Utah narrows down potential names to 3 ahead of in-arena fan vote

Utah has announced the next step in its pursuit of a nickname Wednesday, and fans will now vote on three finalists:

• Utah Hockey Club (current name)
• Utah Mammoth
• Utah Wasatch

This round of in-arena voting will take place during the club's next four home games, starting Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The survey, which will be administered at iPad stations set up throughout the Delta Center, will also allow fans to vote on two logos.

The club narrowed down its options to six finalists in early June after totaling more than 520,000 votes from fans:

• Utah Blizzard
• Utah Hockey Club
• Utah Mammoth
• Utah Outlaws
• Utah Venom
• Utah Yeti

Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan fielded the media's questions about this latest step Wednesday. Here are his answers to some of the most pressing inquiries:

What happened to Utah Yeti?

"Yeti" or "Yetis" are both off the table because the organization was unable to come to a coexistence agreement with YETI, a popular company known for its drinkware, coolers, and a variety of apparel.

KSL.com's Ryan Miller reported last week that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) refused the team's trademark for "Utah Yetis" due to a "likelihood of confusion." The USPTO also turned down the trademarks for "Utah Blizzard" and "Utah Venom" for the same reason.

Maughan emphasized none of the refusals were unexpected.

"Any name that is not made up will have some trademark issues that will have to be dealt with. ... This is a very standard process," he said.

The USPTO initially turned down "Utah Hockey Club," explaining, "the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive of the origin of applicant's goods and/or services," per Miller. However, Maughan said he's "very confident" about clearing any of the final three names.

What's up with Utah Wasatch?

The Wasatch is a mountain range in Utah, and 85% of the state's population currently lives within a 15-mile radius.

The name wasn't one of the initial six finalists but now replaces "Yeti."

Maughan said "Wasatch" provides an opportunity to incorporate a mythical creature in the design - which is what made "Yeti" an attractive option to fans - while also being "Utah-centric."

What do we know about the logos?

We don't yet have a clear idea of what the logos look like, but Maughan provided some hints.

On the survey, "Utah Hockey Club" and "Utah Wasatch" will share the same logo, while "Utah Mammoth" has a separate one. In the first case, the logo is known as the "Mountain Defender" and will feature a mythical creature, while the second will be of a mammoth.

How will the survey work?

As previously mentioned, only fans in the arena will vote. Doors will open 90 minutes before puck drop, and people can also vote at the iPad stations throughout the game and intermissions.

"(The survey) will have an opening slide that will explain the reasoning and thought process behind each of the three names. … We will then show a variety of combinations of the name and associated logo," Maughan explained. "We will show examples of that logo on a jersey, on the ice itself, and various other iterations where people are able to select how they like those together and what looks good together."

The survey is being run by Qualtrics, co-founded by Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith. Maughan said the Jazz used the same survey setup when coming up with the current Mountain Basketball design.

The process must be done in-arena to protect the two unreleased logos. Maughan added he isn't overly concerned with fans leaking the logos.

"We're gonna do our very best," he said. "We were able to do this with the Utah Jazz as we took the surveys throughout the stadium with all of the different jersey iterations, and none of those leaked. We're hopeful that based on how we set this up, based on the volunteers we have and the great deployment, and honestly the faith in the community, that people will take this survey and express their opinions but also do it in a respectful way.

"But we'll set up safeguards all throughout."

Is this survey the last step in determining the name?

In short, no, but fans will be the ones determining the name.

"As to whether this is the final step of the process or if there is yet one more, that is to be determined," Maughan said.

The club won't announce the final nickname and logo during the current campaign but is still prepared to unveil them in advance of the 2025-26 season.