Mammoths’ Kevin Looney proves he still belongs in NHL with Roadrunners – Hockey Writer – Utah Mammoths

With two days until the start of the Utah Mammoths’ 2025-26 season, every NHL player is with their team in preparation for the upcoming 82 games. Kevin Looney is fighting his own battle at home, aiming to earn a professional contract in North America, hopefully in the NHL.

Rooney is no stranger to the league. During his career, he played in 330 NHL games and scored 60 points. After playing almost a full season with the Calgary Flames, he had one of the best seasons of his career, scoring 10 points, the third-highest total of his career.

However, after the season, Rooney did not receive a contract offer from the Flames. He was forced to find work in a league that didn’t seem like the right fit for him.

It took Rooney nearly half a year to get another chance as an NHL player. The realization came after he took a trip to Tucson, but the veteran forward isn’t ready to give up on his professional hockey career just yet. With his latest call-up, he’s ready to prove he’s still a valuable NHL player.

Contracts earned through hard work

Looney’s offseason hasn’t been filled with vacations and relaxation. This is a place full of work.

He goes to the gym every day. He’s on the ice every day. It’s all for one goal. Earned the contract and returned to the NHL in October.

“I’m lucky,” Rooney said. “My family and my hometown circle are supporting me. I try to go to the gym and the rink every day with one purpose: to get better, to prove people wrong and to prove to people that even though I’m a little older, I can still play.”

Rooney’s efforts eventually turned into a professional tryout deal with the New Jersey Devils. This is a team he is familiar with. This was the first NHL team to give him a chance after four seasons at Providence College. He ended up playing five seasons with the Devils before signing with the New York Rangers.

RELATED: Mammoths’ Michal Kunc moves to Tucson to fully pursue his NHL dream

In the preseason, Rooney played in three games for the Devils and contributed one assist. While it’s nothing groundbreaking, Looney proved that even though the NHL is getting younger, he can still keep up with others in the league.

“The NHL has kind of shifted, there’s a lot of young guys now,” Rooney said. “You can only get so many veterans. I want to keep working hard and prove I can compete with the younger guys.”

The gamble with the Devils paid off. The Mammoths and Looney agreed to a one-year, two-way contract the night before the NHL season began.

That same night, Rooney was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL). General manager Bill Armstrong made it clear what he wants Looney to see in Tucson. He also had a message for the veteran: Be prepared.

“He (Armstrong) was very transparent and right when I signed, he called me and let me know what he expected of me,” Rooney said. “Come down and try to be a leader in the locker room. Play hard and good things will come. Injuries are going to happen, so you have to be ready for your opportunity.”

A short but productive time in Tucson

Although Rooney is one of the team’s newest players, he is no stranger to some of the Mammoths’ players. In Providence, Rooney actually assisted on Brandon Tanev’s NCAA championship-winning goal. The two were effectively roommates during his tenure in Providence.

Rooney also trained with John Marino during the summer. He made sure to research both players in Salt Lake City and Tucson, as well as the rest of the league, before signing with the Mammoths.

“I’ve talked to players all over the league,” Rooney said. “I know a lot of the guys that played in Tucson and played on the staff. I try to do my job there, but it really comes down to me coming in and playing hard, trying to be a leader and helping the team in any way.”

Rooney started the Roadrunners’ season alongside Daniel Boot and Sammy Walker. In the season opener against the Ontario Reign, Walker made an immediate impact when he scored the game-tying goal with 29 seconds remaining and then went on to win the game in overtime for the Roadrunners. Rooney then added two more goals and an assist in the next three games to take four points in his first four games.

Along with Rooney, Walker has five points in four games, while rookie Bute currently has three. This is the Roadrunners’ best line on offense so far, and Looney is enjoying playing with his other two teammates, especially the younger ones, but has struggled to coach them as he chases his dream of making his NHL debut.

“I think each of us brings something different to the table,” Rooney said. “But he’s a young man and still learning the language. We’re trying to help him as much as we can, but he’s doing well. It’s not easy for a guy like that to be successful right away, so we’re very pleased with his performance and we’ll continue to work with him and try to help him as much as we can so he can get to the next level.”

Interestingly, two of the first four games were against his former team, the Calgary Wranglers. While it felt strange for Rooney to play against some of his former teammates, it felt good for him to score some points against his old club. Especially the one who dropped him that summer.

“It feels good to get some points against a team that doesn’t really want you,” Rooney said.

Rooney hit a big shot in the third inning and began to close the gap in this inning!

Rooney Tunney Rooney#LetsGoTucson pic.twitter.com/dpoIjor7qA

— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) October 20, 2025

Head coach Steve Potvin has coached many players over the past few seasons with the Roadrunners. He’s coaching a veteran who has performed well in the AHL, but probably isn’t worthy of being in the league like Kyler Yamamoto was last season. For Potvin, as much as he wants to see his team thrive, he doesn’t want to see a player on his team who is worthy of joining the NHL.

Potvin said Rooney falls into that category. Still, he likes having the veteran forward in the team’s locker room alongside youngsters like Bute and Maverick Lamoureux.

“He’s great and he’s a good fit for our team,” Potvin said. “He wants to play. He’s one of those guys who finds joy in the game and it’s a pleasure to be around him. Our guys are definitely going to be excited to be around him and he’s going to help our team grow.”

Despite being in the AHL, Rooney’s situation is not bad. There are many AHL markets with very cold winters. Tucson is not one of those markets.

Rooney is happy that his family can come and watch him play. However, he is most excited about moving into his own apartment. Rooney has been living in a hotel since signing a personal contract with the Devils. He was happy to finally have a real living space.

“I’ll be moving to a new place soon,” Rooney said. “I’m really excited to get out of the hotel. I’ve been at the hotel for a long time since Sept. 3. I’m ready to get out of the hotel and have my family here. I’m also excited about the weather and getting to know people in the community.”

Drafted to Utah

Unfortunately but fortunately for Rooney, hotel life is not over for him just yet. He was called up by the Mammoths on Thursday, just in time for their four-game road trip in the Midwest.

For those fans who don’t know Rooney and his style of play, he is an aggressive bottom-six player who works hard and is not afraid of physical contact. He was outstanding in the Roadrunners’ shootout and gave it his all. Despite a hot start in the AHL, Rooney doesn’t expect his style of play to change, even after being called up to the NHL.

“I want to continue to be a tough guy, a guy who leads by example,” Rooney said. “I want to perform well in the penalty shootout, help the team in the penalty shootout and try to make a difference offensively. It’s a good start but I want to keep working on it. I know there are areas of my game that I need to continue to get better to keep improving.”

The past few weeks have been crazy for Rooney. He spent his entire life away from his family, living in hotel rooms in two different time zones, just for the chance to continue his career in the NHL.

However, Looney’s experience getting a contract and now being drafted into the National Hockey League is a great example of what can happen if you work as hard as you can to achieve your goals. It may be the eve of the new season, but now Rooney is doing everything he can to prove to his new team that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

“I know it’s a late signing but I’ve worked hard all summer and I’m delighted it’s paid off,” Rooney said. “It’s a good start. Hopefully we can continue.”

Those endless nights spent away from family in hotel rooms in Newark and Tucson have paid off. A summer of hard work is worth it. Rooney is an NHL player again. Although his time with the Mammoths was short, the fact that he waited nearly 100 days to take another shot in the NHL due to his incredible performance in the AHL shows his true dedication to his desire to play professional hockey. Not surprisingly, it’s Rooney doing it, a player who has known nothing but hard work since day one in the NHL.