The NHL team that moves from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined.
“We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and figure out the logo and everything and what we are,” new owner Ryan Smith told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We’re going to be Utah anyway. We have the first part of the name. We don’t have the last one.
Smith Entertainment Group, which purchased the franchise formerly known as the Coyotes in a deal unanimously approved Thursday by the league’s Board of Governors, has already hired advertising agency Doubleday & Cartwright for rebranding efforts. Former owner Alex Meruelo keeps the Coyotes name and has a chance to revive the franchise if he can build an arena.
The short time frame for the club’s relocation could mean it will have a replacement name for the first season, like the Women’s Professional Hockey League did in its first year or Washington’s NFL team had in 2020 and ’21 before they became Commanders.
“It will be a Utah thing, obviously,” Smith said. “It’s really important that we don’t say, ‘Hey, this has to be done in the fall,’ especially when it’s going to be something in Utah. I think both the league is better off and we feel better just to execute the process and then we’ll let it fall when we let go.”
While working through this process, Smith’s first priority is physically moving players and staff to Utah and getting them settled in the state.
“There’s a good roster and a lot of young talent and we have to integrate those people into the Smith Entertainment Group and show them what that means and what it looks like,” Smith said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for us to introduce them to the state of Utah and also bring the community together to welcome them.”
Afterwards, the infrastructure will be “full steam ahead”, including possible renovations at the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, also owned by SEG, which has 12,000 seats with an unobstructed view of hockey. The plan is to expand that number to around 17,500.
“We want to really use our arena and really spend time creating the best dual-sport arena there is because we want to keep people as close as possible or as vertical as possible to watch both games,” Smith said. . “It’s super fun and challenging, but we’ll do it.”
It’s also a challenge to make Utah a hockey market, although 17 sheets of ice already in place and a youth hockey program provide a head start. Smith plans to build more tracks to make it easier for people of all ages to enjoy the sport.
Former NHL player Ken Sabourin, who played in the minors for the International Hockey League’s Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1987-91 and again in 1992-93, praises the city but thinks success will be determined by how the team performs. play.
“If they come out with a winning product, that will help, obviously, and maybe (Smith’s group is) dedicated to doing that,” Sabourin said Thursday. “It’s a good hockey market, it’s a good sports market – there’s no doubt about that. I think they have fans. It’s whether they’re going to leave or not. They will watch it for sure. It won’t be a problem on TV. The first year in the building, I’m sure it won’t be a problem no matter how good they are.”
Smith, who can skate a little and plays mostly roller hockey, isn’t worried about it. He points to sold-out NCAA Tournament men’s basketball games at the Delta Center as proof that fans will pack the building to watch NHL hockey.
“The one thing I know about Utah is people show up,” he said. “Here is different. We have 291 consecutive sold out games at the Delta Center (for the Jazz). I think all the shows that come to the city are sold out. That’s exactly what we do. We showed up and I have a lot of faith in the people of Utah.”
That faith was immediately rewarded, as Smith said the organization received 11,000 season ticket deposits within the first four hours of announcing the sale.
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