Utah NHL Hockey Team Name Odds: Finalists Declared

Salt Lake City has an NHL team, but no true mascot. The Utah Hockey Club took to the ice this season without a team name. The Arizona Coyotes couldn’t get approval on a new arena in the Phoenix area, so billionaire Ryan Smith, who already owns the Utah Jazz, purchased the Coyotes. 

Team owner Ryan Smith had hoped to secure an NHL expansion franchise, but with no real timetable, and the Arizona Coyotes’ floundering situation, all sides jumped. They were not to be named the Utah Coyotes. The Jazz didn’t change their name since moving to SLC from New Orleans in 1979, and it still makes no sense. 

The Yetis were a top choice of fans, but legal hurdles forced another direction. So we're down to three options. 

What will the new name be? Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson has broken down the contenders and revealed his NHL odds as to what the NHL team in SLC will be called. 

Utah NHL Franchise Naming Odds

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Utah NHL Team Name Prospects

Originally, six names were finalists: the Blizzard, Hockey Club, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom, and Yeti. Two of those remain. 

Utah Hockey Club may sound generic, but the mundane name has been a hit in Salt Lake City. Merchandise sales have been solid, too. 

The Utah Mammoth has been a favorite since ownership announced a team. The mammoth has a local tie, with the massive extinct animal that lived in that area during the Ice Age. 

The Utah Wasatch had been added as one of three finalists, another homage to the region and an opportunity to use a Yeti-like creature to be the mascot. But it was met with swift rebuke from fans, and so it was replaced with the Utah Outlaws, a worthy and popular contender. 

The name will be voted upon by fans attending each of Utah’s next four home games, starting Feb. 5. 

Immediate fan reaction was mixed, but across the corners of social media, the tangible Mammoth was getting a strong nod and Outlaws gaining enough momentum to force itself back onto the ballot. Others believed holding onto the Hockey Club logo was unique to American sports.