"These names are horrible beside Yeti": Hockey fans divided as NHL Utah owner Ryan Smith unveils survey for team's potential name for 2024-25 season

Since Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith acquired NHL Utah, the relocation of the franchise to Salt Lake City has been the talk of the town. Earlier, Smith had announced that the new name of the franchise would be decided by fans and the naming bracket was revealed on Wednesday.

Out of the proposed 20 names, fans can vote for up to four names in the survey. However, the selected name will only be used for branding purposes at the start of NHL Utah's second season. Out of the proposed 20 names, fans can vote for up to four names in the survey. However, the selected name will be used for branding purposes starting from the team’s second season in the new city.

For their first season in Salt Lake, the NHL Utah team will be referred to as simply ‘Utah’, i.e., without a nickname. Their gear will also have 'Utah' without a nickname for the 2024-25 season.

Netizens were quick to react to the long list of names proposed in the survey. Fans were divided among the 20 names and let their opinions known on X.

Following are some of the fan reactions from X/Twitter:

“These names are horrible besides Yeti.”

“Utah Yeti would work considering they would be right near the Avalanche,” quipped one fan.

“Announce the Utah Yeti and let’s get it over with. None of these other ones are anywhere close,” seconded another.

Some fans proposed other names of their liking from the list. The Freeze, Blizzard and Wolves were some of the favorites for NHL Utah other than Yeti.

“Utah Freeze is cool for some reason,” wrote one user.

“I know the Blizzard sounds kind of minor league but if they went with that, the impending rivalry game with the Avalanche could be called “The Snowball Fight,” quipped another fan.

Meanwhile, some fans were not impressed with the name selections and expressed their displeasure in the comments. Some even condemned the lengthy process of name selection.

“Awful. This list was compiled by a bunch of people who name their kids Brixley and Chastity,” wrote one fan.

The voting process will be open until May 22 after which the franchise will start with its creative and branding projects.

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List of the 20 proposed names in the naming bracket for NHL Utah

Since Ryan Smith mentioned that the fans will get to choose the name of NHL Utah on The Pat McAfee show last month, there have been speculations regarding the possible name of the club.

Now that the shortlisted bracket is finally out, here are 20 nicknames fans can choose from:

• Utah Blast
• Utah Powder
• Utah Mammoth
• Utah Mountaineers
• Utah Black Diamonds
• Utah Swarm
• Utah Yeti
• Utah Caribou
• Utah Frost
• Utah Venom
• Utah Squall
• Utah Outlaws
• Utah Hive
• Utah Freeze
• Utah Fury
• Utah HC
• Utah Glaciers
• Utah Canyons
• Utah Blizzard
• Utah Ice

The new team's name selection comes on the heels of last month's announcement that Utah will play its games for the next season in the Delta Center, which they will share with the Jazz.

If all goes according to plan, NHL Utah will debut the new nickname at the beginning of the 2025-26 season.