By now, the first round of fan voting for Utah’s new National Hockey League team is well underway, but there’s still 10 days to cast your votes before the process moves to its next phase.
With that in mind, here is a ranking of all 20 names put forth in a survey by Smith Entertainment Group last week from worst to best, at least according to one writer.
Is there a method to the madness? Not really, although Utah connection, originality and branding potential are important factors. Without further ado:
20. Utah HC
The HC stands for “Hockey Club.” So plain. Some professional teams way back in the day did this and that’s kind of cool, but it doesn’t really work in 2024. It’s a copout name. Just don’t vote for it.
19. Utah Venom
This feels like a name some 6 year-olds would come up with for their first soccer team, not a name of a team that is trying to be the best in North America. Hard pass.
18. Utah Blast
Not as bad as Venom, but still pretty amateur in my book. Pick something else.
17. Utah Fury
We are slowly but surely getting out of childish names, but this one is still not great. At least I can envision some cool logo ideas for Fury, but still no.
16. Utah Freeze
Now we’ve entered the really winter-themed names. There are a bunch of them. I don’t really like any of them, plus the Colorado Avalanche are already next door. Freeze is the worst of the bunch.
15. Utah Frost
Not as bad as Freeze, but not very good either. Moving on.
14. Utah Glaciers
A decent name and it feels like there could be a cool color scheme, but glaciers don’t really have anything to do with Utah other than being ice. There are better options.
13. Utah Blizzard
Glaciers is a better name, but Blizzard at least is more Utah-centric so it gets a higher ranking. It does have some pretty Dairy Queen vibes, though, which is not the best for a professional hockey team.
12. Utah Powder
Pretty solid among the winter-themed names, and Utah is known for having powder-like snow that is good for skiing. Also, powder blue is probably my favorite color. That said, I also think of baby powder here, which is not optimal for a hockey team.
11. Utah Ice
On one hand, this is a pretty boring name for a hockey team since the sport is played on ice. That said, it’s simple and, like Glaciers, feels pretty strong on the branding front.
10. Utah Squall
I don’t love it. It makes me think of that Powerade flavor Green Squall, not a hockey team. That said, it’s the best of the series of winter-themed names. Not sure if many people know what a snow squall is, but have you ever been stuck in one? Pretty terrifying. Branding folks could probably play off that pretty well.
9. Utah Hive
We’ve got two options related to Utah being (beeing? Sorry) the Beehive State. I don’t really love either of them, but at least they are pretty unique to Utah. That said, we’ve already got the Salt Lake Bees. Another name like it feels like a little much.
8. Utah Swarm
Didn’t love this when I first saw it, but I’ve seen people propose the idea of calling the Delta Center “The Hive” if the team was named the Swarm, and that would be pretty great. That said, the bee names still don’t feel strong enough.
7. Utah Canyons
I absolutely love the Utah-centric aim here. Full points for that. Really original, too. That said, I just don’t see the ability to build a real identity around this name.
6. Utah Mammoth
A lot of people love this name, to the point that it might be considered the favorite. I’m a big fan of the originality of it, and merchandise could be really good. I just can’t get past the idea of an elephant-like creature being the mascot of this team.
5. Utah Caribou
We’re getting into some pretty solid stuff here, according to this committee of one. I like the originality, there’s a fierceness to it and logo and branding seem pretty straightforward. Some small knocks: Caribou don’t scream Utah, and I’m pretty sure the first place I heard of them was on that kids show “Zoboomafoo” back in the day. Elk would have been awesome instead of Caribou.
4. Utah Mountaineers
This might be the name I like most that is furthest from general consensus, but hear me out. It’s original, at least in the major professional ranks, you can tie it to Utah well, there’s a ruggedness to it that comes to mind that fits well with hockey and branding would be pretty straightforward. The only drawback in my eyes is maybe some similarity with the Jazz that might be hard to overcome.
3. Utah Outlaws
This actually might be the general favorite, and it has a lot going for it. Utah? Butch Cassidy comes to mind. Toughness? Check. Unique? Yes. Good branding? Indeed. It was a bit lower on my list of favorites when this survey first came out largely because I’m not sure it really fits 2024, but it’s been growing on me and checks a lot of boxes.
2. Utah Yeti
I’ve loved this one for a long time, although there could be some branding concern with the Colorado Avalanche (their former mascot) that could make it not workable. If it can work, though, it’s great. It rolls off the tongue really well, would be an original name and the branding could be cool. The knock is that it doesn’t really connect with Utah.
1. Utah Black Diamonds
Lucky for you if you’ve made it this far, you get to see the best name of the bunch. Technically this could go in the winter-themed category since it’s a skiing term, but it’s so much better than all the other winter ones above. Plus, it’s versatile. If it makes you think of skiing and Utah, awesome. If it doesn’t, it still sounds cool. It passes the originality check, branding feels like it has a lot of potential and Ryan Smith could get the black and white color scheme he wanted with the Jazz. Literally the only problem I can think of with it is if the NHL doesn’t want the Black Diamonds right next door to the Vegas Golden Knights. Beyond that, count me in.