The Utah Hockey Club’s new practice facility remains under construction at The Shops at South Town in Sandy on Monday, April 7, 2025 (Isaac Hale, Deseret News).
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Stepping into their second season in the NHL, the club formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes has witnessed a complete rebirth in Salt Lake City.
Now known as the Utah Mammoth, Owner Ryan Smith has spared no expense on his new team, which includes a world class practice facility that is quickly becoming the talk of the league.
Inside the #UtahHC new practice facility in Sandy.
The facility is set to open on September 1, 2025 for the team. Community spaces are expected to be ready by the end of 2025.
Both rinks, 8 locker rooms, equipment rentals, & a pro shop will be available to the public. pic.twitter.com/OFzkfrMWUK
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 7, 2025
While Utah has quickly become a point of conversation around the league as fans continue to realize that Salt Lake City was destined to become a hockey town, even NHL superstars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Steven Stamkos have taken notice of what the Mammoth are building.
“It is the talk around the league right now,” Utah Mammoth forward Michael Carcone said in a recent interview.
“At our gym in particular, you can see the Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Steven Stamkos talking about the new facilities. They’ve heard about it. They’re excited for it and they’re not even part of the organization.”
A comment that only reaffirms what Stamkos told KSL Sports towards of the end of the season where he recognized the organization’s desire to provide the team with whatever tools they need in order to succeed.
“Ownership is fantastic. I think everyone knows that. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to give the guys the best chance to succeed,” Stamkos said.
Steve Stamkos shares what he’s heard about #UtahHC
“Ownership is fantastic. I think everyone knows that. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to give the guys the best chance to succeed.”
Players are definitely talking about Utah. pic.twitter.com/Nq5DEtkIsL
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 10, 2025
First off, a practice facility is where every NHL player spends the majority of their time.
It’s not the arena, but rather the countless hours they spend training, recovering, and maintaining their bodies to play at the highest level.
This means that the condition of the practice facility is often seen as a reflection of how much management cares about their players.
So, to immediately have a world class facility within their second year of existence sends a message to the rest of the league about how Ryan Smith prioritizes the player’s needs.
“All the weight rooms, the facilities, it’s just such a nice place to come in every morning and know you’ve got the latest, state of the art practice facility at your fingertips,” General Manager Bill Armstrong said.
“With a full kitchen for the players, skills rooms, incredible weight rooms, pools, you name it, recovery rooms. You have it all and that makes us an elite organization.”
Now, it’s important to note that not every organization has the latest and greatest facilities at their disposal.
For example, the Vancouver Canucks don’t even have a practice facility of their own which played a role in the recent departure of head coach Rick Tocchet.
“I thought I would have been in VAN long term, you wonder why I wanted a 5-year deal, you need security,” Tocchet said.
“I would be lying to you if practice facility wasn’t a reason.”
Clearly, pristine practice facilities are critical in the NHL.
In addition to helping skaters stay at the top of their game, they can also play a pivotal role in both maintaining and attracting top-tier talent.
So far, so good and that’s before the facility has even reached completion in terms of construction.
“It’s going to be unbelievable. Top three, top five in the league for sure in terms of having everything that we need,” Clayton Keller said.
Clayton Keller on the new practice facility:
“It’s going to be unbelievable. Top three, top five in the league for sure in terms of having everything that we need.”
“Awesome for the community to watch practice. It’s going to be great to have that connection.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/BISOl6KAqQ
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 7, 2025
Despite being the youngest franchise in the league, the Mammoth are setting a standard for how to operate as an organization and have obviously captured everyone’s attention in just a short time.
