Utah Hockey Club debut on October 8 against Chicago Blackhawks

The Utah Hockey Club will play its first regular season game on October 8 against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, marking the NHL debut in Salt Lake City following the team’s relocation from Arizona.

That same evening, the Florida Panthers will raise their first Stanley Cup banner in Sunrise, Florida, before facing the Boston Bruins.

The NHL released the list of home games for its 32 teams on Monday. The full 1,312-game regular season schedule is expected this week.

Utah, which is expected to have a permanent name in time for the 2025-26 season, will play at the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, an arena that is being renovated to provide a more unobstructed view during NHL games.

The capacity in the opening season is 16,200 seats, although not all seats are directly on the ice, but demand is high with 30,000 season ticket deposits.

“We are thrilled to play the first regular season game in franchise history at home in front of our amazing fans,” said Chris Armstrong, President of Hockey Operations.

“The eyes of the hockey world will be on Utah as we host the Blackhawks on this historic night, and we look forward to rising to the challenge.”

The second day of the season is rivalry night with the New York Rangers in Pittsburgh, Toronto in Montreal and Colorado in Vegas. Avalanche-Golden Knights is a duel between the Cup winners of 2022 and 2023.

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