Jazz Owner Asks Fans for Possible Utah NHL Team Names

With speculation and excitement surrounding the possibility of the National Hockey League coming to “The Beehive State,” Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith has added more fuel to the fire with a Tweet seeking suggestions for a potential team name.

Of course, the fans came through with an abundance of names, logos, and even a few uniform concepts. Some made reference to Utah’s winter sports and mountainy terrain, such as Blizzard, Yeti, Mountaineers, and Olympians. Others pulled from Utah’s official state names and animals like Stingers, Elks, Hive, and Gila Monsters. There were references to some former pro hockey teams that called the state home, such as the Eagles, and there were even a few suggesting another team could relocate to the area, with more than one person responding with “Coyotes.”

If an NHL team were to come to Utah, what should we name it?

Fill out this survey and send your ideas:https://t.co/wmedXEUEyh https://t.co/BXhSRBqcPd
— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) April 8, 2024

Something along this 🙏 pic.twitter.com/uMqfO05oSx
— HARDY BOIZ (@thatjazzzfan) April 8, 2024

✅ Salt Lake Stingers (bee state insect).
✅ Utah Gila Monsters (state reptile).
✅ Utah Elks (state mammal).
— David Salter (@DaveSalter_) April 8, 2024

Of course, this could all be for nothing. As recently as February, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league isn’t currently looking at expansion. The NHL currently has 32 franchises, with the most recent team—the Seattle Kraken—joining for the 2021-22 season. If expansion is off the table, well, you could take the advice of a few of the commenters mentioned in the previous paragraph and bump the Arizona Coyotes up to Salt Lake City.

Utah has had a long history in professional hockey, marked by teams like the Salt Lake Golden Eagles and the Utah Grizzlies. The Golden Eagles began play in 1969 and competed in three different pro leagues, starting with the Western League before moving to the Central League in 1974 and finally the International League in 1984. Following the Eagles’ move to Detroit in 1994, the Grizzlies immediately filled the spot, heading over from Denver in 1995. The Utah Grizzlies jumped from the IHL to the AHL in 2001 before dropping down to the “Double-A” ECHL in 2005, where they still play today as an affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

Bringing an NHL team to Utah could significantly energize the state’s economy, spurring job creation, boosting local businesses, and attracting tourism. Such an expansion would generate immediate construction and service industry employment and increase Utah’s national and international visibility. This visibility could draw more visitors and investment, further uplifting the local economy and community spirit. The presence of a major sports franchise tends to extend its economic benefits well beyond the arena, enhancing the broader region’s attractiveness as a place to live, work, and visit.

You can submit your ideas directly to Smith’s “Bringing the NHL to Utah” campaign using the form provided in his original Tweet here.