Utah’s hockey team has its name.
And it will underwhelm you.
The franchise formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes will operate as Utah Hockey Club for its first season in Salt Lake City, the team announced Thursday.
The day marked the official closing of the sale of the team to Utah Jazz owner Smith Entertainment Group, which announced the purchase in April.
SEG acquired the franchise, its players and hockey operations department, while Alex Meruelo, the team’s previous owner, retained the Coyotes’ intellectual property.
“Today is a monumental day for the state of Utah as we officially close on the establishment of a new NHL franchise,” Ryan Smith, governor of Utah Hockey Club and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, said in a statement. “The NHL has been incredible to work with throughout this process, providing us with invaluable guidance and support.
“We have a ton of work to do-training camp starts in less than 100 days — and could not be more excited about what’s to come.”
The team’s official name will be revealed in time for the 2025-26 season and fans will be able to continue to vote on what that name should be.
The club also revealed its jersey designs and color scheme on Thursday as well.
“UTAH” will be written across the front of the jersey, and the color scheme, which will complement the Jazz’s revamped look, will be the team’s permanent one going forward.
The hockey team worked with design firm Doubleday & Cartwright to come up with the new look.
“The color palette consists of Rock Black, representing the darkness of night in the mountains and the volcanic rock of Utah’s deserts; Salt White, illustrating both the snow on Utah’s peaks and the famous salt flats; and Mountain Blue, a representation of Utah’s rich winter sports history and its clear skies for more than 230 days a year,” Utah Hockey Club said in a statement. “The distinctive colors will establish the cornerstone of the club’s brand as it evolves through the team’s name selection ahead of the 2025-2026 NHL season.
“The selected color palette for Utah’s first NHL team is also intentionally complementary to that of the Utah Jazz — also owned by SEG — whose expanded colors were introduced last week and include a similar Sky Blue as a tertiary color.”
