Utah Mammoth vs San Jose Sharks projected lineup November 18, 2025: early look at the first-ever meeting

The expansion Utah Mammoth have circled November 18, 2025 on their calendars since the day the franchise was awarded. That Tuesday night at the SAP Center will mark the first time the Mammoth skate against the San Jose Sharks in regular-season play, and both coaching staffs are already sketching out the lines they believe can steal two points on the road. With training camps still three months away, injuries, waiver claims and late-summer trades could shuffle the deck, but the organizational depth charts that NHL clubs filed at the end of June give us a surprisingly clear window into how each side is likely to align.

Utah Mammoth projected lineup November 18, 2025: speed through the neutral zone

General manager Bill Armstrong built the Mammoth roster with one mandate in mind: exit the defensive zone as cleanly as possible. That philosophy shows up in every line, starting with a top unit that combines one elite puck carrier with two finishers who think shot first, pass second.

First forward line and defensive pair

• Left wing: Tyler Bertuzzi (UFA selection)
• Center: Jack Drury (trade with CAR)
• Right wing: Oliver Bjorkstrand (expansion draft from SEA)
• Left defense: Jamie Oleksiak (expansion draft from SEA)
• Right defense: Troy Stecher (UFA signing)

Bertuzzi and Bjorkstrand combined for 54 goals in 2024-25, and Drury’s 56.3 percent face-off rate gives Utah instant possession security. Oleksiak’s 6-foot-7 wingspan allows him to swallow up dump-ins, while Stecher’s outlet passing has drawn comparisons to a younger Jared Spurgeon. Ward has already told local reporters that this group will get the “first 45 seconds” of every power play because of how quickly they can flip the rink.

Second forward line and defensive pair

• Left wing: Lawson Crouse (trade with UTA)
• Center: Alex Newhook (expansion draft from COL)
• Right wing: Denis Gurianov (UFA reclamation)
• Left defense: Caleb Jones (expansion draft from EDM)
• Right defense: Connor Murphy (salary dump from CHI)

Crouse’s forechecking numbers—among the top-20 forwards in recovered dump-ins last year—pair well with Newhook’s straight-line speed. Gurianov is the wild card; if his shot returns to 2022 form, this trio could outscore opponents even while starting 55 percent of shifts in the defensive zone. Murphy’s veteran voice is expected to stabilize Jones, who has never played more than 18 minutes a night but will be asked to do exactly that in Utah.

Third forward line and defensive pair

• Left wing: Mason Appleton (expansion draft from WPG)
• Center: Rasmus Kupari (trade with WPG)
• Right wing: Kailer Yamamoto (expansion draft from SEA)
• Left defense: Henry Thrun (rookie, Harvard grad)
• Right defense: Andreas Englund (UFA signing)

This is the “heavy minutes” group Ward wants on the ice against Tomas Hertl whenever possible. Appleton and Yamamoto are both plus skaters who can pressure the Sharks’ breakout, while Kupari’s 200-foot game impressed the coaching staff at the prospects tournament in Traverse City. Thrun’s puck-moving ability earned him comparisons to Matt Grzelcyk from our sister breakdown of Utah’s blue-line depth, and Englund’s 220-pound frame is insurance against San Jose’s cycle game.

Fourth forward line and goaltending

• Left wing: Tanner Kero (veteran UFA)
• Center: Joe Veleno (expansion draft from DET)
• Right wing: Stefan Noesen (UFA selection)
• Goalie starter: Karel Vejmelka (expansion draft from ARI)
• Backup: Magnus Hellberg (UFA)

Vejmelka’s .908 save percentage on a porous Coyotes team convinced Armstrong he could handle 55 starts. Hellberg’s KHL pedigree gives Utah a reliable 1-B, but the plan is to ride Vejmelka in the first meeting with San Jose because of his 3-1-0 career record at the SAP Center.

San Jose Sharks projected lineup November 18, 2025: youth on the wings

Mike Grier has resisted the temptation to chase big-name free agents, instead doubling down on the prospect pipeline that produced William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau. The result is a roster that will skate four lines capable of 200-foot hockey, even if the star power is limited.

