SALT LAKE CITY – Smith Entertainment Group opened another round of voting for fans to help choose the nickname for Utah’s NHL franchise.
The second round of fan voting opened on Thursday, June 6.
After the initial survey included 20 nicknames for fans to choose from, the second phase of voting presents six options.
These are the nicknames available for fans to vote on:
One nickname choice is allowed in the second round of the survey. The initial survey allowed fans to choose up to four of their favorite names.
In late May, team owner Ryan Smith told Pat McAfee that the naming process was down to four finalists. Smith mentioned Yeti and Mammoth as two of the finalists.
According to SEG, more than 520,000 people voted in the initial survey and the six finalists featured in the second round “were resounding fan favorites” that made up 60 percent of the vote.
In the first round, “Utah Blizzard” was presented as a nickname option. The second phase of voting opened with a plural variation of the nickname, “Utah Blizzards,” but has since been updated to simply “Utah Blizzard” again.
Survey has been updated and “Blizzards” is no longer plural. Back to “Utah Blizzard” like the initial survey.
h/t @Samsworth_TV https://t.co/dRnVLpZCnI pic.twitter.com/Bf10ccNTfv
— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) June 6, 2024
On June 1, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received multiple trademark applications with logos for a “Utah Hockey Club.”
RELATED: Trademarks Filed For Multiple ‘Utah Hockey Club’ Logos
The second phase of voting is open until June 20 at 11:59 p.m. (MT) on NHLinUtah.com.
🚨 𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝟮 🚨
We're down to six finalists for our #NHLinUtah team name! Vote for your favorite 𝙉𝙊𝙒 through June 20.
🔗: https://t.co/xBQS6ekUzz pic.twitter.com/1oYfwbsUfC
— Delta Center (@deltacenter) June 6, 2024
Since 2023, Smith and McAfee have developed a friendship. The new NHL owner has appeared on McAfee’s program multiple times and Smith has hosted the sports media personality for a Utah Jazz game at the Delta Center.
In April, Smith told McAfee that Utah’s NHL team would have its nickname decided by a bracket voted on by fans.
RELATED: Ryan Smith Says Fan-Voted Bracket Will Decide Utah’s NHL Team Nickname
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On May 8, Smith Entertainment Group opened a survey for fans to help choose the team’s name. The survey included 20 potential nicknames and allowed fans to vote on up to four choices.
Voting for the first round of the survey of 20 nicknames closed on May 22.
These were the nicknames listed on the survey:
If you were to name Utah's team, which would you go with? 💭 pic.twitter.com/gTnMmGSDdy
— NHL (@NHL) May 9, 2024
“Utah’s NHL team is a community asset, and we want to make sure that the community has a say in what the name is,” SEG chairman and governor of Utah’s NHL team Ryan Smith said in a statement. “Utah has shown up for this team from the moment the NHL awarded us the franchise…it is only fitting that our fans get the rare opportunity to help name the team they’ll be cheering for.”
RELATED: Smith Entertainment Group Announces Location Of Utah’s NHL Practice Facility
Smith previously announced that the team would be called “Utah” rather than “Salt Lake City” or “Salt Lake.” The team will sport “Utah” on its sweaters during Year 1 as a franchise.
During the next year, SEG will work with Doubleday & Cartwright, an acclaimed creative consultancy and design studio, to create the team’s logo, mascot, colors, and other branding elements.
SEG said it will unveil the name and branding before the 2025-26 season.
Kyle Ireland is an insider for Utah’s NHL team for KSLSports.com. Follow him on X (@kyleireland), Threads (@kyleirelandksl), and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).
