Utah's new NHL team is closer than ever to having a permanent name.
And the process of collecting fan input has moved into a new phase.
Thursday morning, Smith Entertainment Group announced that six names out of the original 20 possibilities received a combined 60% of the total votes from 520,000 fans.
Those six names will now be the focus of Round 2 of fan voting, to "see which emerge on top as fans continue narrowing it down."
The six names remaining are:
Utah Blizzard.
Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC).
Utah Mammoth.
Utah Outlaws.
Utah Venom.
Utah Yeti.
Fans will be able to vote now through June 20 at 11:59 p.m. MDT on which name they believe the franchise should use.
Previously, Ryan Smith told ESPN's Pat McAfee that SEG had narrowed things down to four names, with Smith going so far as to mention two by name — Yeti and Mammoth.
"We've got our four," Smith said. "I think Mammoth's up there. I think Yeti's up there. I think a couple other ones are up there. I think it should be good."
A ranking of the possible names by the Deseret News' Ryan McDonald had both Mammoth and Yeti as top-six names, along with Black Diamonds, Outlaws, Mountaineers and Caribou. Three of those did not make the final six in the fan vote.
For the upcoming 2024-25 NFL season — the inaugural season for the NHL in Utah — Utah's franchise will wear jerseys that display UTAH across the front, "as a reflection of the team's new roots in the state and dedication to its fanbase."
Per a release, once the team name has been selected, SEG and Doubleday & Cartwright will "craft the team identity inclusive of the logo, mascot, and other branding elements" in time for their debut in the lead-up to the 2025-26 NHL season.
Details as to the next step in the naming process of Utah's NHL franchise will be announced in the months following the conclusion of Round 2 of fan voting.
