Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press
Arizona Coyotes right wing Dylan celebrates a goal against the Edmonton Oilers with Clayton Keller, 9, and Sean Darge, 50, during a game in Tempe, Arizona, April 17, 2024.・Guenther (right).
Utah's new top-level professional hockey team doesn't have a name yet, but fans can take comfort in knowing the team's television status has already been resolved.
The NHL team, formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes, will maintain its existing television contract, league commissioner Gary Bettman said at a news conference welcoming him to Utah last week. That television contract was with Scripps Sports, which already aired Coyotes games on KUPX Channel 16 in Utah unless blocked by other programming.
The Coyotes have signed a four-year deal with Scripps ahead of the 2023-24 season, allowing them to broadcast games as opposed to regional cable networks, which is the norm for professional sports media, The Arizona Republic reports. It became the second NHL team to broadcast. For the past 20 years.
The NHL team playing on Utah 16 will be on terrestrial television to coincide with other major professional sports hosted by Ryan and Ashley Smith through Smith Entertainment Group, the NBA's Utah Jazz, who began broadcasting games on KJZZ 14 this season. This is a TV arrangement.
The same Scripps station in Arizona will continue to broadcast games for the former Coyotes. The change in ownership left Utah's team more like a relocated franchise than an expansion. Utah will inherit existing Coyotes players and their contracts. Arizona hockey fans were excited to see several young players on this season's roster.
Ryan Smith says fans will be involved when it comes to choosing the name.
Smith plans to use his former research firm Qualtrics and design firm Doubleday & Cartwright to shortlist “about eight” names, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Details on how fans can participate in the process will be announced at a fan event at the Delta Center on Wednesday. Starting at 4 p.m., the team will advertise free food and live music for fans to welcome the players and coach Andre Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong to Utah. Both will remain in their positions, the Tribune reported.
Utah's team will not be named the Coyotes. Alex Meruelo retained the rights to the Coyotes brand when he sold the team to Smith. As part of that deal, the NHL promised to provide Meruelo with an expansion team if it could build a much-anticipated new stadium.
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