Records & History

The National Hockey League (NHL) announces the establishment of a new NHL franchise in Utah to be owned and controlled by Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), which is owned by Ryan and Ashley Smith. Utah’s NHL team will begin competing at Delta Center in the 2024–25 season.

Fans celebrate Utah’s new NHL franchise at Delta Center, where they are introduced to General Manager Bill Armstrong, Head Coach André Tourigny and the players for the first time.

Season tickets go on sale for Utah’s inaugural season.

The NHL and SEG officially close on the agreement that establishes an NHL franchise in Utah and announce the organization’s color palette that consists of Rock Black, representing the darkness of night in the mountains and the volcanic rock of Utah’s deserts; Salt White, illustrating both the snow on Utah’s peaks and the famous salt flats; and Mountain Blue, a representation of Utah’s rich winter sports history.

Forward Noel Nordh becomes the first contract signing in franchise history.

SEG appoints Chris Armstrong as the franchise’s first President of Hockey Operations. Armstrong will also serve as an alternate governor.

Forwards Tij Iginla (6th overall) and Cole Beaudoin (24th overall) become the first draft picks in franchise history during the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Utah acquires defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay in exchange for defenseman J.J. Moser, forward Conor Geekie and two draft choices.

Single–game tickets go on sale for Utah’s inaugural season.

SEG acquires The Shops at South Town in Sandy, Utah. The 111–acre site will be home to Utah Hockey Club’s permanent state-of-the-art practice and training facility, scheduled for completion in 2025.

SEG hosts a groundbreaking event with Ryan Smith, Chris Armstrong, Bill Armstrong, André Tourigny, Lawson Crouse, Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone at The Shops at South Town, the future site of Utah’s training and practice facility.

EG Media announces the TV broadcast team for its inaugural season. Matt McConnell will serve as the TV play-by-play announcer, while Dominic Moore and Nick Olczyk will be TV analysts. Kim Becker will be the TV studio host, and Sarah Merrifield will be the rinkside reporter.

Uniforms for the team’s inaugural season are officially unveiled.

Utah signs forward Dylan Guenther to an eight-year contract extension, tying him to franchise through 2032-33.

Utah Hockey Club travels to Des Moines, Iowa, and defeats the St. Louis Blues, 5–3, in the franchise’s first-ever preseason game. Forward Michael Carcone scores two goals, including the franchise’s first preseason tally, and forward Logan Cooley scores the game–winning goal on a penalty shot with 1:17 remaining in the third period.

Utah Hockey Club names forward Clayton Keller the first captain in franchise history.

Utah Hockey Club earns a 5–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on Opening Night, becoming just the eighth of 28 teams during the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967–68) to register a win in its inaugural game. Forward Dylan Guenther scores the first goal in franchise history just 4:56 into the contest, marking the third-fastest goal to open any franchise’s inaugural game in the expansion era.

Forward Dylan Guenther is named the NHL’s First Star of the Week (Oct. 8–13) after scoring five goals in the franchise’s first three games.

Utah Hockey Club inaugural season home and away jerseys go on sale at the Team Store inside Delta Center for the first time, setting an arena record for the highest single-day sporting event sales and securing the second-best Team Store sales record in NHL history.

Goaltender Jaxson Stauber posts the first shutout in franchise history in his Utah Hockey Club debut, making 29 saves in a 6-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Forward Barrett Hayton is named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week (Jan. 20–26) after registering six points (4g, 2a) in four games.

Over four home games, Utah Hockey Club invites fans to vote on their favorite of three permanent team name options: Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws and Utah Hockey Club.

Forward Barrett Hayton scores three goals against the Los Angeles Kings, recording the first hat trick of his career and the first hat trick in franchise history.

Utah Hockey Club ownership, executives and players gather at the team’s new South Town practice facility for a final beam signing ceremony.

Utah Hockey Club announces the first-ever Utah Hockey Club Honors following the Club’s final home game of the regular season. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka is selected as Team MVP by his teammates, forward Clayton Keller finishes as the Club’s leading scorer, Dylan Guenther earns the Three Stars Award, Alexander Kerfoot is named the team’s Community-Obsessed Award winner and forward Barrett Hayton is chosen by fans as the recipient of the All-In Award.

Utah Hockey Club jumps from 14th to fourth in the NHL Draft Lottery after winning the second draw with the combination of 1-3-5-12. The Club had a 1.5% chance of winning the first draw (15/1,000) and a 1.6% chance of winning the second draw (15/965).

Smith Entertainment Group reveals the new name and permanent identity of Utah’s NHL franchise: the Utah Mammoth. More than 10,000 years ago, herds of mammoth claimed Utah as their home, and ever since, the mammoth has embodied strength, momentum, and an earth–shaking presence. These qualities are brought to life by the passion of Utah’s hockey fans and mirror the franchise’s bold emergence into the NHL. In a process driven by the community, the Utah Mammoth name was chosen by fans during a 13-month process involving four rounds of fan voting and more than 850,000 votes.

The Utah Mammoth acquire forward JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring, and subsequently sign Peterka to a five-year contract. He becomes Utah’s third forward aged 23 or younger to have eclipsed 60 points in 2024-25.

The Utah Mammoth select forward Caleb Desnoyers with the fourth overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, as Desnoyers becomes the highest draft choice in franchise history.