Utah Hockey Club
The Utah Hockey Club is an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2024. The team plays in the Central Division of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Delta Center.
| Utah Hockey Club | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 2024 |
| History | Utah Hockey Club 2024–present |
| Home arena | Delta Center |
| City | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Owner(s) | Ryan Smith |
| General manager | Bill Armstrong |
| Head coach | Andre Tourigny |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Minor league affiliates | Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) |
| Official website | nhlinutah |
History
changeOn April 13, 2024, there were reports that the NHL was in talks to move the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City. The team would be bought and then sold for $1.2 billion to Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1]
On April 18, 2024, Salt Lake City was officially granted an expansion franchise by the National Hockey League Board of Governors. The team would take over the Arizona Coyotes, who went inactive because they were unable to build a proper NHL arena.[2] If Arizona is able to build a new arena by 2029 then it will rejoin the NHL as an expansion team with all previous team history, records and uniforms being transferred to the team.[3]
The Utah team announced on June 13, 2024 that it would be known as Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC for short) in the 2024–25 season.[4] One round of fan voting on a more permanent name had already taken place, with six finalists announced on June 6. In addition to Utah HC, finalists are Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, and Yeti, with a second round of polling having started at that time. The permanent name will be announced before the 2025–26 season.[5]
References
change- ↑ "Report: NHL, Coyotes make progress on framework for Utah relocation". Sportsnet. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ "NHL BOG approves establishment of new franchise in Utah". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Board Approves Establishment of New Franchise in Utah, Future Reactivation of Arizona Franchise Should Conditions Be Met". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ "This Is Utah's Team". NHL.com/Utah. NHL Enterprises, L.P. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ↑ Shilton, Kristen (June 6, 2024). "New Utah team announces 6 finalists for name". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
