Utah NHL team asks for fan feedback on nickname: Yeti, Ice, Mammoth under consideration
Utah's new NHL team has players, management and an arena.
But the team doesn't have a nickname yet, so the Smith Entertainment Group ownership is asking for fans' help in deciding.
A survey has a list of 20 names, which people can vote on until May 22. Four names can be chosen, but only vote is allowed per person. All nicknames will be preceded by Utah.
The names: Frost, Powder, Blizzard, Outlaws, Squall, Hive, Mountaineers, Venom, Mammoth, Glaciers, Caribou, Ice, HC, Canyons, Fury, Black Diamonds, Yeti, Freeze, Blast, Swarm.
Swarm and Hive fit because Utah is the Beehive State. Frost, Powder, Blizzard and Black Diamonds fit in with the state being a skiing destination.
Canyons fits because Utah is the home of Zion, Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands national parks. Outlaws is likely because Butch Cassidy was born in Utah.
Utah Yeti has nice alliteration, and Yeti and Mammoth have good merchandising possibilities.
The team said it would "announce the next round of fan favorites and more details on future steps in the name selection process later this summer."
"Once the team name has been selected, SEG will work diligently to craft the team identity – logo, mascot, colors, and other branding elements – which will debut for the 2025-26 NHL season," the survey said.
In a complex transaction, the NHL granted a team to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith and made the Arizona Coyotes an inactive franchise. Coyotes players and management are heading to Salt Lake City and Arizona could get a team in the next five years if a state-of-the-art arena can be built within that time.
The Utah team will play next season in the Delta Center, where the NBA's Jazz play.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah NHL team name: Caribou, Frost, Fury, Ice, Venom, Yeti in running
