A Utah NHL team is coming to professional hockey and fans in the state are pumped to have another pro sports team to root for. Starting in 2024-25, what we once knew as the Phoenix Coyotes will be relocated and get an eventual name change. While they will just be known as Utah in their first season they will eventually get a traditional nickname and there is a survey currently out for fans to vote on that possible name.
While we won’t get an answer anytime soon, we look at the best worst of the bunch when it comes to the future name for the soon-to-debut Utah NHL team.
Terrible Name: Utah Yeti’s
Sure, Yeti’s are fun for fairytales, cartoons, and spooky stories, but they are not the name for a sports team. However, the Himalayan version of Bigfoot is one of the possible options in the running for the Utah NHL team. However, that is what it should stay, just a possibility for fans to laugh at when going down the list of options.
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Good Name: Utah Black Diamonds
There is a black diamond mine in Utah, but hockey fans around the country probably wouldn’t connect the state with the unique gem. But maybe that is a good thing when it comes to establishing the sport in Utah. Plus, the Utah Black Diamonds just sounds cool. This one should be a top contender in the race for the franchise name.
Terrible Name: Utah Caribou’s
Who doesn’t love reindeer, or their North American version, caribou? Now, if the Utah NHL team was going to be called the Reindeer that might be fun and make for some great promotions in December. However, it is the Utah Caribou that is one of the names on the current survey. The Caribou is not a very fearsome name and that is why it should be a non-starter as a choice on the survey.
Terrible Name: Utah Mammoth’s
The Utah Mammoth’s, like a wooly? While the wooly mammoth was an impressive creature from the prehistoric age and is an animal to be feared and respected, the Utah Mammoth just doesn’t roll off the tongue. While it could lead to a fun logo to throw on T-shirts and jerseys, if you are going to use an animal from the Middle Pleistocene epoch you have to go with a sabertooth.
Good Name: Utah Venom
Utah is known for being full of rattlesnakes, and seven different species live in the beehive state. That is why the Utah Venom is a very good name for a potential NHL team. It will surely lead to a great team logo and checks off the box as an options that can generate a reaction while being cool.
Terrible Name: Utah Canyons
Utah has some beautiful natural landscapes, especially canyons. So it is understandable that the Utah Canyons is an option for the team’s eventual name. However, the idea just seems odd. It is akin to a New York team being called the skyscrapers or a California franchise being known as the Coasts. It is just too on the nose, and what would the logo even be?
Good Name: Utah Outlaws
Utah has a history when it comes to the Wild West and Cowboys, so the Utah Outlaws are a great name for what was once the Coyotes. It seems fearsome, would have a fun logo, and what hockey fans wouldn’t want to be able to say out loud, “I am a fan of the Outlaws?”
Terrible Name: Utah Squall
We have professional teams with Hurricanes, Thunder, Storm, and Lightning as their name and there is a reason for that. When it comes to weather those are the best names for sports teams. There is a reason squall has stayed on the shelf and it should remain there and not at all be an option for the Utah NHL squad.
Good Name: Utah Fury
While it isn’t a name that fits a specific animal or terrain in Utah, the Fury is an option for the hockey team. Fury is a name that has been used on many levels and in different sports because it sounds great and looks good on a jersey. That’s why Utah Fury should be a top contender for the NHL team name.
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Terrible Name: Utah Powder
Utah gets a lot of snow each year and is among the snowiest in the United States. However, the idea of the new NHL team being called the Utah Powder is terrible. Of the many name options on the survey, few induce a chuckle or an eye roll more than the powder. Let’s keep it to another name for snow and not for professional hockey teams.