Utah team name polling opens, list of potential names revealed

[Meuracas]

Jack frost

David Frost?

 

[CornKicker]

not gonna lie i voted for powder and HC and caribou cause they are all stupid lol

 

[Perfect_Drug]

 

[Zaddy91]

Yeti ryhmes. so good

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I hope Powder wins

I also voted Powder.


It would be the ultimate dumb name ever. Love it!

 

[CornKicker]

I also voted Powder.


It would be the ultimate dumb name ever. Love it!

kuznetsov and radulov would demand trades there asap

 

[Perfect_Drug]

kuznetsov and radulov would demand trades there asap

NGL

If Utah Corn Kickers were an option, that would be my first choice.

 

[NorthStar4Canes]

To be fair, Penguins aren't living in Pittsburgh either, but the name works.

The penguin is so clearly disassociated from the native fauna that the "ice" association is clear. That's why it works. Maybe that's what they're attempting with Caribou since Penguins was already taken.

It sucks they couldn't keep Coyotes.

 

[CornKicker]

NGL

If Utah Corn Kickers were an option, that would be my first choice.

its trademarked, probably why it isnt on the list

 

[McGarnagle]

Starting lineup for your Utah Powder:

Kuznetzov
Stoll
Rucizka
Redden
Fuhr

 

[Section 104]

I also voted Powder.


It would be the ultimate dumb name ever. Love it!

I am still trying to figure out what a Red Wing is. And a New York City team named after a Texas law enforcement agency? Montreal showed real ingenuity with theirs…Not. At least when they had a minor league team in Rochester, NY they named it “Americans”..or “Amerks” as the locals call it.

Quite frankly you get used to a nickname. Although Utah should choose a name for this season. But maybe they figure they can sell more jerseys with a new name in 2025-26. Even the Islanders “Fishsticks” jerseys saw a bump in sales the first year.

 

[AnomX]

Salt Lake Sentinals

 

[Jerzey Devil]

I like Blizzard and Ice.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Nothing will of course top Los Angeles Lakers in the pantheon of dumb names.

Anyway

They've got the Jazz, so why not stick with the music theme...

How about the Utah Rock for the hockey team?

And if they ever land an MLB team, they can all them the Utah Adult Contemporary

Utah Gospels lol
Or better yet Utah Rapp

Though it they go the state symbol route why not go all out with Utah Quaking Aspens

 

[Realgud]

NGL

If Utah Corn Kickers were an option, that would be my first choice.

Actually better and more creative than all these names even if it's a little ECHL-ish.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Ooh or the gemstone. They can be the Utah Topazz

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

Salt Lake Sentinals

Could have been elite.

 

[Seattle Totems]

I get that Ryan Smyth's whole Qualtrics business is survey software—but having the public decide your team name is a recipe for disaster. Let the brand and marketing professionals handle it. That's how they came up with the Golden Knights and Kraken themes and those are among the best executed brands in North American professional sports. Way better than anything the NHL came up with in the 90s or 2000s (see how often those teams have changed logos, jerseys,

I don’t think Ryan Smith is going to let fans have final say on a name - this is just being “not a doofus 101 when I buy a team - let the public feel involved in the process”.

Smith actually seems keenly aware of perception and branding.

- He wasted no time in establishing this team was gonna be “Utah” - not Salt Lake City. Much of the population of the area sprawls well out of the confines of the Salt Lake Valley. It’s also a smaller market. You need to be as inclusive as possible with the locale naming.

- He immediately established a very well attended and publicized welcoming to the players and franchise. Smart PR move especially after the disastrous PR ownership proceeding it.

- He immediately established that naming and branding would not be done by next season. This eliminates the need to rush things and sets expectations. This doesn’t guarantee everybody is gonna love the final brand but it does give ample time to developing it in a professional and well thought-out manner.

Of the proposed names…

- Ryan Smith is an NBA owner first and foremost. The world he comes from has a team that completely owns and plays up the Raptors brand. He’s not gonna copy it for his NHL team. It’s a bad look.

- The team in the state right next door in his division has a brand that has:

A primary logo with a mountain peak and snowy/winter imagery.

A secondary logo of a Bigfoot/Yeti foot.

A mascot that is literally a Bigfoot/Yeti.

Jerseys that literally have mountain peaks designed into the hemline.

I really don’t think at the end of the day that Ryan Smith is gonna want his cool new team riffing so hard with an existing team right in his backyard. He doesn’t strike me as that kind of entrepreneur. I think he’s going to want a brand that stands out as original and marketable in a different way.

Nah Smith doesn't have the slightest clue. The arena demanded that Utah be part of the name. He's running a poll that leans heavily towards Avalanche IP and the typical ice themed names. The names sound like they came from people who have never watched a hockey game in their life.

What major pro sport names a team after another sport? Black Diamonds? Powder? It's completely ridiculous.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Utah Yettis or Grizzlies.

Grizzlies is the name of their current ECHL team.

They have a kickass logo:

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

Outlaws sounds like a beer league hockey name.

I worked for a beer league hockey team named the Outlaws so I just can't get behind it either.

 

[AnomX]

Could have been elite.

Go Sents Go!

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

Caribou are cool looking animals that are associated with winter. And it’s a unique name. Yeti is my second choice for the same reason, except I think it’s a little too close to Avs marketing. Outlaws is a bit generic but it works I guess.

Don’t be lazy and choose something that’s just another way of saying “ice” or “cold”. That’s normie ass shit

 

[Mike Jones]

Are they naming a team or a workout drink flavor?

 

[CornKicker]

I am still trying to figure out what a Red Wing is. And a New York City team named after a Texas law enforcement agency? Montreal showed real ingenuity with theirs…Not. At least when they had a minor league team in Rochester, NY they named it “Americans”..or “Amerks” as the locals call it.

Quite frankly you get used to a nickname. Although Utah should choose a name for this season. But maybe they figure they can sell more jerseys with a new name in 2025-26. Even the Islanders “Fishsticks” jerseys saw a bump in sales the first year.

i think the excuse the other teams have is they were made 100 years ago lol

 

[QuizGuy66]

Utah Qualtrics

Some of the names just won't fly because of other leagues. NBA has a Grizzlies and a Raptors and the NFL has a Saints. I know some exception out there like Winnipeg but just doesn't seem likely (especially the NBA ones given Smith is a partner in those leagues).

Still cannot believe they left it "fill in the blank" like a giant kick me sign