Salt Lake City, Utah (WGR Sports Radio 550) - After 13 months of careful review and input from the community in Utah, the National Hockey League franchise in Salt Lake City has settled on its permanent identity.
Ryan Smith, chair of the Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), announced on Wednesday that the franchise will now be known as the "Utah Mammoth" after going under the moniker of "Utah Hockey Club" in their inaugural season in the Beehive State.
"We couldn't be more excited to launch the official name and marks for Utah's NHL hockey team," said Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the Mammoth in a statement. "When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented – going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also on potential logos. We love the passion of the people of Utah and the way they showed up for the team during its inaugural season and the energy they brought to voting on its permanent identity.
"From Day 1, we committed that this team would be built with and for the people of Utah, and we are excited to celebrate today’s launch with the entire state. The community chose the Utah Mammoth, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we’re building together."
SEG presented an entire line of brand elements for the Mammoth identity, including the primary logo for the franchise – "the Mountain Mammoth" – along with secondary marks and the Utah Badge. Here is a description from the team website:
- The Mountain Mammoth logo captures the fierce power of the mammoth mid-charge, tusks up, and ready to attack. Within the mark are nods to the state including the Wasatch Mountain Range and snow-capped peaks that form the beast’s crown. The shape of Utah, which is subtly embedded in the mountain silhouette; and the curved tusk to form a bold "U."
- The secondary marks underscore the team’s identity and unwavering pride in the state and include the word "UTAH" with the Mammoth tusk embedded into the "U," as well as the tusked “U” standing alone as a bold lettermark.
- The Utah Badge is a classic emblem inspired by the UTAH stairstep design from the franchise’s inaugural season – paying homage to the history of hockey in the state and showcasing the club’s commitment to continuing to grow the game.
Meanwhile, the team's color palette remains the same from its inaugural campaign, utilizing the colors Rock Black, Salt White and Mountain Blue.
After the franchise moved from Tempe, Arizona to Salt Lake City last spring, the Mammoth played their first season in Utah during their 2024-25 season, calling the Delta Center home. While the team did not clinch a playoff berth in Year 1, they went a respectable 38–31–13 record and garnered a ton of popularity among the fans in Utah.
Heading into their first campaign under the new nickname, the Mammoth will look forward to the 2025 NHL Draft after winning the second drawing of the NHL Draft Lottery, moving up 10 picks from 14th overall to No. 4 in the draft order.
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Work has also already commenced this offseason to renovate the Delta Center in order to make it more fan-friendly for hockey games. The Mammoth also share space with the NBA's Utah Jazz, who are also owned by SEG.