The National Hockey League franchise in Utah will be known as the Utah Mammoth, replacing the temporary identity used for its first season. Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith announced the permanent name Wednesday, May 7, concluding a process that included extensive fan input and multiple rounds of voting.
The decision follows a 13-month search that generated more than 850,000 ballots cast by fans. The team played its inaugural 2024-25 season under the placeholder name Utah Hockey Club after Smith Entertainment Group purchased the former Arizona Coyotes franchise and relocated it to Salt Lake City.
"The community chose the Utah Mammoth brand, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we're building together," Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a statement. They added the naming process involved feedback on potential names and logos.
Merchandise bearing the Utah Mammoth name became available at the team store inside Delta Center on Wednesday. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was scheduled to attend a news conference at the arena regarding the announcement. Team jerseys will be released later this offseason but will be worn by draft selections at the NHL draft in June. Utah holds the fourth overall pick in the draft after winning the second lottery drawing.
The name draws inspiration from herds of mammoths that inhabited the region over 10,000 years ago. Fossils have been discovered across the state, including a complete skeleton found in Huntington Canyon. According to the team, mammoths were capable of charging at speeds comparable to the fastest skaters in the NHL.
The team stated the singular "Mammoth" was chosen to represent "one team, all-in and all of Utah." The primary logo features the head of a mammoth, incorporating elements like the Wasatch Mountain Range silhouette, a hidden outline of Utah, a negative space "M," and a curved tusk shaped like the letter "U." "Tusks Up" has been established as the team's rallying cry.
Utah will wear the new logo on home jerseys and the state's name diagonally on away jerseys, a design choice shared by few NHL teams. This approach continues messaging from the inaugural season to focus on representing Utah on the road. The team will also wear shoulder patches featuring the state outline with a hockey stick on home jerseys and the Mammoth logo on away jerseys, maintaining the black, light blue, and white color scheme.
General manager Bill Armstrong faces an active summer with the fourth draft pick and more than $20 million in salary cap space for free agency and trades. The team also plans to introduce a Mammoth-inspired mascot before next season and is overseeing the first phase of arena renovations.
