What Utah Hockey Club fans are saying about their new fan base – Deseret News

In 2010, Dylan and Ryan Carty started playing the video game EA Sports NHL and “fell in love” with hockey.

On Friday night, the brothers were among hundreds of fans at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City to attend the Utah Hockey Club’s first NHL Draft party, which celebrated both the team’s new recruits and the launch of a local franchise.

“It’s the first (draft) here, so we knew we had to be here,” Dylan Carty said. “It’s phenomenal to be here.”

The free event included on-ice photo opportunities, player autographs, in-arena entertainment and a number of other activities. The evening also featured the first opportunity to purchase the team’s new Rock Black, Salt White and Mountain Blue apparel, which many fans donned immediately after purchase to adorn the lower section seats with Utah’s colors while ESPN’s draft coverage was broadcast on the video board.

“I wanted to get the first piece of merchandise. I didn’t want to wait for it to be shipped to me,” said Ryan Carty. “I want to support the team in any way I can. I want to show the organization that they have a good supporter base and that we’re ready to go.”

The Carty brothers were fans of other NHL clubs – Ryan was even a fan of the Arizona Coyotes – but have now pledged allegiance to Utah, even bought season tickets with a group of friends and plan to attend about 15 games this season.

California natives Hannah Hickman and Zach Tripp both came to Utah for college and started playing hockey on the side last year, before there were any rumors of the Coyotes coming to Salt Lake City.

“The timing was really good,” Hickman said.

Although they are newcomers to the area, Hickman and Tripp are proud to have become instant supporters of the Utah Hockey Club, especially because they have helped establish a tradition and culture within the fan base.

“We’ve been fans since day one, since the team was announced,” Tripp said. “(Witnessing history) was a big reason we even came here today. This is the first draft, the very first pick for a brand new franchise. How often does that happen anywhere in the country or the world? It’s so cool to be a part of that and feel the whole city, the whole state and everyone in the community immediately embrace it together.”

Hickman added: “It was really incredible. It was great to see that and be a part of that. We showed what it’s going to be like by welcoming this team with open arms and I think it can only go up from here… it was really cool to have been there from the beginning. We’ve talked about it a lot – that’s why we go to all the events, we really want to show our support for the team.”

Joe DuPaix, a Salt Lake native who currently serves as head coach of the Southern Virginia University football team, was in town to visit family and ended up joining in Friday’s festivities.

Although he is not necessarily a huge hockey fan, DuPaix thinks that Utah is getting an NHL club is “one of the coolest things ever” and couldn’t resist a visit to the Delta Center.

“When you look at the whole country, Utah should have a hockey team,” DuPaix said. “With the mountains and snow here, it just makes too much sense. I’m thrilled that Ryan (Smith) has brought us the mighty Utah Hockey Club.”

“Utah will have one of the loudest arenas in the league, I expect that.”

Utah may not have played on home ice yet, but the growing excitement for the new team was more than evident at the Delta Center on Friday. With the club’s two first-round draft picks – Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin – the hometown hopes will only grow.

“I think if they get here and have that support, they’ll be just a few steps away from making the playoffs. It’s possible,” Ryan Carty said. “They’ve got a pretty good base. They’re in dire need of defensemen … but they’ll get a boost. How could you not get a boost from a new organization, a new arena and everything new here?”