The Yeti? Eagles? Olympians? Here are our favorite potential names for Utah's NHL team

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is on the verge of landing a NHL team.

Things are in motion for the Arizona Coyotes to be sold to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and relocated to Salt Lake City. The deal isn't done yet, but things seem to be getting pretty close. The Coyote players were reportedly informed that a move is likely, and Smith has already asked fans for team name suggestions.

So we figured we'd give him some of our own.

The potential agreement will reportedly keep the Coyotes name in Arizona to be revived as an expansion club in the future. So what should the new team name be?

After some brainstorming, looking at some fan mock-ups, and playing around with an AI image generator (which really struggles to spell), here are our staff's favorites:

Josh Furlong: Yeti

A mascot can mean different things to different people. The mascot should be intimidating, representing the team's — competitiveness? passion? fear? But anybody who's been to a game realizes that kids love mascots, so they're supposed to be cuddly and inviting. How do you make that possible?

Enter the Yeti!

Yes, it's fearsome, but it could have some cuddly ways, too — hello, Abominable Snowman on "Monster's Inc." And if you think that's crazy talk, what's more terrifying and yet inviting to people all over the world than the ever-popular Matterhorn ride at Disneyland? And who loves Disneyland maybe more than anyone? Utahns.

Is this the connection I was going for? No, but it all makes sense somewhere if you think hard enough about it. Plus, it's a great mascot for a winter sport, so it's a win-win in my book.

But more importantly, the name needs to be short for the fans to cheer on during a game — "Let's go, YE-TI."

It just works!

"Abominable! Can you believe that? Do I look abominable to you? Why can't they call me the Adorable Snowman or ... or the Agreeable Snowman, for cryin' out loud? I'm a nice guy."

Carter Williams: Olympians

Coyotes would be a natural fit in Utah, but if that name is off the table in the deal — something that could help Alex Meruelo bring the team back as an expansion franchise — then Olympians could be the next best fit.

Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is on track to host another Winter Games in 2034. There's talk that the International Olympic Committee could create a rotating list of winter hosts in the future, which would likely include Salt Lake City.

But what is an Olympian? The term originates from Mount Olympus in Greece and has ties to Greek mythology. With SB272 in place, Utah's hockey team would likely play in downtown Salt Lake City, where Utah's Mount Olympus is arguably the most noticeable mountain feature in the distance.

It seems the perfect backdrop for whatever the primary logo would be — and there would be plenty of options to choose from there.

Sean Walker: Blizzard

The Greatest Snow on Earth deserves to be front and center in the NHL's most natural regional rival to the Colorado Avalanche.

Blizzard derives from one of the state's most iconic geographic formations — the snow-capped mountains of the Wasatch Front, where the team will play its home games. The marketing campaign also writes itself, with a corporate sponsorship with Dairy Queen all but guaranteed.

The human-sized mascot for the Blizzard could be a lion (or a mountain lion) who sits atop the mountain range, a nod to one of Smith's other teams, Real Salt Lake, and its mascot Leo.

Plus, the Blizzard's shorthand "Blizz" is keeping with Utah's historic tradition of nicknames that end in -zz," from Jazz, Starzz, and Grizzlies to Freezz, Blitzz and Buzz.

Caleb Turner: Trout

The state fish of Utah is the Bonneville cutthroat trout, replacing the previous state fish of rainbow trout, meaning trout have long been tied to the state's identity.

Trout can be found ice fishing in the mountain reservoirs of the Wasatch mountains in the winter, creating a natural connection to ice hockey and a unique representation of a state known for its natural wonder and wildlife. Let's just hope fans don't throw dead fish on the ice when the team scores a goal.

Alex Tumalip: Stonecutters

This literally just popped into my head, but it makes so much sense. The Salt Lake Temple is a well-known icon worldwide. Why not pay homage to those who quite literally labored with their hands to build it?

It also will create the image of a gritty, blue-collar, physical team — something current Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella would be proud of — symbolic of the hard-working citizens of Utah.

(Editor's note: Plus, there's a built-in anthem.)

Ryan Miller: Eagles or Bears

This won't be the first pro hockey team to call the state its home, so why not pay homage to one of the previous squads?

The Golden Eagles were beloved and sometimes even outdrew the Jazz in the early 1980s. And Utah has one of the largest populations of the golden eagle with a winter count pushing 6,000.

Now, it would be silly to add a second "golden" team to the league in such a short time, but why not just the Eagles? The famed logo didn't have the word golden in it anyway. The green and gold branding could be easily kept — just with an updated version, like the one this fan put together — which would mean fans wouldn't have to worry about another yellow-and-black fiasco.

But what about the Grizzlies? Honestly, I don't think it would be the worst idea if Smith's group just purchased all those trademarks and made the Grizzlies the NHL squad. Since that doesn't seem likely — or maybe even possible — I think the Bears (or Black Bears, if you want to keep things locally accurate), would do well in its place.

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