Mammoth recall Gregor Biber as Kailer Yamamoto hits IR

The Biber recall matters most for what it says about the blue line. Schmidt is the defenseman Utah is waiting on.

Schmidt is dealing with an upper-body injury, and the Mammoth play in Ottawa on Saturday. You don't call up a 7th defenseman the night before a road game unless you think you'll need him. If Schmidt can't go, it's reportedly between Biber and Artyom Duda for the open spot.

The forward news came in the same move. Yamamoto goes on IR backdated to 10/29, so the paperwork is catching up to a guy who hasn't been in the lineup for over a week anyway. The retroactive date also means he can come off IR sooner than if they'd placed him there today.

Now the fun part. Biber was a 4th-round pick, No. 98 overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft. That was the franchise's very first draft after it moved to Utah, and he was the first defenseman taken in the 4th round. He's Austrian, listed at 6-foot-3, and he played junior hockey in Sweden before coming over.

That's the milestone to watch. Utah has been running on a roster it inherited from Arizona plus trades and signings. A kid the franchise drafted itself finally pulling on the sweater is a real marker, even for a 4th-rounder getting a fill-in shift on a Saturday in Ottawa.

Just don't expect fireworks. Biber is in his 1st pro season in North America and has 3 assists, 10 PIM and a plus-2 in 11 games with the Roadrunners. That's a steady depth guy, not a guy who'll take over the power play. If he dresses, the job is simple: keep it clean, don't get burned, and get to say you were first.

Watch the warmup lines and morning skate in Ottawa. If Schmidt skates and plays, Biber probably watches from the press box and the history waits. If Schmidt sits and Utah goes with Biber over Duda, the Mammoth get a franchise first on a random November road night.