The Utah hockey club was founded in April 2024. The move was made because the NHL thinks it could potentially be a huge market, with Salt Lake City being a winter sports town it has the potential to be popular. Before the change, the Coyotes went many years without having a great season. In 2023 they were 36-41 and finished 27th in the league. All of the players who are under contract will remain with the team, the players who aren’t under contract who could resign with the team or look to move somewhere else. Clayton Keller, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Schmaltz and Matias Maccelli are the returning standouts for the Utah hockey club.
The first Utah hockey club game was a massive success. “That building was special. That was a ton of fun. It’s a lot of fun to play in front of that crowd.” According to the players and the fans, it was an electric environment to play in and to watch a game. The Utah hockey club went all out with indoor snow, goal horn and a camera that would show the crowd’s reactions throughout the game.
Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley Smith as the owners of the Utah hockey club bought a mall to turn it into the practice facility for the team, The facility will be finished in 2025. The Utah hockey club is only the temporary name until a new name is found. The head coach of the team is Andre Touringy and the team captain is Clayton Keller.