Utah Hockey Club will be the name of the NHL team playing its games in Salt Lake City beginning this fall, with a long-term identity still to come. Smith Entertainment Group announced the move Thursday and unveiled the initial logos and jerseys that will be used in 2024-25 in concert with the $1.2 billion sale closing. The team was formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes before being acquired by Ryan Smith's company, which also owns the NBA's Utah Jazz.
Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed his delight in welcoming Utah to the league, congratulating the organization, the state of Utah, and the fans as they prepare for the upcoming season. The team is set to make its debut in October, with training camp starting in less than 100 days.
Following a selection process that included 20 initial options, the six finalists for the team's name are Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, Yeti, and Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC). Fan voting to determine the final name runs through June 20. The team's color scheme of light blue, black, and white was chosen to complement the Utah Jazz's purple, with mountain blue representing the sky and winter sports history, rock black symbolizing the darkness of night, and salt white for snow and salt flats.
The team's home black and road white jerseys feature 'UTAH' diagonally across them and are set to be showcased at the upcoming NHL draft in Las Vegas. The Utah Hockey Club will play its games at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City, a basketball arena that will undergo renovations to increase seating capacity with an unobstructed view of the ice.
Despite the short timeframe, the new owners have been commended for their efforts in preparing for the upcoming season. Bettman praised the organization for its work in introducing NHL hockey to Utah and expressed optimism about the future of the team.
