| Utah NHL team | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 2024 |
| History | Utah NHL Team 2024–present |
| Home arena | Delta Center |
| City | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Owner(s) | Ryan Smith |
| General manager | Bill Armstrong |
| Head coach | Andre Tourigny |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Minor league affiliates | Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Conference championships | 0 |
| Presidents' Trophy | 0 |
| Division championships | 0 |
| Official website | https://nhlinutah.com/ |
The Utah NHL team is a professional ice hockey team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The still-unnamed team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and will began play during the league's 2024–25 season. They play their home games at Delta Center.
History
On April 13, 2024, it was reported that, with the NHL's permission, the Arizona Coyotes were making efforts to relocate to Salt Lake City, following concerns about an indefinite timeframe on a new arena and the effects of continued play at Mullett Arena.[1] This involved the NHL buying the franchise, then reselling it to Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), for a reported $1.2 billion.[2][3] Of the payment, $1 billion went to Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo for the sale and $200 million would go to the NHL's other owners as a relocation fee. The Utah team will play home games at the Jazz's home arena, the Delta Center. Renovations will be required to make it the team's permanent home, similar to the renovations made to Climate Pledge Arena before the Kraken began play in the NHL.[4] Rather than formally relocate, the Coyotes franchise was marked "dormant", with Utah considered an expansion team in a similar situation to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Meruelo subsequently remains on the NHL Board of Governors as an observer, retaining the rights to the Coyotes brand with a five-year window to complete a new arena and "reactivate" the Coyotes as an expansion team.[5] The sale was finalized on April 18 after the NHL Board of Governors voted to establish a team in Utah.[6]
