The Utah Mammoth have locked up their star center Logan Cooley with a massive eight-year, $80 million contract extension. The deal will keep the 21-year-old phenom in Salt Lake City through 2034.
It’s a huge commitment that makes Cooley the highest-paid player on the team at $10 million per year.
The young center has been absolutely crushing it this season, with eight goals in just 11 games – tied for fifth in the league. He’s added four assists too, showing why the Mammoth were so eager to get this deal done now.
“Logan has exceeded all our expectations,” said Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong. “He’s a cornerstone piece for our franchise moving forward.”
The path to this payday wasn’t totally smooth. Cooley actually turned down an earlier offer of $77 million over eight years. But in the end, a small bump was all it took to get the deal done.
Here’s how Cooley’s salary breaks down year by year:
– 2026-27: $13M
– 2027-28: $11M
– 2028-29: $11M
– 2029-30: $10M
– 2030-31: $7.8M
– 2031-32: $8.2M
– 2032-33: $8.5M
– 2033-34: $10.5M
The timing couldn’t be better for Utah. Cooley’s been getting better every year since being picked third overall in 2022. After lighting it up in college with 60 points in 39 games at Minnesota, he jumped straight to the pros and hasn’t looked back.
His rookie year was impressive enough – 20 goals and 44 points while learning the NHL game. But last season he took things to another level with 65 points in 75 games.
What’s really exciting for Mammoth fans is that Cooley’s doing all this while not even being the team’s top center. He’s been crushing it on the second line between Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka, helping Utah’s offense become one of the league’s best.
The Mammoth have been busy locking up their young core. Cooley joins Peterka ($7.7M), Guenther ($7.14M), McBain ($4.25M), Sergachev ($8.5M), and Vejmelka ($4.75M) as players signed through at least 2030.
There’s still work to do though. Veterans Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton need new deals soon, and captain Clayton Keller’s contract is up in three years.
But for now, the Mammoth can celebrate keeping their young star center in Utah for the long haul. With the salary cap expected to keep rising, Cooley’s $10M cap hit might even look like a bargain in a few years.
