Mammoth acquire Sebastian Cossa from Red Wings for first-round pick
A notable prospect between the pipes is heading West.
On Friday night at the 2026 NHL Draft, the Utah Mammoth acquired goaltender Sebastian Cossa from the Detroit Red Wings. In exchange, the Red Wings received the No. 23 pick in the draft, which they used to select forward J.P. Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.
The move seemed to be a long time coming, as it seemed that the Red Wings were at an impasse with Cossa. While the Hamilton, Ont. native has been one of the top goaltenders in the American Hockey League for the past couple of seasons, being named to the Central Division All-Star Team in each of the previous two years, his inconsistency led many to question if he was ever going to be ready to make the jump to the NHL. However, with the move to Utah, it seems like he’ll have a great opportunity to prove himself on the big stage.
While Cossa received a couple of call-ups to Detroit over the past two campaigns, he has only made one NHL appearance in his young career, that coming in relief against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 9, 2024. Cossa was able to make 14 saves in a winning effort.
This past season, the former Edmonton Oil King was the backbone behind one of the greatest starts in AHL history, helping the Grand Rapids Griffins go 26-1-1-1 through the end of December. There was even a point, with Detroit’s netminders John Gibson and Cam Talbot struggling in the early months, that it would be worth giving Cossa an honest look with the big club.
However, his numbers dropped off in the second half of the season. While the Griffins clinched the best record in the Western Conference, Cossa lost the starting job to Michal Postava, who played in all eight of the team’s games in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Cossa still had a career year, posting a 26-8-4 record, with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and five shutouts.
In 123 regular-season games in the AHL, Cossa has a record of 70-33-19, with a 2.46 GAA, a .911 SV% and eight shutouts. He is 5-6 in the postseason, with a 3.04 GAA and a .893 SV%. On top of his pro career, Cossa was on the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, as well as winning the Western Hockey League’s Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Oil Kings that same season.
It’s the second year in a row that the Red Wings have made a trade involving a goaltender. Last year, general manager Steve Yzerman acquired Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson became an important player, as the team came close to ending its decade-long playoff drought.