Utah NHL Team Names Somewhat Narrowed Down, Apparent Temporary Logo Leaked

The NHL's new Utah team won't hit the ice for a few more months, but they will be at the draft later this month despite not having a name yet or logo yet.

However, team owner Ryan Smith revealed two of the four names that are currently in consideration, and a logo believed to be the one the team will use for their inaugural season while their long-term branding is developed has been making the rounds.

Let's start with the names. Smith appeared on The Pat McAfee show this week and revealed that the team's bracket-style naming competition is down to the final four.

While he didn't reveal all four, he did mention two that are still in the running.

"We’ve got our four," Smith said, per Sportsnet. "I think Mammoth is up there. Yeti is up there. I think a couple of other ones are up there. It should be good."

Mammoth and Yeti are both solid names, and I have a theory — tinfoil hats on, kids — that some of the terrible names like "Powder" and "Ice" were in there to allow the more desirable names to advance through the bracket.

So, it's interesting to hear what direction things might be headed on the name front, but on Friday a logo that appears to possibly be a temporary mark for the team started making the rounds.

It's not clear yet if that's the team's official temporary mark or just a place-holder (for the place-holder, ironically) but it may give us a clue about the team's color scheme.

Powder blue, white, and black? Well, if I was creating a team in NHL 24 called the Utah Yeti, that would be the color scheme I'd pick. 

If that's what they're going with, it's a simple scheme that doesn't really mimic any other teams. In fact, the only team that I can think of that routinely uses a blue close to that shade these days is the Winnipeg Jets (who will play in the same division as Utah), but it's an accent color.

Interesting stuff for sure. Hopefully, we'll get some more concrete info ahead of the NHL Draft, which will take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas.