June 26, 2025 | 12:40am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

MAMMOTH ACQUIRE PETERKA FROM SABRES, SIGN HIM TO 5-YEAR DEAL

J.J. Peterka, forward

The Utah Mammoth have acquired forward J.J. Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.

Peterka, 23, has also signed a five-year, $38.5 million contract with the Mammoth, giving him an average annual value of $7.7 million.

“J.J. is a highly skilled, creative, young forward with extremely high upside,” said Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong. “He will help solidify our scoring and add to what is already a great young core of forwards on the roster. Signing J.J. 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.”

Peterka registered 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points and 34 penalty minutes (PIM) in 77 games with Buffalo in 2024-25, finishing tied for second on the team in scoring.

In 238 career NHL regular-season games, Peterka has accumulated 67 goals and 83 assists for 150 points.

Peterka was originally drafted by the Sabres in the second round (34th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Kesselring, 25, is coming off his second full-time NHL season in which he played all 82 games and had seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points.

“One of our priorities as we work through this offseason is making our team more competitive and tougher to play against,” Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said. “The additions of Michael and Josh will help us tremendously in both of those categories and I am excited to see them in a Sabres uniform soon.

“Michael fits the mold of the right-handed defensemen we have been looking for, and we are thrilled he brings both size and compete. We believe he will help add balance to our blue line while elevating the rest of the D corps. Josh is a player that has shown the ability to win at multiple levels and brings great leadership pedigree to our organization. He’s a strong two-way player who we believe will be able to provide versatility to our group.”

Doan was a second-round pick by Arizona in 2021. The 23-year-old had seven goals and 12 assists o 19 points in 51 games with Utah this past season.