A fairy godmother couldn’t have granted Sebastian Cossa a better first NHL start.
The Utah Mammoth’s prized offseason acquisition stopped 18 of 19 shots en route to a 4-1 win in Columbus on Oct. 3. With how steady the 23-year-old looked, you would have never known it was his first full NHL game.
No good fairytale comes without conflict, though.
Five days after that introductory appearance, Cossa lasted less than 16 minutes before the coach yanked him from a game in Boston. He’d allowed three goals on eight shots in a game his team would ultimately lose 6-1.
He’s not letting it get to him, though.
“Obviously, not the way we wanted (it to go),” Cossa told the Deseret News on Monday. “Frustrated that night, (but) the next day is a new day. Just right back to work.
“It’s kind of the life in the NHL, just so much hockey that whether it’s a good game or a bad game, you’ve just got to reset. It’s a new day the next day.”
What a stop by Cossa! pic.twitter.com/X2RnGjXLnh
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 25, 2026
Hockey is a team sport, but goaltending is a position of solitude. If a forward or defenseman makes three mistakes in a period, it’s usually no big deal — someone will usually bail him out. When a goalie makes three mistakes in a period, the team usually loses the game.
Although this is Cossa’s first venture around the NHL, he has plenty of experience putting the bad games behind him. He spent the last four seasons playing minor-league pro hockey, where he went through every up and every down — and most importantly, he learned how to get past them.
“I feel like throughout my career, I’ve done a really good job of bouncing back and (I) expect nothing less,” he said. “The next game I get, (I’ll) go in with a good mindset and just play my game.”
What’s it like to get your first NHL start?
Cossa’s first NHL start was atypical. He didn’t get a rookie lap and his family wasn’t in the building to witness it.
Although the game in Columbus marked his first start, it wasn’t his first game. He played 45 minutes plus a shootout in a December 2024 matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres, relieving teammate Ville Husso of his duties after a rough first period.
The credit for a win or loss goes to the goalie who is in net when the game-winning goal is scored. The Red Wings came back to win in a shootout that evening, meaning Cossa earned his first NHL win.
It took a couple years for his next opportunity to arise, but he stayed ready.
While his family would have loved to make the trip to Columbus for the game, the trip from Fort McMurray, Alberta (nearly a five-hour drive from the nearest international airport, per Google Maps) wasn’t in the cards at that time. The Mammoth do, however, play in Edmonton on Thursday.
Whether the next chapter in his story comes in that game or later on, Cossa continues to stay ready.
“Good things are going to come,” he said. “Just stick with it.”
