BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres’ long-anticipated offseason retooling began late Wednesday night with the team agreeing to trade forward JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.
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Both teams announced the deal with Utah revealing it signed Peterka to a five-year contract worth $38.5 million. Peterka completed his rookie contract this season, and was eligible to become a restricted free agent next week.
“There is a lot of excitement and positive momentum surrounding our team right now, and adding a player of J.J. Peterka’s caliber and offensive upside is another great step towards achieving our objectives as a group,” Mammoth president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said.
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This is a major swap of young players all within their first three full seasons of NHL experience.
The 23-year-old Peterka is coming off consecutive 25-plus goal seasons, including 27 this year with a career-best 68 points in 77 games.
Doan, a 23-year-old winger, is the son of longtime Arizona Coyotes star Shane Doan, and his departure is the organization’s latest move that separates this Salt Lake City chapter from the past. He had seven goals and 19 points last season as a rookie.
Kesselring, a 25-year-old defenseman, played alongside Doan for the U.S. when it won the world championships in May for the first time since 1933. He completed his second full NHL season with seven goals and 29 points — both career highs.
“One of our priorities as we work through this offseason is making our team more competitive and tougher to play against,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “The additions of Michael and Josh will help us tremendously in both of those categories.”
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Kesserling is listed at 6-foot-5, with Doan listed at 6-2.
The Sabres were expected to shake up their roster after a disappointing finish in Lindy Ruff’s first season and second stint as coach. Buffalo finished 14th in the Eastern Conference standings and extended its NHL-record playoff drought to a 14th season.
The Mammoth, meantime, acquire a promising offensive star while keeping their No. 4 pick in the NHL draft Friday night. Utah made a late-season playoff push before falling short in finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
“J.J. is a highly skilled, creative, young forward with extremely high upside,” Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong said. “He will help solidify our scoring and add to what is already a great young core of forwards on the roster.”
Peterka is from Germany and was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, and made his Sabres debut in in 2021-22. In 2023-24, He scored a career-best 28 goals. Overall, he has 67 goals and 150 points in 238 games.
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Despite his developing skills, Peterka became the subject of trade talk for much of the past month.
On Tuesday, Adams declined to address the rumors, and whether Peterka had requested a trade, by saying it wasn’t the right time to get into that, and wouldn’t be fair to the player. He then hinted of a potential trade by adding: “I can probably, after the draft and when we have other conversations, get into more specifics on things.”
Adams is on the hotseat entering his sixth season, and is expected to make more moves, with defenseman Bowen Byram a potential trade candidate.
NHL: /hub/nhl
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Jackson has been writing about sports for the Deseret News since 2023.
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No. 9 BYU (14-1, 2-0) vs. Utah (8-7, 0-2)
Tip: Saturday, 8 p.m. MST
Venue: Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City
TV: ESPN
Streaming: espn.com/live
BYU radio broadcast: 102.7 FM/1160 AM/Sirius XM 143
Utah radio broadcast: 92.1 FM/700 AM
Series: Utahleads, 79-72 since 1949 (most recent meeting: 2025)
The trends
For BYU: 14-1 on the season, No. 10 in KenPom, averaging 88.2 points scored and 66.7 points allowed per game
For Utah: 8-7 on the season, No. 131 in KenPom, averaging 80.3 points scored and 80.1 points allowed per game
Players to watch
For BYU: Forward AJ Dybantsa, guard Richie Saunders, guard Robert Wright III
For Utah: Guard Terrance Brown, guard Don McHenry, forward Keanu Dawes
Utah forward Keanu Dawes (8) dunks the ball during a game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — There is a heavy police presence in the area of Harrison Blvd in South Ogden. ABC4 is working to learn more.
While police have not confirmed any information, ABC4 has acquired footage from a bystander that shows law enforcement detaining one individual. The individual can be seen handcuffed and without a shirt.
Courtesy: David Blanton
Several residents have also reported seeing over a dozen police vehicles heading to the area and reported hearing gunshots on social media.
Courtesy: Kade Garner // KTVX
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Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including Davis County SWAT, Weber County Sheriff’s Department, and Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. Officers from Riverton Police Department, Roy Police Department, Clinton Police Department, and Layton police Department all responded to the scene.
Law enforcement also used several drones and several armored vehicles responded to the scene. Additionally, it appears at least one person was transported from the scene by ambulance
Courtesy: Randy Ferrin
At this time, law enforcement has not confirmed any details regarding this incident. However, they appeared to have cleared from the scene.
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as more information becomes available.
SALT LAKE CITY — Those using a new national park pass who want to enjoy Utah’s “Mighty Five” better do so with President Donald Trump’s face perfectly intact, or you might pay a literal price.
The new annual park passes, which debuted on Jan. 1, feature Trump’s image alongside that of George Washington. At the same time as the release, the Department of the Interior reportedly updated its rules to ensure Trump’s face remains free and clear.
According to the Washington Post, the updated “Void if Altered” policy prohibits anyone from defacing the pass or covering up any images or information on the cards. Visitors found by rangers to have altered a pass by any means will be ordered to return it to its original condition or possibly be charged a regular entrance fee.
SFGate reported the policy originally prohibited any alteration of the signature portion of the pass, with the updated policy including the front of the card, with a warning that “writing on it or adding stickers or other coverings” is no longer allowed.
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Many believe the updated policy is in direct response to the large pushback over the inclusion of Trump, leaving people to share creative ways to hide the president’s image from passes, including stickers and sleeves.
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Along with the suggestions on how to hide Trump’s image, a nonprofit environmental group has filed a lawsuit claiming its design did not comply with legislation that requires public participation in the selection.
