JJ Peterka was traded to the Utah Mammoth by the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday for defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
Peterka signed a five-year, $38.5 million contract ($7.7 million average annual value) with Utah. He could have become a restricted free agent on July 1 after completing the three-year, entry-level contract he signed with the Sabres on June 11, 2021.
The 23-year-old forward had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games this season.
“JJ is a highly skilled, creative, young forward with extremely high upside,” Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong said. “He will help solidify our scoring and add to what is already a great young core of forwards on the roster. Signing JJ to a long-term extension is another positive step towards building a sustainable contender here in Utah, and today is an exciting day for our entire organization.”
Selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 34) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Peterka has 150 points (67 goals, 83 assists) in 238 regular-season games.
“There is a lot of excitement and positive momentum surrounding our team right now, and adding a player of JJ Peterka’s caliber and offensive upside is another great step towards achieving our objectives as a group,” Utah president Chris Armstrong said.
Bill Armstrong said, "If you want something really great, you got to give up something at the end of the day. And we do have a lot of good picks coming through the door that are from previous drafts. So, that's a good thing. (Dmitriy Simashev) and (Daniil But) are walking through the door, but you always have to weigh where you are in the build and where you're going.
"And I think where we're going we needed somebody in the top two lines that could put the puck in the net and they could have that ability to kind of have impact. So we had to give up two really good players to do that. I think on our side of it, we're excited about the age of the player, the term of the contract, the AAV, and the impact that he can have."
Kesselring had 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 82 games for Utah this season. Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round (No. 164) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the 25-year-old has 53 points (12 goals, 41 assists) in 156 regular-season games.
"I want to earn the opportunity and earn the right to play high up in the lineup and be an impactful player for the organization," Kesselring said. "I think that’s how they see me. I think they see me with a lot of potential, and I played well when I had a lot of opportunity this year, so I think the goal is just to carry that over and keep getting better."
He has one year remaining on the two-year contract he signed with Utah on June 28, 2024.
Doan, the son of former NHL forward Shane Doan, had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 51 games for Utah this season. Selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round (No. 37) of the 2021 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old has 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 62 regular-season games.
