Utah Hockey Club

The Arizona Coyotes have officially transitioned to become the Utah Hockey Club, based in Salt Lake City. This change comes after years of uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes' future in Arizona, culminating in their discontinuation of operations. In 2024, the team finally discontinued its operations due to financial issues and instability related to their arena. They sold their management to the NHL and the NHL decided to resale it to Ryan Smith. As of November 2024, Ryan Smith will be the owner of the newly developed team Utah Hockey Club. The Utah Hockey Club will compete in the NHL's Central Division and aims to build a strong fan base in Utah. For the upcoming 2024-25 season, the team will wear jerseys featuring "Utah.”

Original Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996)

Thе tеam was foundеd in 1972 as thе Winnipеg Jеts of thе World Hockеy Association (WHA). Thеy wеrе one of four WHA teams that wеrе absorbеd into thе NHL in 1979 due to the financial struggles of the WHA. The Jets were the most successful team of the WHA having won 3 titles, making five finals out of a possible seven.

The team's merger into the NHL was far from successful as they finished last in their first two seasons, including a nine-win season in 1980-81. However, a change in fortunes resulted in 11 playoff appearances in the next 15 seasons.

The Jets ran into financial trouble when player salaries went up in the 1990s, most particularly the Canadian teams. This led owner Barry Shenkarow to put the team for sale. Phoenix businessman Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke, and a local investor group purchased the Jets with plans of moving it to Phoenix. The name “Coyotes” was soon finalized.

Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2005)

The early years of the Phoenix Coyotes centered around many transfers and a rebuilding process. These early years were also marked by six playoff appearances. They became the first team to earn 90 points and miss the playoffs during the 2000-01 season. However, their financial woes continued and this led to a change in the ownership with Steve Ellman becoming the majority owner and Wayne Gretzky becoming a minority part-owner and head of hockey operations.

The later years marked relative success with only the 2001-2002 season yielding success. However, financial difficulties continued and this led to a change of ownership in 2005. Gretzky named himself head coach in 2005 and this led to one of the most successful periods in Coyotes History. The time was also known as Gretzky’s Era (2005-2009)

The team won their first division title and also had their first-ever 50-win season during the 2009 and 2012 period. However, in the midst of this success, the team filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The team's bankruptcy status led the NHL to shift the Coyotes if a new deal was not decided by July 2, 2013.

Arizona Coyotes

On January 29, 2014, the new ownership group announced the team would change its name to the “Arizona Coyotes “ from the 2014-15 season. The years since have brought in moderate success while the Coyotes have been giving their best to win the Stanley Cup.

Development of Utah Hockey Club

In 2024, the Arizona Coyotes stopped operating due to ongoing financial issues and problems with their arena. After the Tempe Arena referendum failed in 2023, Salt Lake City was considered a possible new home for the team. Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz, proposed a new downtown arena and requested an NHL expansion team.

By April 2024, the NHL approved the move, transforming the Coyotes into the Utah Hockey Club, treated as an expansion team. The new franchise started playing in the 2024-25 season, marking a fresh chapter in Salt Lake City's sports history.

Utah Hockey Club Ownеr

The owner of the newly formed Utah Hockey Club is Ryan Smith. He is a prominent entrepreneur who also owns the NBA's Utah Jazz and co-owns Real Salt Lake, a Major League Soccer team. Smith led the effort to bring the NHL to Salt Lake City after the Arizona Coyotes ceased operations. His group, Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), played a significant role in establishing the team in Utah, with plans for a new downtown arena and a practice facility in the suburb of Sandy, Utah.

In April 2024, the proposal of a new arena in Tempe was rejected by the city's residents. Following that, the NHL authorized the move of the Coyotes to Utah, buying the Coyotes franchise and later selling it to Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz, for $1.2 billion. Of that amount, $1 billion went to Coyotes’ owner Alex Meruelo, with an additional $200 million distributed among the NHL’s other teams as a relocation fee.

Smith Entertainment Group acquired the Coyotes’ player contracts and assets while the Coyotes franchise was placed in "dormant" status, with Meruelo having the rights to the Coyotes’ brand and history. The Utah team was classified as an expansion team. They will play at the Delta Center, the home of the Utah Jazz, while a new arena is developed in Utah.

Utah Hockey Club coach and Gеnеral Managеr

The management and other key members of the team remain the same. Andrе Tourigny is serving as thе hеad coach of thе Utah Hockey Club. Hе was hirеd in July 2021.

Bill Armstrong will be the general manager of the team. Hе was hirеd in September 2020. Armstrong is a Canadian former professional icе hockеy player who played in the NHL for the New York Rangеrs, Edmonton Oilеrs, and Chicago Blackhawks. He also played in the AHL and thе Intеrnational Hockеy Lеaguе (IHL).

Utah Hockey Club Tickеts and Broadcasting Dеtails

In April 2024, the newly formed Utah NHL team reached an agreement with the E.W. Scripps Company to broadcast their games on Provo-based KUPX-TV, which had previously aired Arizona Coyotes games.

Additionally, the team launched a streaming service called UtahHC+, which offers live game coverage and other content related to the team. UtahHC+ is part of SEG's broader platform, SEG+, which also includes the Utah Jazz's streaming service, Jazz+.

For radio broadcasts, the team partnered with KZNS (KSL Sports Zone), with play-by-play announcer Mike Folta leading the coverage.

Utah Hockey Club's 2014-25 roster