Hockey in Utah has had a wild ride since the announcement that the Arizona Coyotes would be moving to Utah for the 2024-25 NHL season and playing at the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz. The Utah Mammoth were born after a successful season in Utah, where the Utah Hockey Club finished with 89 points and fell short of the last Wild Card spot by just 7 points.
Ryan and Ashley Smith had a vision when bringing the franchise to Salt Lake City, and it is gradually coming to fruition. When the Smith Entertainment Group entered the picture for an NHL franchise, I do not think that Ryan and Ashley thought it would happen as fast as it did. The arena was made into a nice home for hockey, and the franchise colors were clean and sharp on the players. The on-ice product was already in development long before the move from Arizona.
The roster had not seen much change in recent years due to a lack of funding and commitment to the community in Phoenix. First things first, general manager Bill Armstrong made a splash by acquiring defensemen Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. At just 26 years old, Sergachev has two Stanley Cup rings and almost 500 games played in the NHL. A dual-threat player from the point created a plethora of skills and experience for a young group.
Another big statement for ownership and the franchise was naming long-time Coyotes player, Clayton Keller the first captain in franchise history. Also 26 years old, Keller had over 500 games played in the NHL after being the 7th overall selection by the Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Keller had been the face of the franchise after the team had sold most of the veteran players and long-time captain, Shane Doan, retired from the league. The Doan family still has a mark on this franchise with son, Josh, taking a step this past season to become a full-time NHL player.
The final step of the first phase of hockey in Utah is complete with the Mammoth being named to the franchise. The name brings historic meaning along with interesting "Easter eggs" in the logo. The jerseys and colors stay the same with the addition of the new logo and secondary logos. The numbers and lettering are slightly adjusted to have their font.
Now, the marketing of the name and merchandise will start, and the players selected in the 2025 NHL Draft will don the Mammoth jersey for the hockey world to view. It will be a fun summer for the Mammoth!