Utah Hockey Club has brought quite a change for the people of Utah, first with the addition of a second major sports team bringing lots of excitement and adding another fun event to attend alongside Utah Jazz games.

Now, hockey in Utah is bringing a different kind of change, this time to the beloved Delta Center.

In a press release Wednesday morning, Smith Entertainment Group announced that it has begun renovations to improve Delta Center as a dual-use arena, with the goal of improving hockey sight lines without compromising seating for Utah Jazz games.

“Adding an ice rink inside an existing basketball arena is an unthinkable feat given that an ice rink is nearly double the size of a basketball court. We are excited for the challenge as we kick off this never-before-done renovation project. This transformation will create the most compelling, welcoming, and exciting experience for hockey fans, while also allowing us to maintain the steep vertical seating for basketball that has made Delta Center such a dynamic venue with its loud atmosphere that energizes our players night after night,” said Ryan and Ashley Smith, co-founders of Smith Entertainment Group and owners of Delta Center.

With the sudden arrival of Utah Hockey Club and the need for temporary renovations, it is no surprise that changes would eventually come to the Delta Center.

Converting the Delta Center into a hockey rink made this dual-use arena already untraditional, as most dual-use venues are generally designed from the start to accommodate a hockey rink.

Instead of following the more conventional approach that other arena's offer, the Delta Center will feature retractable seat risers that preserve the current seating for Jazz games while improving visibility for Utah Hockey Club games, removing any single-goal view seats with seats that will see both nets.

Along with eliminating blind spots around the rink for lower-bowl seating, the new configuration will also increase capacity for Utah Hockey Club, rising from the current 16,020 seats to around 17,000.

Utah Jazz seating will also increase, going from 18,206 to nearly 19,000.

In SEG’s official press release, it stated that the riser system for basketball "will consist of 29 rows of retractable seats that extend over 28 feet from the Level 3 concourse down to the court behind each baseline — all designed to ensure the arena maintains its steep slope that will continue to put Jazz fans in incredibly close proximity to the court."

The arena bowl will also be lengthened by 12 feet at each end, and the floor will be elevated by two feet.

Along with the new seating, Utah will also add four new dehumidifiers to help maintain the proper temperature of the ice rink. The club will also begin a multi-year construction project to build a 450-stall parking structure, create new premium spaces on Level 1, and increase restroom capacity by 12%.

While any future projects will not start until the current renovations at the Delta Center are complete, plans also include remodeling the upper bowl to continue improving sight lines for all seats and constructing a new east-facing main entrance and plaza.

In addition, renovations will eventually be made to the current plaza.

"By taking such significant steps to transform Delta Center into a world-class facility for both professional basketball and hockey, the Jazz and Utah’s NHL team will become anchors of downtown Salt Lake City for decades to come," said Ryan and Ashley Smith. "And fans will be further immersed in the game night experience both inside and outside the arena as we work to reimagine the downtown experience of Utah’s capital city. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2025-26 seasons."

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So it will look and feel different for both Jazz fans and Utah HC fans when basketball and hockey start back up at the Delta Center.

The hope is that with these changes, the Delta Center will offer an even better experience for both fanbases.

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