Utah Hockey Club Swaps Wasatch For Outlaws In Fan Vote On Name

Utah Hockey Club has removed “Utah Wasatch” from consideration to a new team name replacing it with “Utah Outlaws” in fan voting.

On Wednesday, the first-year NHL team announced that it would no longer move forward with “Yeti” or “Yetis” as its official nickname because of what the US patent and trademark office called “the probability of confusion” for consumers to other companies and brands , using the name. Utah HC tried unsuccessfully to mediate a “coexistence agreement” with the Yeti Coolers LLC to use the name.

The team instead asked fans to vote on three different name settings: Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Wasatch.

While Mammoth made Final Four in the original fan vote last year, Wasatch was a new option referring to a local mountain range and would allow the team to use a “Mythical Snow Hill in the form of a Yeti” as its mascot, according to To Mike Maughan from Smith Entertainment Group, who added that mascot will also be used if the team holds Utah Hockey Club as its name.

Wednesday tonight’s game against Pittsburgh Penguins was the first of four home matches where fans would vote on the three options using tablets stationed around the Delta Center. The early returns from this vote helped convince the team to drop Wasatch in favor of bans and saw little support for the former.

“We listened to your feedback and dug into all Qualtrics data from yesterday’s investigation,” the team said in a statement on Thursday. “For the team name, it is clear that prohibition should be in the mixture instead of Wasatch, so we replace it.”

The study continues at Arena Friday, Sunday and Tuesday.

Outlaws were among the first 20 names presented to fans in a study last year and were among six finalists after the vote was completed.

Maughan said the team is convinced that no matter what name wins the fan vote, clear the patent and trademark process.

“We have an incredible team and we are very sure we have a clear way to each of these names,” Maughan said. “We have strategies to approach each of them and feel that we are on very solid ground as we continue.”

Utah Hockey Club plays in his first season in Salt Lake City. Arizona Coyotes ‘franchise was sold to Utah Jazz owners Smith Entertainment Group in April 2024. Seg acquired the franchise, its players and its hockey operation department in the sale, even though the team is considered a new franchise rather than an extension of Coyotes’ heritage.