The Utah Mammoth have locked up one of their most reliable defensemen long term.
The team announced on Tuesday that John Marino signed an eight-year, $54 million contract extension that carries an average annual value of $6.75 million.
The Utah Mammoth have signed defenseman John Marino to an 8-year, $54M extension, the team announced Tuesday. https://t.co/9PVQM1CKZD
— ESPN (@espn) July 21, 2026
The extension kicks in for the 2027-28 season, meaning the 29-year-old blueliner is under contract in Utah till the 2034-35 campaign, per ESPN
Marino was going to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, but the Mammoth made sure that never happens.
He’s coming off perhaps the best season of his career, scoring a career-high 36 points on four goals and 32 assists in 80 games and averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time a night.
“We value John’s long-term commitment to Utah and what he brings to our group every day,” said president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong.
“His professionalism, his tenacity, the steadiness and the puck-moving skill that he adds to our blue line make him an irreplaceable cornerstone for our team”
Originally selected by Edmonton in the sixth round in 2015, Marino made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh before being traded to New Jersey in 2022.
The Mammoth traded for him in a 2024 deal that cost the team three draft picks and he now has 157 points in 443 NHL career games.
The agreement finishes a busy offseason for the Mammoth, who acquired Vincent Trocheck in a trade and signed Anders Lee as they try to build on last year’s first playoff berth in franchise history.
