The Utah Mammoth did not go far in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, but the team now has much more confidence. After giving the Vegas Golden Knights a tough six-game first-round battle, the players no longer only want to reach the playoffs.

In an interview, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said Utah now believes it can compete for the Stanley Cup. He explained that the team has moved from being a young group with potential to a team ready to fight for hockey's biggest trophy.

"I'm not really sure what the potential for this group is right now. There's just no reason for us not to think that we can win the Cup. I think the belief for the group at the beginning of the year was to make playoffs and to kind of see what can happen”, said Weegar. 

The interview was shared by NHL writer Sam Len on his YouTube channel. Weegar believes Utah can win the Cup after taking Vegas, a top contender, to a six-game series.

“I think now, I believe that we have the potential to win the Cup. I think that's kind of what needs to be the belief now. But it's hard. It's a long road. It's not easy. But we just went to Game 6 with a Cup-contending [Vegas] team.”

Weegar said Utah was close to beating Vegas, as two overtime losses showed the series could have gone their way.

“There's no reason why we couldn't be on the other end winning in Game 6. We went to overtime with them twice. The series could have easily been us winning that series."

Weegar believes Utah's close playoff loss showed they can compete with top NHL teams. The team now wants to build on that experience and aim for bigger goals next season.

MacKenzie Weegar says Utah's standards have officially changed

In the same interview shared by Sam Len, Weegar said high expectations are not enough. He knows Utah will face a tougher challenge next season as teams prepare better for them.

"The standard's obviously high. The expectations are really high. We've got to know that it's really hard. Like I said, it's going to be harder next year. The teams are going to be way more prepared to play us. But we're going to get better. Everybody's going to take a jump.”

Weegar believes Utah's young players and veterans will improve, raising expectations from making the playoffs to winning the Cup.

“The young kids are going to get even better. The leadership group's going to get better, the older guys. But the expectation needs to be to win the Cup here. That needs to be the belief. And I believe that the guys in the room believe that as well. It's not just playoffs now. It's to hoist that Cup here."

Weegar's confidence comes from his NHL experience and time with Utah. The veteran defenseman believes the team has entered a new phase. A playoff spot is no longer enough; Utah now wants to make a deep run.

What do you think? Can Utah turn that confidence into a legitimate Stanley Cup challenge next season? Let us know in the comments. 

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason