The vibes are good in Utah in the city’s first NHL season

After years of being arguably the least-cared-about franchise in the NHL, when known as the Arizona Coyotes, the Utah Hockey Club is turning things around thanks to a solid start to its inaugural season.

Though we have yet to hit American Thanksgiving, Utah was quietly hanging around the Wild Card picture in the Western Conference, similar to what we saw from the Coyotes last season. However, the difference in 2024-25 is that the support for the team by the community is noticeable.

Currently, after dropping three straight games, Utah (7-9-3) is sixth in the Central Divison, five points back of the last Wild Card spot. However, wins and losses will not measure the success of this team in year one. Support from Salt Lake City has been great. From selling out their home opener to consistently reaching capacity for unobstructed seating (11,131) almost every game, the fans are turning out for the newest ticket in town.

The team also set a single-day regular season jersey sales record earlier this week, with fans reportedly lining up around the block in the wee hours of the morning to get a hand on their team’s uniform.

On Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, KSL Sports digital insider Cole Bagley joined Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk to discuss the vibes around Utah HC.

Cole Bagley: Born and raised in Salt Lake City, first being exposed to hockey in the 2002 Winter Olympics. For me, this is a dream. I never thought the NHL would call Utah home, but it’s proving again and again that it clearly belongs. The home opener was an incredible experience. They put the jerseys on sale and people were lining up at 4 a.m., so we got some dedicated hockey fans in Salt Lake City. It’s definitely been an incredible experience so far.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…