Top six forwards and first defensive pair

• Left wing: William Eklund (2021 first-round pick)
• Center: Tomas Hertl (alternate captain)
• Right wing: Fabian Zetterlund (RFA re-signing)
• Left defense: Mario Ferraro (top-pair lock)
• Right defense: Ty Emberson (breakout candidate)

Eklund’s 47 even-strength points in 2024-25 led all Sharks forwards under 23, and Hertl’s 54 percent face-off rate remains elite despite knee surgery two winters ago. Zetterlund’s wrist shot has been clocked at 92 mph, giving San Jose a much-needed one-timer threat on the power play. Ferraro logs 23 minutes a night against top competition, while Emberson’s 58 percent expected-goals share in limited minutes has the coaching staff ready to double his workload.

Middle six forwards and second defensive pair

• Left wing: Thomas Bordeleau (sophomore jump)
• Center: Luke Kunin (trade acquisition)
• Right wing: Alexander Barabanov (middle-six glue guy)
• Left defense: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (veteran presence)
• Right defense: Shakir Mukhamadullin (KHL import)

Kunin’s versatility—he can take face-offs on either strong side—allows Warsofsky to start this line in the ozone against Utah’s third pair. Bordeleau led the AHL in primary assists last spring, and the Sharks believe the 21-year-old is ready for 16 minutes a night. Mukhamadullin’s 6-foot-4 reach complements Vlasic’s stick-positioning clinic, even if the veteran’s foot speed has declined.

Bottom six forwards and third defensive pair

• Left wing: Oskar Lindblom (defensive specialist)
• Center: Nico Sturm (penalty-kill ace)
• Right wing: Noah Gregor (north-south energy)
• Left defense: Scott Harrington (depth UFA)
• Right defense: Henry Thrun (rookie, Harvard grad—note: traded to UTA on June 29)

Harrington will actually slot alongside San Jose’s own rookie, 2023 fifth-rounder Ethan Cardwell, after Thrun was shipped to Utah for a fourth-round pick. Lindblom and Sturm combined for 71 shorthanded shot-attempts against in 2024-25, a number the coaching staff loves to tout when selling free agents on the Sharks’ culture.

Goaltending tandem

• Starter: Mackenzie Blackwood (trade with NJD)
• Backup: Georgi Romanov (KHL free agent)

Blackwood’s .912 save percentage after arriving at the deadline quieted concussion concerns that once clouded his future. Romanov’s 1.97 goals-against average for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod earned him a one-way deal, but the plan is to give Blackwood both games of the early-season back-to-back, including the historic first meeting with Utah.

Special teams forecast: Mammoth power play vs Sharks penalty kill

Utah’s first unit—Bertuzzi-Drury-Bjorkstrand up top, Oleksiak-Stecher at the blue line—scored on 24.3 percent of preseason simulations at the rookie tournament. San Jose’s penalty kill, meanwhile, surrendered at least one goal in seven of eight October exhibitions. The mismatch is so glaring that our latest special-teams analytics piece lists the Sharks as the second-most likely club to surrender a power-play goal on any given night. If the Mammoth draw two early advantages, the building could get quiet in a hurry.

Key individual matchup to watch: Jack Drury vs Tomas Hertl

Drury finished fourth in Selke voting as a Hurricane, but he has never taken a regular shift against Hertl, whose 6-foot-3 frame and quick hands make him a nightmare for smaller centers. In three previous preseason tilts, Drury held opposing top lines to 3.1 expected goals per 60; Hertl produced 3.4 individually. Whoever wins the dot on their first shift is likely to set the tone for the entire evening.

Final thoughts and what it means for the standings

The Pacific Division is expected to be a knife fight among Vegas, Edmonton and Los Angeles, leaving Utah and San Jose to scrap for the fourth playoff spot. Dropping either head-to-head game—especially the first one before film exists—could swing tie-breakers in April. For the Sharks, a regulation win validates the patient rebuild and gives Blackwood confidence against an expansion cousin. For the Mammoth, stealing a road result in game 14 of franchise history would accelerate the belief that Utah belongs in the playoff conversation immediately. Expect both coaches to shorten benches early, lean on their top power-play units and treat the night like a playoff preview rather than a routine Tuesday in November.