From Hockey Club to Yetis: Ranking Eight Potential Utah NHL Team Names

Eight trademark applications were reportedly filed for potential Utah NHL team names, so let's rank them.

Wednesday is a big day for Utah as fans welcome their new NHL squad. 

The former Arizona Coyotes players and staff took the trip to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and were greeted by an abundance of their new fans.

With Utah getting ready for its inaugural season, it is naturally weighing its options for its team name. Ryan Miller of KSL.com reported that Utah has filed trademark applications for eight potential team names.

Let's now rank those eight possible team names. 

The Utah Hockey Club would be an incredibly bland direction for the franchise. While soccer teams often use the 'Club' label, it would be disappointing if Utah did the same with its hockey team. Because of this, they are the first of two nicknames at the bottom of our rankings. A team should have an identity along with its location.  

Yes, the game of hockey is played on ice. No, it should not be the name of a hockey team. 

An NHL team called the Ice would be a wasted opportunity and instantly make them have the worst name in the entire league. Because of this, it is hard not to put Ice right with Hockey Club at the bottom of our rankings. 

Fury is not only a bad choice but also incredibly dull. Because of its vagueness, it would also be challenging to make a logo for it. In theory, something with fire could be cool, but the Calgary Flames exist. Overall, this is just another name that would be tough to see come to fruition. 

Utah picking Venom as its team name wouldn't necessarily be egregious, but it likely also wouldn't have their fans jumping for joy. It is better than Hockey Club, Ice and Fury, but not by much. 

This name would probably work better for a team in the desert (sorry, Arizona). There are venomous snakes in Utah, but it feels like other names could fit the team better.

Back to the winter theme, the Blizzard is a step in the right direction from the Ice. A blizzard is far more intimidating than just ice, as it's a severe snowstorm that brings serious weather complications.

That said, Blizzard is still not the best name of the bunch. It feels like the generic name you'd see in a hockey video game or for a local beer league team. The creativity is just a bit lackluster, but it still wouldn't be the worst choice at the end of the day. 

The Mammoth is where we start getting into the potential good names. It would be cool to see a club named after the extinct Woolly Mammoth, and there's lots of potential for an outstanding logo. 

The Outlaws would make a fantastic NHL team name. The logo could be magnificent if done correctly, and there is something imposing about facing a team named after fugitives. It's fair to put them in a tie for the top spot. 

Ever since hearing Utah was interested in an NHL team, the Yetis has been discussed as a possible nickname. It could make for a great sweater, as the yeti is a massive mythical creature who, of course, is said to live in the snowy mountains.

What's also quite intriguing about the prospect of an NHL team named the Yetis is that the NHL named its most recent expansion team after a mystical creature — the Seattle Kraken. That would instantly connect these two clubs as rivals. 

Vote for your favorite among the top four by clicking here.