Logan Cooley Makes History as Fastest Active NHL Player to Five Hat Tricks
Utah Mammoth forward Logan Cooley achieved the milestone of five career hat tricks in just 228 games, surpassing even Alex Ovechkin’s pace. The 22-year-old scored three times against the Montreal Canadiens, including two in the first period and another in the second, helping his team take an early lead before a late comeback by Cole Caufield secured a 5-4 overtime win for Montreal. Cooley now leads the NHL with 11 goals this season and ranks second on his team in scoring with 21 points in 17 games.
On November 5, 2026, Utah Mammoth forward Logan Cooley recorded his fifth career hat trick in just 228 NHL games, becoming the fastest active player to reach that milestone—two games faster than Alex Ovechkin achieved the same feat. The performance came during a 5-4 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, where Cooley scored twice in the first period and once in the second, helping Utah take an early lead before Cole Caufield’s overtime goal secured the win for Montreal. This marked Cooley’s second hat trick in four games, following a similar three-goal effort against the Pittsburgh Penguins just days earlier. With 11 goals in 17 games during the 2026-27 season, he tied Auston Matthews for fifth in league scoring and ranks second on his team with 21 points. Cooley, a Pittsburgh native and former Minnesota Golden Gopher, first achieved a hat trick in his rookie season (2023-24) while playing for the Arizona Coyotes before being traded to Utah. His recent resurgence follows a quiet sophomore season without a hat trick.
The significance of Cooley’s pace lies in the historical context of Ovechkin’s legendary goal-scoring career, whose record Cooley has now surpassed among active players. This achievement underscores the rising prominence of young offensive talent in today’s NHL and highlights how quickly elite performers can emerge when given consistent opportunity. The Utah Mammoth organization, having rebranded from the Coyotes, appears to be building a h
Cooley’s rapid ascent could influence how teams evaluate and develop young forwards, potentially reinforcing the trend toward early deployment of high-potential players. His success may encourage franchises to prioritize offensive upside over traditional development timelines, especially in a league where scoring has fluctuated in recent years. The comparison to Ovechkin—already a cultural icon in hockey—adds symbolic weight, suggesting that today’s young stars may be expected to replicate legendary careers at accelerated speeds. This could increase pressure on rookies and raise expectations for performance, possibly affecting player development models across the league. A comparable precedent is Sidney Crosby’s early dominance in the 2000s, which reshaped how teams viewed rookie impact. Cooley’s trajectory may similarly shift organizational strategies around youth investment. What to watch for next is whether his production holds through a full season and whether he becomes a focal po