The ECHL’s newest team is ready to take flight after unveiling its name and primary logo over the weekend.
The team currently known as the Utah Grizzlies is relocating to Trenton, New Jersey, at the end of the 2025-26 season. The team’s new owners announced on Saturday, January 10, that when they take the ice in their new home city for 2026-27, they’ll be known as the Trenton Ironhawks.
Along with the name, the Ironhawks unveiled their new primary logo on Saturday. It depicts a metallic grey hawk with blue highlights on the talons and wings, a red beak and eyes, and dark grey rivets all over, getting ready to grip a red hockey stick. The stick juts out from a wordmark with “TRENTON” in red and “IRONHAWKS” in white with a grey outline and black rivets.
“Today marks an important milestone as we officially announce our franchise name, the Trenton Ironhawks, and prepare to bring a new era of professional ECHL hockey to Trenton. The hawk symbolizes strength and spirit, while the iron industry and its workers remain vital to Trenton’s economy through their grit and determination. By combining these elements into Ironhawks, we honor Trenton and reflect the team we are building, representing the city and the surrounding region, including Central NJ and Bucks County, PA.”
— Bob Ohrablo, president, Trenton Ironhawks
The Ironhawks’ name was chosen via a name-the-team contest that ran for two months and garnered more than 2,000 entries. The two entrants who submitted “Ironhawks” will each receive season tickets for the Ironhawks’ inaugural season.
The logo was designed by the Ironhawks’ marketing department in conjunction with Adapting Social, a digital marketing agency based in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.
“This Fall, fans from across our region will soar to Mercer County to cheer on our new team, The Ironhawks, during their inaugural season—so we’re hard at work upgrading the CURE Insurance Arena to provide the team and fans with a top-notch experience. While the name invokes Trenton’s proud past as an industrial powerhouse, the Ironhawks will play an important role in shaping a renaissance for our Capital City, bringing new economic activity, creating jobs, and igniting business opportunities right here in our community.”
— Mercer County Executive Dan Benson
“The arrival of the Trenton Ironhawks is an exciting moment for our city,” added Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. “This team brings new energy to the CURE Insurance Arena and creates opportunities for residents, visitors, and local businesses alike. The name Ironhawks reflects Trenton’s industrial roots and the strength and resilience that define this community. This is a proud new chapter for Trenton sports.”
The Utah Grizzlies are currently affiliated with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. were founded in 1995 as the Denver Grizzlies in the International Hockey League, but moved to Salt Lake City after just one season in Colorado. They then moved to West Valley City in 1997, but kept the same nickname. When the IHL folded in 2001, the Grizzlies were admitted to the American Hockey League.
The AHL franchise was suspended after the 2004-05 season, but a new ownership group purchased the identity and started a new Utah Grizzlies team in the ECHL, where they’ve played ever since. The suspended AHL franchise was eventually bought by a group from Cleveland led by Dan Gilbert and resumed play in 2007-08 as the Lake Erie Monsters (now the Cleveland Monsters).
The Grizzlies announced in September 2025 that the 2025-26 ECHL season would be their last in Utah before relocating to Trenton. They began the process of selling the team a few months earlier after former owner David Elmore passed away in 2023, and the health of his wife and co-owner Donna Tuttle began to decline.
The Ironhawks will be the first pro hockey team to play in Trenton in 13 years. The city was home to the ECHL’s Trenton Titans from 1999 to 2013, although the team was renamed the Trenton Devils while it was owned by and affiliated with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils from 2007 to 2011. After the team was sold, it reverted to the Titans name and logo. The franchise ceased operations in April 2013.
The Ironhawks will play in the 7,000-seat CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, which previously hosted the Titans and Devils.
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