Oct 30, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) scores a goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/dbef477b-ccd4-42e6-a290-4da597d4f4da.jpeg] Oct 30, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) scores a goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images The odds that Utah Mammoth will be the official name of Utah Hockey Club certainly seems to be as close to official as it can get. The speculation of Utah's name change certainly has blown up after Utah Hockey Club's official youtube channel underwent some... interesting changes to say the least. Derick Fox of ABC4.com also reported that Mike Maughan, an executive for Smith Entertainment Group, would not confirm whether the YouTube URL changes revealed the upcoming team name, instead just confirming the team is on track to announce the name ahead of the upcoming season. [https://www.abc4.com/sports/nhl-hockey/utah-hockey-club-possible-name-leak/] While Utah Hockey Club has stayed tight-lipped about what its official name will be, the club could use this leak to its advantage. Since this is an internal leak, appearing on its own YouTube channel rather than through a viral tweet leaking the teams name, like in the case of the Washington Commanders, [https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076272763/possible-new-name-washington-football-team-leaked] fans have only been able to point to this one instance as a clear sign of what Utah’s name will be. So even if this is a mistake, Utah still holds the cards on how it can reveal its name and can do a lot more than just wait for its official press release. Is Utah's Connor Ingram Next for a Contract Extension? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bee328cb-2d8a-4c8e-9548-76f5dcc4563c.jpeg] Is Utah's Connor Ingram Next for a Contract Extension? The offseason signing period for Utah Hockey Club has already kicked off, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah/latest-news/jaxson-stauber-signs-extension-with-utah-hockey-club" target="_blank">with goalie Jaxson Stauber signing a two-way contract.</a> [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah/latest-news/is-utahs-connor-ingram-next-for-a-contract-extension] For starters, Utah could choose to play into the leak with posts from its social media team. After all, it would be amusing if Utah Hockey Club “intentionally” leaked more information on its social pages, even hinting at its other speculated name, Utah Outlaws. It would certainly generate more attention if the team teased fans about Utah Mammoth even more, this time through its social team playing off the accidental leak rather than ignoring it. After all, with an offseason without any hockey in Utah, it would be smart if the team focused its energy onto the upcoming rebrand. But it is worth considering that this leak could just be the first sign that an official announcement is coming sooner rather than later, especially with the NHL draft lottery just around the corner on May 5. Instead of just posting on social media, Utah could prefer to have its team name announced in conjunction with the actual NHL draft on June 27. NHL Draft Lottery Set For May 5 — How High Can Utah Pick? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d318bd33-edf6-425f-b822-b87fcdb3b4a8.jpeg] NHL Draft Lottery Set For May 5 — How High Can Utah Pick? The NHL has announced the date for the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery. It will take place on Monday, May 5th. With the Utah Hockey Club now in the bottom 11 teams, the question is: where exactly did they finish—and how high can they move up? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah/latest-news/nhl-draft-lottery-set-for-may-5-how-high-can-utah-pick] With every team staying in its own city for this year’s NHL draft, announcing the official team name alongside its draft pick in Salt Lake City would bring a lot of attention to the draft and to the relatively new hockey audience in Utah. Announcing the team's official name on the day of the lottery draft could make a lot sense considering it's the first NHL event connected to the 2025-26 season. Announcing its new moniker then would certainly help fans get excited for its new name early. But depending on Utah's strategy, it may want to make the release of its official name its own separate event, unrelated to anything connected to the NHL draft. However, Utah could want to have more build up to its team name, instead opting to set a date closer to the beginning of the season, perhaps when the renovations at the Delta Center are finished. Pairing a newly built stadium with the new name for Utah Hockey Club would not only be a great spectacle, but it would also generate attention close to the start of the 2025–26 season. It would also give Utah the ability to have the renovated stadium already branded with the club’s new name, which would certainly generate plenty of news coverage and excitement from fans. But until Utah officially announces anything, everyone will just have to continue calling the team Utah Hockey Club.
