The newest franchise in the National Hockey League –which will play out of Salt Lake City, Utah– has been the focus of many in the hockey world. Ever since the announcement of the Arizona Coyotes’ relocation in early April, questions have come to the surface about the new team.
Most of these questions involved their identity and branding: What would their logo look like? What color scheme would their jerseys be comprised of? How well will they fit into the overall look and feel of the NHL, and would they pay homage to the relocated team that gave them life?
Not many of these questions have been answered so far, and they probably won’t be until next season/offseason. The League said that the franchise would play its inaugural 2024-25 season without a permanent name or logo, simply branding themselves as “NHL Utah,” similar to the PWHL’s inaugural season branding.
However, a new name and logo for NHL Utah appeared on the league’s website, and fans are wondering which of these temporary elements would remain permanent.
What Does The Logo Look Like?
#BREAKING: The Utah HC logo has been discovered and is currently being used, as it’s been added to the NHL assets API.
We might be looking at the color scheme/ logo Utah will use next season. pic.twitter.com/M1XQhqwaOm
— Hockey Jerseyz (@HKYJersey) May 31, 2024
The temporary logo, which can be found on this website, is portrayed as a light blue circle with a white trim. Centered inside the circle, the word “UTAH” in black is slightly arched, and the words “HOCKEY CLUB” are in white and arched along the top and bottom of the circle.
It is unknown whether or not this logo is a placeholder for the team’s page on the NHL website, or if it is going to be the logo that NHL Utah –or Utah Hockey Club– will proceed with for its inaugural season of play on jerseys and branding materials
Nevertheless, the light blue coloring of the logo might be a hint to what the final, permanent, color scheme will look like for the team. Even if the name and logo of the team do not stick, the color seems to be the most aligned with the discussed potential names and mascots for the team.
NHL Utah’s Potential Permanent Names
https://gty.im/2147936767
The league has confirmed that the final team name will include “Utah” instead of “Salt Lake City.” However, the subsequent branding is yet to be confirmed. In early May, the NHL along with the owners fo the team released a survey to fans that revealed 20 of the potential names for NHL Utah. The owners of the franchise, Smith Entertainment Group, wanted fans’ input on their new team’s identity.
“Utah’s NHL team is a community asset, and we want to make sure that the community has a say in what the name is,” said the franchise owner Ryan Smith.
A lot of the names were winter-related: Frost, Ice, Yeti, Freeze, Glaciers, Mammoth, and Blizzard, to name a few. There was also the possibility of the team taking on a more generic name, Utah Hockey Club, which was seen in the temporary logo.
The final name won’t be decided until the 2025-26 season, but we are finally starting to put together pieces on the identity of the team, especially when we match the winter-related potential names to the icy-blue coloring of the temporary logo.
Will NHL Utah take on a snowy identity to become a true rival to the Colorado Avalanche? Only time will tell.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. Despite being based in Connecticut, she is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. They host a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they discuss hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
