With Their First Season Almost In The Books, The NHL's Foray Into Utah Seems To Be A Success

The first season in Utah Hockey Club history is almost in the books and while it was a little disappointing on the ice in that the team is going to come up short when it comes to making a playoff appearance, everything else seems to be going well, meaning that the NHL's decision to enter Salt Lake City is proving to be a success.

While Utah is going to finish in sixth place in the Central Division, there are a lot of positives to take from this season as well as excitement for what lies ahead, thanks to the team's young roster, potential cap space, and stockpile of draft picks.

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"Everyone sees where we are from a roster standpoint: the youth that we have, the future that’s ahead of us and then the intrigue of this market," team owner Ryan Smith said, per the Associated Press. "Honestly, the way the community has rallied behind everything that we’re doing, it’s super powerful."

The team hasn't had much trouble filling the Delta Center, which features 11,131 unobstructed seats, which means that the move to Salt Lake City already fixed the biggest issue the league faced in Arizona.

 While that number means Utah's arena has the lowest capacity in the league, it's more than double what the Coyotes had in their final few seasons playing at Arizona State's Mullett Arena, before their hockey asserts were sold to Smith (however, it's worth noting that the league treats Utah like a new franchise).

Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith talked about the team's first season in the NHL which proved to be a success on multiple fronts.(Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

As Smith mentioned, fans have been fired up about the team all season, with shoeys and beer records getting smashed during the home opener and long lines to buy their inaugural jerseys.

Speaking of jerseys, the biggest thing on the horizon for Utah is the adoption of a permanent name. It's now down to Mammoth or Outlaws, or they could stay the course and stick with Utah Hockey Club after the original front-runner, "Yeti," got shot down over trademark issues with a certain cooler manufacturer. That means there will be a brand new batch of sweaters as soon as next season for those fans to scoop up.

While Smith admitted things got a little tough given the quick turnaround the team had to prepare for the 2024-25 season after the move was announced in April last year.

"It was pretty daunting a year ago ... walking into a room and then not knowing what to say to the guys besides: ‘Trust us. It’s going to be OK,’" Smith said. "I think people do good with change in life. I think uncertainty is really hard for people, and that was probably one of the more uncertain moments."

With just four games left to play, Utah has a record of 36-30-12, which means they'll finish their first season with a winning record.