All we know so far is that the new NHL franchise in Utah will play in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center and will identify itself by the state name.
As far as what the team colors or nickname will be for the former Arizona Coyotes, it is still just a guessing game. However, the franchise has applied for two more trademarks regarding possible monikers for the team to play as starting later this year. That brings the total number of trademark applications from the franchise to nine.
One thing we do know is that the eventual team nickname will come from a fan voting process. New owner Ryan Smith confirmed that on Monday.
Utah NHL Team Now Has Nine Name Possibilities
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On Tuesday, the new Utah NHL franchise sent trademark applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office. Those applications were for the names “Utah Mammoth” and “Utah Ice.” Those two names join previous applications for Utah Blizzard, Utah Venom, Utah Fury, Utah Hockey Club, Utah HC, Utah Yetis and Utah Outlaws.
Smith spoke about the naming process on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, detailing how the new nickname would be chosen. He said:
“We’re doing a bracket…We’re gonna take this down from like eight all the way down and the fans are gonna vote for this.”
It is not currently known when a naming bracket would begin. However, the team is hosting a “Welcome to Utah” NHL-themed party on April 24 at the Delta Center. More details could emerge from that occasion.
It had been previously speculated and reported that Utah may play without a nickname, or use a temporary nickname in 2024-25, to give the franchise enough time to choose a proper moniker.
NHL Utah Owner Initially Non-Committal on New Name
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Last Friday, the NHL officially announced that the Coyotes were moving to Utah. The Smith Entertainment Group, headed by Ryan Smith, bought the Coyotes from embattled owner Alex Meruelo in a deal that was unanimously approved by the league’s board of governors last Thursday.
However, as part of that deal, the Arizona Coyotes name and franchise history will remain held in trust by Meruelo. The NHL has given Meruelo five years to sort out a viable financial plan that includes a new hockey-specific arena in the Phoenix area. If he is able to do so, the NHL will grant him an expansion team that will inherit the former franchise’s name and history.
It is similar to the deal the NFL struck with the city of Cleveland when the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1995 before the city was granted an expansion team that began play in 1999.
However, while Baltimore adopted the “Ravens” nickname in fairly short order, new Utah co-owner Ryan Smith told reporters at his introductory press conference, that the franchise will take its time to find the right name for the team to go by, saying:
“It will 100 percent be ‘Utah,’ and then it will be ‘Utah Something,’ obviously. I don’t think given this timeline that we’re going to have time – or nor should we rush with everything else that’s going on – to go force what that is in the next three months.”
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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