We have a name! Well, kind of.
The NHL is headed to Utah, with play beginning next season. The now-defunct Arizona Coyotes were sold to new owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, who also claim the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and will be relocated to Salt Lake City.
Yeah, we all know the deal, as things were finalized back in April. However, at the time, we had no idea what the franchise was going to be called.
But we now have an answer, ladies and gentlemen! At least for one season, that is. And the name is both boring, yet unique. (RELATED: Idiots! ESPN Makes What Has To Be One Of The Most Boneheaded Mistakes Of All-Time)
As far as a nickname is concerned, the franchise won’t have one in the 2024-25 campaign. Rather, they will simply go by “Utah.” On their jerseys, it will be just “Utah,” and with official communications, the exact same thing. In the past, we’ve seen the now-Washington Commanders name themselves the Washington Football Team when they were re-branding from the Redskins, but Utah is going with a different approach.
With nicknames, the team does have a plan — 20 of them, to be exact. The team has released a total of 20 choices for team names that fans will be voting on, with the brand becoming the franchise’s identity starting in the 2025-26 season.
Here are the names, per Sportslogos.net:
- Utah Black Diamonds
- Utah Blast
- Utah Blizzard
- Utah Canyons
- Utah Caribou
- Utah Freeze
- Utah Frost
- Utah Fury
- Utah Glaciers
- Utah HC
- Utah Hive
- Utah Ice
- Utah Mammoth
- Utah Mountaineers
- Utah Outlaws
- Utah Powder
- Utah Squall
- Utah Swarm
- Utah Venom
- Utah Yeti
Utah’s NHL franchise won’t hit the ice with an identity next season…😳🏔️ pic.twitter.com/psyp6e9tcT
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 9, 2024
Yeti! We need to make Utah Yeti a thing! What a great name!