Simashev said Friday that his main goal for training camp is to make the Mammoth's Opening Night roster.
Simashev was the sixth overall pick in 2023, and he got his first opportunity to contribute at the NHL level last year. Across 28 regular-season appearances with Utah, he recorded an assist, 28 blocked shots, 23 PIM and 14 hits while averaging 15:06 of ice time. The 21-year-old isn't guaranteed a spot on the Opening Night roster heading into the 2026-27 campaign, but he'll likely compete with Maveric Lamoureux during training camp for a spot on the team's blue line to begin the regular season.