SALT LAKE CITY — The owners of the NBA's Utah Jazz have requested the NHL initiate an expansion process to bring a franchise to Utah.
Smith Entertainment Group, which also owns Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, says it can accomodate an NHL franchise immediately, with Salt Lake City's Delta Center serving as an interim home arena.
"SEG envisions a near future where the NHL will thrive in Utah, and we are 100 per cent focused on making this happen as soon as possible,” Ryan Smith, chairman of SEG and governor of the Utah Jazz, said in a statement.
“We are ready to welcome the NHL and are confident that the time and attention being spent by all parties will bring one of the most exciting and dynamic leagues in the world to our community on a permanent basis.”
SEG says Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have been in discussions with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman since early 2022 about the prospects of bringing a team to Utah.
The NHL called Utah a promising market and said it looked forward to continuing discussions in a statement released after SEG's formal request.
"The NHL appreciates the interest expressed by Smith Entertainment Group to bring NHL hockey to Utah," the statement read. "During conversations over the course of the past two years, we have been impressed by Ryan and Ashley Smith's commitment to their community and their passion and vision for Utah, not only as a hockey market, but as a preeminent sports and entertainment destination."
NHL expansion must be approved by the league's Board of Governors. The Seattle Kraken is the most recent team to join the league by expansion after being approved in 2018 and starting play in 2021-22.
If approved, SEG says the hockey team would either play at Delta Center — also home of the Jazz — on a temporary basis or begin play in the next several years upon completion of a new arena.
Delta Center has hosted five NHL exhibition games since 2018.
But Ryan Smith says Salt Lake City will eventually need a new arena.
“While Delta Center is ready to serve as an interim solution for an NHL team, Utah will need a new arena designed for professional and Olympic hockey,” Smith said in a statement.
The International Olympic Committee entered exclusive talks with American officials in November about hosting the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The city also hosted the Games in 2002.
Utah has never had an NHL franchise.
The Utah Grizzlies are the ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. The state has also been home to professional teams in the International Hockey League.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.
The Canadian Press
