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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Hockey Club president Chris Armstrong knew the news wouldn't be welcomed.
"I'm not in a position to give you much of an update today on the naming of the team," he said during his end-of-season media availability. "I know that's a topic of great interest. If you want to leave … "
A few reporters played along, acting as if they were about to get up, but there was at least a minor update from Armstrong.
"We're definitely in the home stretch and on track to announce that in the coming months here, but not much more I can say about it today," he said.
So, the secrecy continues — at least for now. It's long been speculated that the official name would drop around the NHL draft on June 27, which fits Armstrong's "coming months" timeline.
But where is the team in the process?
The team has filed for trademark application extensions for the three name finalists — Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth, and Utah Outlaws — and an important date is approaching.
May 5 is the response deadline for both the Utah Hockey Club and Utah Mammoth trademark applications, and those responses — or lack thereof — could potentially show where the team is going.
However, the team has also extended the applications for Utah Yetis, Utah Mountaineers, Utah Caribou, and plenty more that appeared in the original vote, so it seems the organization is trying to keep the name from being revealed through the trademark office. Or maybe it just wants to keep options open.
But what do the players want? If they have opinions on the matter, they're keeping them close to the chest.
"I mean, I'm good with whatever, as long as we win," defenseman Sean Durzi said. "It'll be nice. Everybody's got so distracted with the push down the stretch here that you almost lose sight of all that stuff. But I guess now we're sitting here, we could talk about it. That'll be fun."
His teammates were similarly coy.
"I've had a couple of votes, yeah," forward Kevin Stenlund answered when asked if he had voted. "I snuck them in."
Forward Jack McBain said he'd be "happy whatever it is," and forward Barrett Hayton said it's been fun for the fan base to have the voting.
Only forward Logan Cooley offered a little bit about what he prefers.
"I mean, they all sound great," Cooley said. "Honestly, I like the Utah Hockey Club, too. But I'm sure it's going to be great, and I'm sure the fans will love it."
The naming of the team — and all the branding that will come with it — is just one part of what will be a busy summer for the Hockey Club business side. The team will finish construction on its new practice facility in Sandy, and the Delta Center renovations began this week.
"The work has already begun for this offseason, and it will continue right through to our first home preseason game," Armstrong said of the extensive renovation project
So, what's the plan? Armstrong said a more detailed update is on the way, but for now, we know that the renovation will span the next three offseasons. The focus this summer will be on refurbishing the lower bowl of the arena.
Utah Hockey Club season-ticket holders got some hints of what things will look like via a renewal email sent out earlier this month. The email contained a map of the layout of the Delta Center for next season.
It includes full seating behind each goal, which was limited to either single-goal or club-only seats during the inaugural season. It also shows modifications to other sections to help with sightlines and to fix the awkward fit of the rink within the bowl.
"There's a lot of work to be done over the next several summers to optimize the building for hockey, to address all of the partial view seating that we have in the building, and I am absolutely confident with the plan," Armstrong said. "When it's all said and done, we'll have one of the best buildings, not only for basketball, but also for hockey in the world."
