Utah signs Sebastian Cossa to two-year deal after strong AHL season
Utah locked in Sebastian Cossa on a two-year, $4 million deal after his 26-win AHL season and Holmes Award run made him too good to leave exposed.
Utah moved quickly to turn Sebastian Cossa’s AHL breakout into NHL security, signing the goaltender to a two-year, $4 million contract on June 30, four days after acquiring him from Detroit and one day before he could have become a restricted free agent.
The timing tells the story. Utah did not trade for Cossa just to hold his rights and see where the summer market went. It paid for a 23-year-old goalie who had just spent 2025-26 putting up one of the strongest seasons in the American Hockey League, then committed another $4 million to keep him in the fold with a $2 million average annual value.
Cossa’s season for Grand Rapids was the kind that changes an organization’s calculation. In 39 games, he went 26-8-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and five shutouts. Those numbers ranked him fifth in the AHL in goals-against average, sixth in save percentage and second in shutouts, and he shared the 2025-26 Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award with Michal Postava after the Griffins allowed the fewest goals in the league.
Grand Rapids gave up 159 goals, or 2.21 per game, and the franchise had not won the Holmes Award since back-to-back seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03. That is the sort of defensive body of work that turns a prospect into a priority, and Utah’s follow-up made that plain.
The Mammoth acquired Cossa on June 26 in exchange for the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a selection Utah had previously gotten from Boston in the JJ Peterka trade. It was a significant price for a goalie who has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular, but Cossa’s track record in Grand Rapids explains why Utah was willing to pay it.
Detroit had taken Cossa 15th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft after trading up with the 23rd, 48th and 138th picks, betting on a 6-foot-7, 220-pound netminder with a rare frame and starter upside. He has already tasted the NHL once, making his debut on Dec. 9, 2024, and winning at Buffalo by stopping 12 of 14 shots.
His AHL résumé now spans 123 appearances with Grand Rapids, where he owns a 70-33-18 record, a 2.46 GAA, a .911 save percentage and eight shutouts. He also skated in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2025 and 2026. For Utah, the bet is straightforward: a goalie who has already proved himself at the minor-league level now enters the organization with money, term and a clear path toward permanent NHL minutes.
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