Utah’s new National Hockey League team, set to debut for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season, will reportedly start without a permanent name or logo. However, a look at some of the early merchandise being prepared for the team has revealed what appears to be a temporary design featuring “UTAH” in large block letters beside the NHL shield, with “EST. 2024” below. The NHL used the same logo when announcing Utah’s spot during the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery.
The colours associated with this early branding are black alongside a very light, almost ice-like blue. Nothing has been confirmed officially, though it appears this will be the club’s primary logo for its inaugural season.
Previously, Utah’s ownership group said the team’s uniforms would read “UTAH” this season; based on this, I think the Utah NHL uniforms will be black with this UTAH logo across the front and some simple light blue and/or white stripes this season. Something like this:
Again, that graphic is just my own guess.
The team is expected to unveil its permanent branding, including a proper name, in time for the 2025-26 season.
The team launched a fan vote earlier this month to help choose the new name. The initial list of 20 finalists were Utah Black Diamonds, Blast, Blizzard, Canyons, Caribou, Freeze, Frost, Fury, Glaciers, Utah HC, Hive, Ice, Mammoth, Mountaineers, Outlaws, Powder, Squall, Swarm, Venom, and Yeti. The first round of voting concluded last week, and the team plans to announce the next round of fan favourites and further details on the naming process later this summer.
The new Utah team, while taking over from the Arizona Coyotes, is considered an entirely new franchise by the NHL. Despite this, they retain the Coyotes’ roster and coaching staff. The Coyotes franchise is officially suspended and could potentially return within five years if a suitable arena is found. This suspension situation, while not unprecedented in NHL history, raises questions about the original Winnipeg Jets history associated with the suspended Coyotes franchise, and since the NHL is suddenly cool with re-writing history, can the new Jets retain the rights to the seemingly suspended Jets.
