SALT LAKE CITY — Coming soon: Team names for Utah's NHL clubs.
Smith Entertainment Group on Wednesday announced a research process to name the new hockey team.
“We're going to have several votes, and we want the whole community to feel included in the vote,” SEG executive Mike Maughan told the Salt Lake City Council Tuesday. “We consider our NHL teams to be community assets, and that means the community is involved in every part of it.”
The first round of voting began Wednesday night and will be open until May 22nd. Fans are encouraged to select up to four desired names from her list of 20 choices.
“Utah has shown up for this team less than three weeks after the NHL awarded us the franchise. Our fans will have a rare opportunity to name the team they support. That makes sense,” team owner Ryan Smith said.
Early names include Hive, Powder, Black Diamonds, Swarm, Canyons, Yeti, Outlaws, and Caribou.
But don't expect the team to be wearing sweaters (new team name goes here) when the puck drops in the 2024-25 season.
Names are not expected to be announced until the beginning of the first year.
“Only Utah will be worn on the sweaters, and the branding will be exclusively Utah,'' a team spokesperson said.
Smith is being patient when it comes to branding his new team. The team will have no logo, mascot or official colors when it takes the ice in its first season in Utah.
Once fans decide on a team name, SEG will hire creative consultancies Doubleday and Cartwright to come up with the team's logo and colors.
Doubleday and Cartwright have worked with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Inter Miami FC, ESPN, Nike, and more.
Official branding for the team is expected to be announced ahead of the 2025-26 season.