The Utah Hockey Club is without a permanent name in its first season since moving from Arizona to Utah, but it’s not without effort.
The team still expects to announce a permanent identity before the 2025-26 NHL season — even after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office refused “Utah Yetis.”
The USPTO rejected a trademark application from the team for “Utah Yetis” because of the “likelihood of confusion” for consumers to other companies and brands that use the name, first reported by Ryan Miller of KSL.com.
A major company that uses the name is Yeti Coolers LLC, which makes drinkware, coolers, and clothing. The memo was a “nonfinal office action,” which means Utah has three months to respond.
After the Arizona Coyotes franchise was sold to Utah Jazz owners Smith Entertainment Group in April 2024, the team didn’t have enough time to establish a name. In June, it was announced that the team would be known as Utah Hockey Club during its inaugural season.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The Coyotes franchise was deemed inactive after the sale and Utah is considered a new franchise instead of an extension of the Coyotes.
“Since acquiring Utah’s NHL team, we have been carefully evaluating possibilities for the permanent identity of the team, while working within the complicated world of trademarks and intellectual property,” president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said in a statement Thursday.
Throughout the first portion of the season, the ownership conducted a fan vote for the name and came up with six finalists: Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti.
As of Friday, Utah is sixth in the Central Division and is 21-19-7.
