After years of circulating rumors about the Arizona Coyotes relocating to a different state and city, the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz, will now also be home to the Utah Hockey Club. The arena will undergo significant changes to accommodate both franchises. With the unveiling of the brand-new jerseys, NHL fans and players are eagerly awaiting the highly anticipated first look at the Utah Hockey Club on the ice, which becomes the third NHL expansion team within seven years, alongside the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken.
The news about the Utah Hockey Club, based in Salt Lake City, UT, and now owned by Rick Smith, initially broke with reports that the Arizona Coyotes were sold as a franchise for $1.2 billion. In reality, Alex Meruelo, the former owner of the Arizona Coyotes, was compensated $1 billion by the NHL to pay specific fellow NHL owners directly. The excess $200 million was evenly distributed throughout the league’s other 31 teams as a relocation fee.
Technically, this team was formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes, established in 1996 after being relocated from Winnipeg, Canada, where they played as the Jets from 1972 to 1996. Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Arizona Coyotes were forced to relocate due to prolonged struggles as a dying franchise. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets have enjoyed a solid run, and adding another franchise to the NHL leads many hockey fans to believe that the exhilarating game of hockey is rapidly growing in American sports culture. As part of the Central Division in the Western Conference, this hockey club will compete with Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, and Winnipeg in Canada. They will be looking to secure their first win in franchise history on opening night in Salt Lake City, UT, as they host the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8, 2024.
It remains unclear whether Utah will stick with their current team name or opt for something more inventive and creative. The shortlist of potential names includes Venom, Yeti, Outlaws, Mammoth, and Blizzard. One thing we do know is that the front office performed well in the 2024 draft, assembling a young, talented roster with an excellent coaching staff. Utah’s new head coach, André Tourigny, brings extensive experience, having coached 17 seasons in the Canadian Hockey League. He has also served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators in the NHL. Tourigny’s coaching résumé includes four gold medals and four silver medals, earned while coaching the World Juniors Team five times, the World Championship Team four times, and appearing twice in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. If anyone can turn this young franchise into a championship-caliber team, it’s André Tourigny, who is undoubtedly the perfect candidate for this incredible opportunity as head coach of the Utah Hockey Club.
