Tag: sports

The Utah Mammoth just signed Nick Schmaltz to a long-term contract extension

Posted on by 2026news

Nick Schmaltz was always going to get paid after the year he’s had. It was just a matter of who was willing to foot the bill.

Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith decided to backstop the deal on Wednesday, handing the Madison, Wisconsin, native and eight-year member of the Arizona/Utah franchise an eight-year, $64 million extension.

“There was never a doubt that Utah is where I want to play the rest of my career,” Schmaltz said. “We have a very bright future, and I am thankful to Ryan and Ashley Smith for wanting me to be a part of the group that will one day bring a Stanley Cup to Utah.”

The 2014 first-round draft pick by the Chicago Blackhawks and 2016 NCAA champion with North Dakota spoke to the media after the signing announcement and said he knew Utah was special from the moment he first stepped off the airplane in April 2024.

“Seeing hundreds of kids lined up, excited to have an NHL team,” Schmaltz said. “Then going to the Delta Center that night with a sold-out crowd just to see us walk on the stage. It was eye-opening.”

From Phoenix to Salt Lake City

Clayton Keller was the early face of the team and continues to be its captain, but Schmaltz is the Robin to Keller’s Batman, forming a special synergy on the ice that players and coaches say is rare in the NHL.

The two forwards have played together for over seven years, and Schmaltz specifically named Keller and Lawson Crouse as his “Day 1” buddies from Arizona.

“We’ve got a special bond,” Schmaltz said. “I think me and Keller have a special chemistry that you can’t really find around the league. He’s definitely a guy that I want to play with for the rest of my career. He makes my job a lot easier and we read off each other super well.”

Schmaltz was in the last few months of a seven-year, $40.95 million contract he signed in March 2019 with the Coyotes, and seemed set for a major pay raise this summer after hitting a new career best with 24 goals so far this season.

The center/winger hybrid forward has two hat tricks this season — including the first in Delta Center history — for a Mammoth team looking to make its Stanley Cup playoff debut after earning just one in his eight prior NHL campaigns.

He ranks second on the team in goals, assists and points through 65 games for Utah, who currently sits with a 6-point advantage in the first Western Conference wild card spot.

“When you go through a rebuild, you understand the character of people,” general manager Bill Armstrong said of his years with Schmaltz. “You have people bail on you or not want to play hard. Nick bought into it and drove through it.”

Many sleepless nights

Armstrong said the deal had been done for a while before Wednesday’s announcement, but was preceded by many sleepless nights over Schmaltz’s impending free agency.

“The thought of losing Nick left me sleepless night after night after night, thinking about what he would get in free agency,” Armstrong said. “We didn’t want to lose him.”

NHL player salaries have skyrocketed in recent years, with the league’s top forwards all making north of $12 million per year, and Utah’s own Logan Cooley signing an eight-year, $80 million contract earlier this season.

Schmaltz joins Cooley as the second Mammoth player to sign an eight-year contract in the final year that NHL players can do so under the new collective bargaining agreement.

“We are thrilled that Nick chose Utah and wants to remain with the team for the next eight years,” Armstrong said. “Nick is a tremendous player and person who is very deserving of this contract. We expect him to continue producing on the ice and leading our young, skilled forwards for years to come. This is another great day for Mammoth fans and our organization.”

Armstrong highlighted Schmaltz’s versatility across multiple positions and calmness under pressure, saying, “He can play if you’re up a goal or down a goal in the last minute.”

Schmaltz is the seventh Mammoth player to sign a contract lasting four or more years to remain in Utah, and the eighth if you include recent trade acquisition MacKenzie Weegar waiving his no-trade clause to spend the rest of his five-year deal in Salt Lake City.

“Getting guys locked in long-term just shows the commitment to winning here,” Schmaltz said. “I think we’re right on the edge of being a really great team. We’ve got all the pieces in place and I know we’re only going to get better. I’m just super excited to be here and live up to the commitment that (the team) made to me.” https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-hockey-club/2026/03/11/utah-mammoth-sign-nick-schmaltz/

Swiss man tied to Las Vegas admits leading multimillion‑dollar fraud scheme

Posted on by 2026news

A Swiss man with ties to Las Vegas pleaded guilty to securities fraud Tuesday after he and several others defrauded victims out of close to $6 million as part of a vast scheme, federal officials said.

Martin Schlaepfer, 67, is scheduled to be sentenced in June, according to a news release from the United States Department of Justice. He faces up to 20 years in a federal prison, according to the DOJ.

Schlaepfer was indicted in 2013 but lived overseas before he was arrested in Italy in September 2024 pursuant to an Interpol Red Notice and extradited to the United States last year, the department said.

