Utah’s New NHL Name Is NOT Happening This Year

Utah has officially had an NHL team for less than a month’s time.

No games have been played, no tickets have been dispersed, no draft picks have been made.

Above all during this offseason, no name, color scheme or identity has been remotely close to being unveiled.

Fans have speculated, made mockup uniforms and debated over potential colors and mascots on the daily, but up until yesterday that’s all it was… speculation.

The official first step to establishing just exactly who this Utah Hockey Club will be, kicked off with a poll from Smith Entertainment Group last night.

Certain names in the list were expected: Mammoth, Venom, Outlaws, Hockey Club, Yeti, Fury, Ice, Blizzard and Venom had already had trademarks filed in their behalf.

So, you could imagine that fans were initially excited to see the addition of 11 extra names for ammunition when the survey released.

Fans were excited to see new additions such as the “Mountaineers, Black Diamonds and Swarm."

Other entries were met with more questionable reviews like: “Blast, Canyons, and Powder.”

Here’s the full list:

And here’s where you can vote:

This poll will stand until May 22^nd, where names will be eliminated.

How many names, and how quickly the process moves is to be determined, but we are aware that the end goal appears to be a compilation of the 8 favorited names in an extreme bracket to determine an overall winner.

NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS

As much fun as the process is, and as much as people are talking about it, it did reveal some unfortunate news.

Pertaining to the aesthetic, there shall be no aesthetic for the inaugural season of the Utah Hockey Club.

After rumors that Ryan Smith would wait until next year to release the team’s moniker VS him wanting to give the team something to call themselves other than Utah, the prior sentiment has reigned victorious.

Before one can vote, they are greeted with a statement or two saying that once the name is selected, “SEG will work diligently to craft the team identity.”

Sounds great.

“Which will debut for the 2025-2026 NHL season.”

Less great.

“Utah’s NHL franchise will don jerseys that display UTAH during their inaugural season (2024-2025).”

Great news for collector’s who want unique pieces of gear and memorabilia 15 years from now, not so much for those who wanted to rock a Yeti’s Ball cap or Outlaws sweatshirt this year.

As much as the wait may leave a sour taste in fans mouth’s, the good news is that Smith and company appear dead set on getting this look right.

After the debatable disaster that was the Utah Jazz rebrand two years ago, this group likely understands more than ever before the importance of connecting with the fans via color, logo and pure aesthetic.

For the Jazz, we may find out as soon as this year, if they can create something that’s loved by the majority.

If they nail that down, the speculation of what is in store for Utah’s newest team will be much more on the positive side.

If the fans have to wait a year or more to see their votes and desires to come to fruition, they will expect something above average, and I for one expect them to deliver.