Is Utah ready for an NHL team? Kings-Knights exhibition revealed some answers

Estimated reading time: 5-6 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — In what is becoming an annual tradition, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings hosted the Las Vegas Knights in an exhibition game on Thursday at Vivint Arena.

It was the fourth time since 2018 that the Kings have held a preseason game in Salt Lake City. Yet, this one felt more significant.

In years past, the game was a chance for Utah hockey fans to get a glimpse of some of the best players in the world. This year’s Frozen Fury, however, served as a dress rehearsal of sorts for a potential team.

In August, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith announced that Arctos Sports Partners, a sports-focused private-equity firm, had bought a minority share of the Smith Entertainment Group with the goal of bringing another sports franchise to Utah.

Could that be the NHL?

With that as the backdrop, we attended the Knights’ 6-4 win over the Kings in the Frozen Fury with a bit of a different lens: Was there enough fan support for an NHL team in Utah? And is Vivint Arena a suitable stadium?

Here’s what we saw.

Fan support

It was a collage of colors in the arena on Thursday. There were plenty of Knights and Kings jerseys in the nearly 10,000-person crowd, but it proved to be a fun spotting game to see how many different franchises were being represented.

Here’s the list of sweaters we saw from just our seats on press row: Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Seattle Kraken.

But even with allegiances already in place, fans said they’d be more than happy to trade in their sweaters for a Utah one.

“I’ve cheered for the Bruins since I can remember,” said a fan in a Boston jersey. “I wouldn’t have a second thought changing teams if we got an NHL squad here.”

That was the overwhelming sentiment, too — at least from the fans from Utah.

While Thursday’s game wasn’t a sell out — there were still standard tickets available to be purchased online well after the puck had dropped — it was well attended. The non-suite capacity was 8,791 for the hockey configured arena, and official attendance was 9,689. So it appears there’s a solid fan base to start with — and an energetic one, too.

The arena was lively for much of the contest, even with many fans clearly not having a true rooting interest.

Utah is a winter sports haven. World-class skiing and snowboarding events are held along the Wasatch Front, and the Utah Olympic Oval is home to the US speedskating team. An NHL team feels like it would fit right into that proud culture.

The Arena

Early in the first period, a puck was sent into the corner and members of both teams gave chase; it sounded like there was a collision at the glass. That was followed by the sound of sticks hitting each other and then some ice scrapes.

What happened? I’m not sure; I couldn’t see.

This isn’t some grand secret, but Vivint Arena wasn’t built for hockey. And here’s another non-secret: It’s a pretty bad hockey arena.

The hockey configuration eliminates large portions of the lower bowl in order to fit in the ice rink. It’s far from visually appealing, and it shrinks the capacity to well under regular NHL standards.

On top of that, the sight lines are bad, with many seats having at least a part of the rink blocked from view.

Oh, and the lighting is an issue, too, when the arena is set up for hockey. The corners were visibly darker than the rest of the rink — this was especially prevalent on the TV broadcast — and the ice, as a whole, could have been helped by more lighting.

While most NBA and NHL teams share a home, it’s clear Vivint Arena would have to undergo major renovations to host a hockey team regularly, which means there’s not a ready-made home for a potential team yet.

Is an NHL team even available?

The fan base and arena are moot points if a team isn’t available. So is there an available franchise?

In 2018, following the announcement of the Seattle Kraken as the league’s 32nd team, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there were no plans to expand for the foreseeable future.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly walked that back a bit later in the year, stating: “Not sure there is any magic about 32. Expansion is appropriate when a convincing case can be made that it will be beneficial and add value to the league as a whole.” “

Could Utah, with its growing population and high-ranking business ratings, make such a case? Maybe.

If the NHL doesn’t have any plans to expand, that leaves the possibility of an existing team moving to the Salt Lake Valley.

In May, the Arizona Coyotes signed a three-year deal to play in a 5,000-seat arena at Arizona State University as it looks for a permanent home. Bettman recently said the league is committed to the Phoenix market, and things are moving forward for a proposed arena and entertainment district in Tempe.

If that can’t be completed, though, a team that is often rumored to be up for sale may just be looking for a new home.

And Utah isn’t too far away.

The Frozen Fury showed there would be fans waiting if that did happen, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

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