Utah Hockey Club will be the name of the NHL team in Salt Lake City for its inaugural season

Utah Hockey Club will be the name of the NHL team that will play in Salt Lake City starting this fall; a long-term identity has yet to be found.

Smith Entertainment Group announced the move Thursday, unveiling the first logos and jerseys to be used in the 2024-25 season as part of the closing of the $1.2 billion sale. Ryan Smith’s company, which also owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, bought the team formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes in April.

“Today is a monumental day for the State of Utah as we officially complete the formation of a new NHL franchise,” Smith said. “The NHL has been incredible to work with throughout the entire process, providing invaluable guidance and support. We have a lot of work ahead of us – training camp begins in less than 100 days – and couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come.”

Commissioner Gary Bettman, speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors, said he was pleased to welcome Utah to the league.

“Congratulations to Ryan and Ashley Smith, their entire organization, the state of Utah and the fans as the club continues its exciting march toward puck drop in October,” Bettman said.

The puck drops in October, but there is no timetable for when the permanent trademarks and logos will be unveiled.

After 20 initial options, the six finalists are Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, Yeti and the name Utah Hockey Club or Utah HC. Fan voting runs until June 20.

One constant that will likely remain is the color scheme of light blue, black and white. It was chosen to complement the purple of the Jazz’s “Mountain Basketball” color. The hockey team calls the colors “Mountain Blue” to represent the sky and the state’s winter sports history, “Rock Black” for the darkness of the night and the volcanic rock in the deserts, and “Salt White” for snow and the famous salt flats.

The black home and white away jerseys feature UTAH diagonally from left to right and will see their first practical use later this month at the upcoming NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, when players selected by the team will don them.

The Utah Hockey Club will play at the Delta Center in downtown Salt Lake City, a basketball arena that will need renovations in the coming years to increase seating capacity and ensure a clear view of the ice. Bettman said at his press conference before the Stanley Cup Final that this was a short-term problem that would be fixed and praised the new owners, saying they were “drinking from the fire hose and doing it incredibly well.”

“We are pleased with everything Ryan and his organization are doing to welcome the players and introduce NHL hockey to Utah,” Bettman said June 8 in Sunrise, Florida. “I think it’s going even better than we could have hoped given the short time frame they had.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Stephen Whyno, Associated Press