Logan Cooley signed an eight-year, $80 million contract with the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $10 million and begins next season.
The 21-year-old forward leads the Mammoth with eight goals and is second with 12 points in 11 games this season. He had a goal in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Cooley is in the final season of his entry-level contract and could have become a restricted free agent after the season.
“I’d like everyone know how grateful I am to be in this position and this opportunity,” Cooley said Wednesday. “I would like to thank Ryan and Ashley Smith for believing in me and giving me this opportunity, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that they made the right decision.
“I love it here. It’s the best time I’ve had playing hockey, the fans, the facilities we have are second to none. And you know, I think just the team we have with (forward Dylan) Guenther, (forward Clayton) Keller, ‘Sergy’ (defenseman Mikhail Sergachev), the core we have here. It’s a special group, and I’m excited to add to that. And I think the way we’re playing and the team we have, we’re going to be a dangerous team to stop.”
Selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Cooley has 121 points (53 goals, 68 assists) in 121 regular-season games. He had NHL career highs in goals (25), assists (40) and points (65) in 75 games with Utah last season.
Among players from his draft class, Cooley ranks first in goals and points, and third in assists.
“Logan has made a huge commitment today by signing with the Mammoth to this organization, to his teammates, to the Mammoth fans, and also to the state of Utah,” Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong said. ” The reason I’m so excited today to sign Logan to an eight-year deal is the same reason on draft day. We were so excited about getting this young man. He’s an elite centerman with speed, and they’re extremely rare and extremely hard to find.”
“What makes him unique is his drive and character, his ability to improve. (He) has a huge hunger to win, and he’s an impressive young man. … Every day, he’s relentlessly working on his game. … so he’s a remarkable young man.The Mammoth (8-3-0) next host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET; The Spot, Utah16, NHLN, SN, TVAS).
Cooley said he is setting his goals high.
“Yeah, I think we’ve talked about it a ton, is winning a Stanley Cup,” he said. “That’s why you play this game, and that’s why it’s fun working every day at the rink, trying to get better, trying to work on your game, individually, as a team. And I think the best in the League, when it’s all said and done, it’s kind of judged by winning. And that’s what we love to do, that’s what we want to do, and that’s what we’re going to accomplish.”
Armstrong said he is impressed by Cooley’s worh ethic and ability to lead.
“He’s already doing it right now the way he comes to the rink, how hard he tries every single day to get better,” Armstrong said. “He goes home in the summer. He gets bigger, stronger and faster. He’s a huge example-setter inside our organization.
“But if you watch him, he’s always been pushing the envelope, winning since a kid in the U.S. program … the world championships last year, and he’s doing it here. And so he’s going to continue to push that pace to make Utah a winner … That’s not an easy process to go through, but I love the way that he attacks it every day.”
NHL.com staff writer William Douglas contributed to this report
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