2024-10-09 04:30:06
The NHL is getting ready to break the ice in Utah.
The league will have a new team in 2024-25 with the Utah Hockey Club entering its inaugural season. It marks the NHL’s first team in the Beehive State and a switch from the desert to the mountains for a longtime franchise.
How did the Utah Hockey Club come to be? And what can hockey fans expect from the club in 2024-25?
Here’s everything to know about the NHL’s newest franchise:
The Utah Hockey Club is an NHL franchise based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Arizona Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City following the 2023-24 season.
The Coyotes had been in Arizona since moving from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996. The team reached one conference final in 27 seasons in Phoenix/Arizona and is one of 10 NHL franchises without a Stanley Cup.
The NHL officially arrived in Utah in April 2024 after the league’s board of governors unanimously approved a $1.2 billion sale.
Ryan and Ashley Smith, who also own the NBA’s Utah Jazz and Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake, are the new owners of the Utah Hockey Club.
The Utah Hockey Club will play at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The arena is also the home of the Jazz.
The Utah Hockey Club will play under its current branding for the 2024-25 season.
The franchise turned to fans for its team name, beginning with 20 candidates before narrowing down to six finalists. While there were actual mascot names among the finalists — including the Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom and Yeti — Utah Hockey Club emerged as the temporary team name.
The team will likely roll out a long-term team name and logo sometime next offseason, but that has not officially been confirmed.
Andre Tourigny is the first head coach in Utah Hockey Club history.
Nicknamed “The Bear,” Tourigny joined the franchise as head coach in 2021. He had a 89-131-26 record in his three seasons with the Coyotes and kept his position as the team moved to Utah.
Clayton Keller became the Utah Hockey Club’s first ever captain just days before the team’s first ever game.
The Coyotes did not have a captain for two-plus seasons after Oliver Ekman-Larsson was traded during the 2020-21 campaign. Now, the 26-year-old Keller, who has spent his entire career with the franchise, will wear the “C” on his jersey as the organization enters a new chapter.
The Utah Hockey Club will play its first game on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when the team hosts the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET.
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