The Utah Hockey Club, the NHL’s newest team, unveiled a fan vote for their permanent name, which will be the team’s name starting next year. The Utah Yeti was suspected to be the front-runner, however, due to a trademark dispute with YETI Coolers the name had to be dropped. The team was then forced to go a different direction and decided to throw three new names into the running, Utah Hockey Club, Utah Wasatch, and Utah Mammoth. After an outcry from fans, Wasatch was replaced by Outlaws, as Wasatch was deemed extremely unpopular. With that change, how does each name stack up against each other?

3. Utah Hockey Club

Objectively speaking this is the worst name, but it would also be hilarious if this became the permanent name. There’s not much to say about this name, it’s boring, it’s lame, and ultimately it would be embarrassing if the team stuck with this for the foreseeable future. Having the name Hockey Club just for this season was fine, the league didn’t even know they were playing in Utah until late in the 23-24 season. Not rushing a team name was a great move, but now it’s time to pick a name. We don’t want this to be a Washington Football Team situation.

2. Utah Mammoth

In one word this choice is boring. There’s nothing wrong with it, and there are a lot of fun ideas you can come up with. Also, there’s already a professional sports team named Mammoth, a relatively close by in the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth. Now I understand that there’s name crossover in sports all the time, I mean even in the NHL with the Kings. I think it would be best to avoid taking another sports team’s name.

1. Utah Outlaws

I’m a little bit biased on this but ever since Vegas was picking their name I have wanted an NHL team named Outlaws. Outlaws is such a fun name, there’s so much you can do with the name. The marketing possibilities, the logo possibilities, my mind just runs wild with ideas of what an Outlaws team could look like. Outlaws also connect with Utah, I mean when I think of Utah, the Wild West is one of the first things that comes to my mind. The name Outlaws just checks all of the boxes for a good NHL name.

Overall the only bad name is Hockey Club, and I don’t think there’s any chance that name wins. If Mammoth wins, it’ll be a fine name. The name fits in enough with the rest of the league, and it’s generic enough to not bother anyone. If Outlaws wins the NHL will continue a streak of great expansion team names, which Utah is technically an expansion team. Outlaws fits into the NHL name landscape, and it’s super fun. Outlaws are clearly the best option.