Utah Mammoth sign forward Logan Cooley to 8-year, $80 million extension
by Caleb Turner kslcom · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Logan Cooley signed an 8-year $80 million extension with Utah Mammoth.
- Cooley, 21, is now the highest-paid Mammoth player, scoring 8 goals in 11 games.
- Owner Ryan Smith praised Cooley's commitment, enhancing the team's championship aspirations.
SALT LAKE CITY — Logan Cooley is just getting started in Utah.
The 21-year-old third overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft signed an eight-year, $80 million contract extension Wednesday with the Utah Mammoth to remain in the Beehive State through 2033.
"Choosing to play with this group of teammates was the easiest part of this decision, and living in Utah has been amazing since day one," Logan Cooley said. "We have an opportunity to do something special here thanks to the incredible people in the organization. This is an awesome day for me and my family, and I am proud to commit to the state of Utah and to the Mammoth."
Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said Wednesday that Cooley's contract had been done "for a little bit of time," but likely after the Oct. 6 report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, which stated that Cooley's camp had turned down an eight-year deal worth nearly $77 million before the season started.
The deal makes Cooley the highest-paid player on the Mammoth with an average annual value of $10 million, which the young forward has backed up with eight goals through 11 games this season, good for the second-most in the NHL.
Cooley scored the second hat trick of his three-year NHL career last week in St. Louis and followed it up with two goals in the first period just two days later against the Minnesota Wild.
The hot start to the season could have the Pittsburgh native knocking on the door of the U.S. Olympic team ahead of the Milano Cortina games in February, as Cooley joins Las Vegas' Jack Eichel and Winnipeg's Kyle Connor as one of the highest-earning Americans in the NHL.
Cooley is now one of three Mammoth players signed through at least the 2030 season, joining defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and fellow forward and linemate Dylan Guenther.
"(Logan) is one of the most exciting young players in the league, and the fact that he's chosen to plant roots here in Utah says everything about what we're building," owner Ryan Smith said. "He is part of an incredible core of young players that will have a major impact on the future of this franchise.
"Utah is a place where the community shows up, where the energy is through the roof and where players know they can win," Smith continued. "Logan choosing to put his roots down here and commit for the long-term is another important milestone in building a championship-caliber team."
Smith added that the ability to sign an eight-year contract is "really good," compared to the shorter deals that have become common in the league of Smith's other team, the Utah Jazz, which he said is "almost like a transfer portal a little bit."
"You sign someone for four years (in the NBA) and you're kind of recruiting after Year 2 or 3," Smith said. "So for us to be able to say, 'Okay, Logan, you're buying a house,' it's super refreshing. And that's what we're hoping for in every sport: you're hoping, from our standpoint, that you're building continuity throughout."
The contract lengths are getting shorter in hockey, as well, though, with the latest NHL collective bargaining agreement mandating a maximum length of seven years starting next season. Clayton Keller is on the only other eight-year deal for Utah outside of Cooley, Guenther and Sergachev, with the captain's deal ending in 2027.
Cooley's eight goals have Utah leading the Western Conference and Central Division through 11 games, coming off a franchise-best seven-game win streak that was snapped on Tuesday in Edmonton. The team returns to Utah for a home game at the Delta Center on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 1:30 p.m. MST.
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Caleb Turner
Caleb Turner covers Real Salt Lake as the team's beat writer for KSL.com Sports. He also oversees the sports team's social media accounts.