Wasatch is out and Outlaws is in as a potential nickname for the Utah Hockey Club.
The team, midway through its first season in Salt Lake City after relocating from Arizona, is searching for a permanent moniker.
On Wednesday, the team announced it would poll in-person fans at upcoming home games, giving them three choices: Utah Mammoth, Utah Wasatch or the existing Utah Hockey Club.
Wasatch is a reference to the area’s Wasatch Mountains. The team said the name was “designed to honor the idea of a mythical snow creature,” according to USA Today.
However, after voting results at the team’s Tuesday game, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the club posted Wednesday on X, “Hey Utah hockey fans! We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night’s survey. For the team name, it’s clear that Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we’re swapping it out.”
The voting will continue at home games on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday.
The original list of six candidates included Outlaws but not Wasatch. The reported leading candidate prior to the poll was Yeti, but the hockey club couldn’t get the necessary licensing approvals as a cooler company goes by that name.
Heading into their Friday contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Utah Hockey Club are 21-21-8, in fifth place in the Central Division and seven points out of a Western Conference playoff position.
–Field Level Media
