The organization released its off-season rankings based on polls from the public and within the fanbase last month.
It's hard to judge a team based on just its off-season moves.
But that's exactly what The New York Times and The Athletic did last month, and as discovered by my colleague Spencer Lazary (after of course he wrote about general manager Bill Armstrong diving deeper into the Mikhail Sergachev trade), it appears the rave reviews for Utah's amazing first off-season are not as far-fetched as you think.
The Times and Athletic ranked Utah HC no. 4 on its list of 32 teams, giving an overall grade of an A-.
More amazing is the change in confidence over the last year -- the report said a change in the public of 80%, while the fanbase registered a 71%.
What's changed, you say? The Times reiterates the point we here have been making for the past few months:
Owner Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley have been willing to fight for Utah.
And that fighting spirit has been contagious.
He sees president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong and general manager Bill Armstrong as business partners, a trend not seen in any major North American franchise.
You throw in the blockbuster trade for Sergachev, along with some savvy signings in veterans Ian Cole and Kevin Stenlund, and some pretty spicy drafting leading to a massive prospect pool filled with talent, you can see why the public is so high on Utah HC's future.
Now, it comes down to executing, and it's the next step in what Bill Armstrong is calling his goal to be involved in meaningful games.
And the first one is now exactly two months away.