The Utah Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey expansion team that is based in Salt Lake City. The team began playing during the 2024–25 NHL season. The team was created on April 18, 2024, in a deal that essentially split the existing Arizona Coyotes franchise in half. The NHL Board of Governors granted an expansion franchise in Salt Lake City to Jazz owner Ryan Smith. In lieu of an expansion draft to stock the new team, Smith acquired the hockey assets (players, coaching staff and draft picks) of the Coyotes, which suspended hockey operations at the same time.
