The Utah Hockey Club had to shift its approach in choosing a team name after encountering a significant obstacle.
The team, which moved from Phoenix to Utah ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season, had its trademark application for the name “Utah Yetis” rejected earlier this month by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The rejection stemmed from concerns that the name could cause confusion with the Yeti cooler brand.
Efforts to establish a co-existence agreement with Yeti failed, leaving the team no choice but to abandon the name, as revealed by Mike Maughan, an executive with the team, during a press conference on Wednesday.
“We worked closely with Yeti coolers, and the NHL also facilitated discussions on our behalf,” said Maughan. “Ultimately, their leadership decided against a co-existence agreement. They have a trademark that allows them to block the use of ‘Yeti’ or ‘Yetis.’”
The main issue for the team was the production of branded merchandise.
While the USPTO allows for an appeal within three months of a rejected trademark, the delay would complicate the process of preparing for the brand’s launch. “It’s not just the team name—it’s all the merchandise, clothing, pucks, mini sticks, and everything else. It’s tough to launch a brand without having that stuff ready,” Maughan explained. “Because Yeti coolers chose not to enter into a co-existence agreement, it stalled those plans, so we decided to move away from the Yeti name.”
Now, the organization is turning to fans for help in selecting a new name. The final three options are Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth, and Utah Wasatch. Fans can vote at the team’s next four home games, with voting limited to those attending the games at the Delta Center.
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