense for both their anticipated playoff run this year and the next five years after that.
“He’s a great player,” said Lawson Crouse, who won gold alongside Weegar at the World Championship in 2023. “He moves well, he’s physical and he’s passionate. He really cares about winning.”
Off the ice, Crouse described him as an “an incredible human being.”
Head coach André Tourigny coached that Team Canada squad, which also included Jack McBain and Michael Carcone — but his history with Weegar goes back further than that.
When Tourigny was the GM and head coach of the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, he got a call from the Halifax Mooseheads asking for a favor.
Weegar was in a position where he needed to clear waivers before being able to play in the league, but he was sure to get claimed before the powerhouse Mooseheads could get to him. So, Tourigny claimed him and immediately traded him to Halifax, where Weegar won the Memorial Cup — one of the hardest trophies in hockey to win.
“Yesterday when I talked to him, I said, ‘Hey, you still owe me one since that Memorial Cup,’” Tourigny said, smiling.
Tourigny agreed with Crouse’s off-ice assessment of the player, too.
“You won’t find anybody who says a bad thing about this guy. He’s a warrior every day.”
Nick DeSimone played parts of two seasons with Weegar in Calgary, and he’s excited to be back with him now.
“Just a good dude. Just really well-liked and his play speaks for itself,” he said. “He’s a great player.”
“... (He’s) just funny. He can chat. He likes having some fun, getting on guys. He’s also a gamer, too, so he’s a good mix of both.”
Barrett Hayton knows Weegar from both the 2025 World Championship and from playing against him for several years in the NHL.
“He’s obviously a big body, skates well, moves the puck extremely well, hard to play against,” he said. “He’s got jam, he makes plays. He’s kind of got it all.”
And, of course, Hayton added to the consensus that Weegar is a good guy to have around.
“Just a great guy, I think that’s an easy way to sum it up,” he said. “He’s fun to be around. ... He’s just a great teammate.”
It’s still bittersweet
As excited as the guys are to get Weegar, they’ll miss Olli Määttä.
“You lose a guy like Olli, who’s a great teammate. That kind of sucks in that sense,” Crouse said. “But it’s all part of the business and as much as we’re excited to bring Weegar in, we’re all (wishing) Olli well.”
Määttä proved at the Olympics that he still belongs in the world’s best hockey league. Calgary was reportedly on his 10-team no-trade list, but he signed off on it as he’ll get much better opportunities there.
When will MacKenzie Weegar join the Utah Mammoth?
Weegar is a Canadian citizen, which means he needs a work visa before he can suit up for an American team. The process typically takes four to 10 days, the team says, which likely puts him in the lineup no sooner than Monday’s game in Chicago.
When asked if he knows how long it will take for MacKenzie Weegar to be able to play, Tourigny gave a great quote.
— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) March 5, 2026
“You need to ask Uncle Donald for that.”
He repeated what Armstrong said, that it takes 4-10 days to get the visa.#TusksUp
Of course, they’d like to get him in as soon as possible — not only because he’s a good player, but also because the blue line just got a bit shallower.
Mikhail Sergachev did not participate in morning skate in Philadelphia on Thursday, and Tourigny said he’s a game-time decision. With Määttä’s departure, they’re down two defensemen if Sergachev doesn’t play.
The Mammoth recalled Dmitri Simashev from the minors, and he arrived in Philadelphia in time to play if he’s needed.
Category: General Sports