Three of Schlaepfer’s co-conspirators — Anthony Brandel, James Warras and Sean Finn — were found guilty of conspiracy and multiple counts of wire fraud and securities fraud following separate jury trials in 2015 and 2020. Each were sentenced to over seven years in prison.

A fourth defendant, Joseph Micelli, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud in 2015 and was sentenced to five years in prison. A fifth defendant, Hans-Jurg Lips, remains at large outside the U.S.

The Justice Department’s Fraud Section alleged that investors were lured by promises of astronomical returns into contributing $100,000 to $1.2 million to a phony Swiss company called the Malom Group.

Securities & Exchange Commission court filings said the Malom Group, an acronym for “make a lot of money,” bilked 30 investors out of more than $11 million between 2009 and 2011. Schlaepfer, the justice department said, identified himself to victims as the chief executive officer of the Malom Group.

Beginning as early as October 2009, Schlaepfer and his co-conspirators in Switzerland and Las Vegas orchestrated a scheme in which they sold investments they knew to be fictitious, the department said.

Schlaepfer and the others told victims that, for an up-front payment, Malom would provide access to investment opportunities and substantial cash loans. Victims were given fabricated bank documents purporting to show that Malom held hundreds of millions of dollars in overseas bank accounts, officials said.

When victims wired their money into an escrow account controlled by the co-conspirators, however, the money was released and disbursed to, among others, Schlaepfer for his own personal use, federal officials said.

The FBI will continue to investigate the case, the department said. https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/swiss-man-tied-to-las-vegas-admits-leading-multimillion-dollar-fraud-scheme-3723058/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=latest&utm_source=local&utm_term=Swiss%20man%20tied%20to%20Las%20Vegas%20admits%20leading%20multimillion%E2%80%91dollar%20fraud%20scheme

Victories overshadowed: War halts Israeli hoops momentum

Posted on by 2026news

Less than 36 hours after both Israeli Euroleague representatives picked up huge victories, war broke out with Iran, which sent the Israeli sports scene into chaos.

Hapoel Tel Aviv finally snapped its five-game losing streak, while Maccabi Tel Aviv recorded an important win that will keep it in the postseason race as their respective campaigns head into March.

However, with the outbreak of war, the Reds’ home game against Paris this coming Tuesday was postponed, while the Euroleague derby between Maccabi and Hapoel will not take place in Israel and may also be postponed.

Both the local basketball and soccer leagues have been put on hold for the time being, with many of the team’s foreign players heading abroad, primarily through Jordan, until things quiet down in the region. Some important players and teams have decided to stay put in the Holy Land for the time being until more concrete plans are made.

During the FIBA International break, many foreign basketball players were already on vacation outside the country.

The Israeli basketball National Team played in Cyprus on Friday night and crushed the hosts 94-54, with Yam Madar starring.

The two teams were slated to play again on Sunday night, but several Hapoel Tel Aviv players were en route back to Israel on Saturday morning, and their flight had to be turned back to Larnaca. At this time, Hapoel is looking to return to Sofia, Bulgaria, where it had played the Euroleague season before returning to Israel, while Maccabi will return to Belgrade, where it has been based since the October 7, 2023, war with Hamas broke out.

Hapoel Tel Aviv in Euroleague

In Euroleague action, Hapoel Tel Aviv downed Milano 92-86, with Elijah Bryant, Vasilije Micic, and Dan Oturu all helping the Reds end their skid with the home victory at Yad Eliyahu. The win improved Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad’s Euroleague record to 17-11 and kept it in a playoff spot.

“We were in control of the game from the beginning through the end,” Itoudis began. “We had some significant lapses on the defensive end in the last five minutes in the second quarter, where we gave up 23 points, which was too much. But we changed our defense to limit their guards, which is what we did.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Monaco 91-86 as Lonnie Walker starred in his Euroleague return to help the yellow-and-blue to the road win in the Principality.

With the victory, Oded Katash’s squad improved to 14-15 to remain in 13th place, but moved to just a pair of games in the win column in order to book a place in the Play-In postseason round.

Katash shared his thoughts on the victory, “This was a big win, it wasn’t easy. In the first half, we were good offensively. Both they and we made adjustments heading into the second half, which created a very physical and aggressive game. There were a lot of hard-to-officiate calls, but we stayed in it. We were focused, something we didn’t do at the start of the season. I’m very happy. We have an amazing crowd. They are the main reason we are where we are and why we are making this run right now. It’s thanks to our fans.”

Walker, the game MVP, also spoke about the victory.

“Just resilience. I think we found our groove this second round as a team, and we continue to fight. We did well holding the possession and holding the lead when it was one or two points. We push each other in practices, and we put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, and this translates into the game. But thanks go to all the fans, as it felt like a home game. Their spirit and loudness kept us focused and with the spirit that we needed. Truly grateful to have this set of people.” https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-888464