It’s officially official: Utah has an NHL team… and a name, logo, colours, and uniform (even if those last four are just temporary).
Today, the National Hockey League made it official by announcing the Utah Hockey Club would join the league in time for the 2024-25 season, absorbing the roster, staff, and draft positions of the suspended Arizona Coyotes franchise. The club will be known as the Utah Hockey Club in their first season as they sort through their naming process, currently down to six finalists in a fan vote, in time for the 2025-26 season.
“This is a monumental day for the state of Utah,” said Ryan Smith, governor of the Utah Hockey Club and chairman of SEG, in the press release. “The NHL has been incredible to work with throughout this process, providing us with invaluable guidance and support. We have a lot of work ahead and couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.”
The colours are “Rock Black,” “Salt White,” and “Mountain Blue,” giving it a look similar to, say, the NFL’s Carolina Panthers or Detroit Lions without any of the silver. The press release said Rock Black represents the darkness of night in the mountains and the volcanic rock of Utah’s deserts, Salt White symbolizes the snow on Utah’s peaks and the famous salt flats, and Mountain Blue reflects Utah’s rich winter sports history and clear skies.
Five logos were unveiled, two of which are designated as the primary logo as if we needed any extra confusion added to this whole process. The club seems to be pushing the logo we’d already seen, a Mountain Blue circle with UTAH inside in black and HOCKEY CLUB arched above and below in white, as their preferred primary, so we’ll go with that. A second primary logo, only to be used closely alongside other NHL trademarks, shows “UTAH” laid out horizontally on a blue rectangle with a black stripe above and below.
There are two alternate logos: one that simply shows UTAH in black above a blue and black line with HOCKEY CLUB below, and another that utilizes the state map of Utah in black, with UTAH laid out on top of it in blue and HOCKEY CLUB below in white. Finally, there is also a wordmark logo that simply shows the team name horizontally in blue and black.
For home games, the Utah HC sweater will be Rock Black with “UTAH” across the chest in white stairstep (New York Rangers-style) diagonal lettering trimmed in blue. Three stripes are across each arm in a blue/white/blue pattern, and two stripes are around the waist at the bottom of the jersey: one white and one blue. Player numbers are white with blue trim. The black collar has a thin blue stripe and a full white stripe around the back.
On the road, the “Hockey Club” (ugh, pick a name) will wear white with a full blue collar and UTAH down the front in black with blue trim. The striping differs from the home set, which has a thick black stripe trimmed in blue with no separation in between. Around the waist is a thick black stripe with a thinner blue stripe directly below it. Player numbers are black with blue trim.
The team’s identity for the inaugural season was developed with Brooklyn-based design firm Doubleday & Cartwright (which has previously worked with Inter Miami CF, the Milwaukee Bucks, the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, the Utah Jazz, and—gulp—the Chicago Fire).
In the release, Chris Isenberg, co-founder of Doubleday & Cartwright, stated, “A sport’s team’s debut is fascinating and deeply personal. This situation is rare—we’re launching with a 2024-25 inaugural identity, simultaneously selecting a final name, and then establishing our official brand. We’ve seen with the Jazz how incredible Utah fans are—passionate, knowledgeable, and loyal. They also have a curiosity about the details and a sensitivity to how team identity decisions reflect a state they’re deeply proud of.”
Fans can get their Utah Hockey Club merch at the Delta Center during the team’s free-to-attend 2024 NHL Draft Party on June 28. Those wanting a jersey will have to wait until the Fall.
Voting for the permanent team name continues with six finalists: Blizzard, Hockey Club, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, and Yeit. Fans can cast a vote until one week from tonight, June 20. The team will announce the winning name, along with the accompanying logos and uniforms, sometime before the start of the 2025-26 NHL season, which will get underway just over one year from now.
Utah Hockey Club is the first entirely new identity to join the NHL since the Seattle Kraken came on board as an expansion team ahead of the 2021-22 season. The team will take the spot of the Arizona Coyotes and join the Western Conference’s Central Division, where they will compete alongside the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets.
