The Arizona Coyotes have been a part of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1996, and their nickname has become an iconic symbol for hockey fans in the state. However, in 2024, the Coyotes' assets were sold to an ownership group that established the Utah Hockey Club, a new NHL franchise based in Salt Lake City.
From Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix Coyotes
The franchise was originally based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and began play in 1972 as the Jets. In its inaugural season, the team made headlines before it played a single game, when it signed superstar Bobby Hull away from the NHL’s Chicago Black Hawks. With Hull, the Jets proved to be one of the WHA’s best teams, appearing in the Avco Cup (league championship) finals in five of the seven WHA seasons and winning three titles (1976, 1978, and 1979).
As player salaries and other expenses continued to grow through the 1980s and ’90s, the small-market Jets struggled financially, and it was announced in 1995 that the team would be sold to a group of Phoenix-area investors; the NHL formally approved the sale in January 1996. The franchise relocated to Arizona before the 1996-97 season and became the Phoenix Coyotes.
Led by the play of Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Shane Doan, and Teppo Numminen, the renamed Coyotes qualified for the postseason in each of their first four seasons in Phoenix, losing in the first round on each occasion. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky became a minority owner of the team in 2000 and became the Coyotes’ head coach in 2005.
Despite this turmoil, the Coyotes won 50 games during the 2009-10 season (the team’s highest win total since joining the NHL 30 years earlier) to end a six-year playoff drought. In 2011-12 the Coyotes won their first division title in franchise history. The team followed that feat by beating the Blackhawks in a thrilling first-round playoff series, in which five of the six games were decided in overtime to claim the franchise’s first postseason series victory since its relocation from Winnipeg.
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To reflect the fact that it was based outside Phoenix, in Glendale, and in an effort to further appeal to hockey fans across the state, the franchise changed its name to the Arizona Coyotes in 2014.
Between the 2015-16 and 2023-24 seasons, the Coyotes made it to the playoffs only once, in 2020, when the team lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
The Coyotes' best playoff showing in franchise history, including their time in the NHL as the Winnipeg Jets 1.0, was their run to the Western Conference Final in 2012.
Arizona Coyotes Logo
The Move to Utah and a New Beginning
Though the franchise developed a dedicated, if small, fan base, its failed efforts to establish a permanent home arena in Arizona meant that, beginning in 2022, the Coyotes played in Tempe at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena.
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As a multiyear agreement with the university was approaching its end, in April 2024 the NHL brokered a deal that involved the sale of the franchise’s “hockey assets” to an ownership group in Utah, while classing the Coyotes as an “inactive” franchise still under the control of its Arizona-based owner, Alex Meruelo.
Several months later Meruelo relinquished his rights to the Coyotes name and history to the NHL. The Utah Hockey Club began play in the 2024-25 season.
Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the new home of Utah Hockey Club
Utah Hockey Club: Early Performance
Because the Utah Hockey Club is officially a brand-new organization, its stats are recorded separately from the franchise numbers of the Arizona Coyotes. The side-by-side data presents an interesting contrast.
Amid all the turmoil and talk of possible relocation in the second half of last season, the Coyotes collected 37 points in their last 47 games to finish 21 points out of a playoff spot.
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By December 31, 2024, Utah had already passed that, with 38 points in 37 games under its new identity. Now, after adding three of a possible four points to kick off 2025, the first-year franchise is sitting three points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot as of Sunday morning.
the entire history of the arizona coyotes, i guess
This year, Touringy is technically in his first season with a brand-new franchise. But he's still guiding many of the same players, and they might just reach new heights in their new rock black, salt white and mountain blue uniforms.
A Better Defense
In terms of on-ice performance, the biggest difference in Utah has been in goals against. Mountain living clearly agrees with Karel Vejmelka, who has helped his team drop from 3.72 goals allowed per game in Arizona during 2024 down to 2.97 so far this year.
Blue-line upgrades have also helped, and there's potential for more improvement when two key defensemen return from long-term injuries.
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev has been a horse since he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning during draft weekend. His 25:51 per game, in all situations, trails only Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets in average ice time (26:27).
New acquisition John Marino was given a timeline of 3-4 months after undergoing back surgery in late October and Sean Durzi was looking at 4-6 months to recover from shoulder surgery. One or both could get back in the lineup in time to help with a playoff push.
Scoring Issues
Offensively, Utah averaged 2.86 goals per game in 2024. That’s down from the 3.11 goals that Arizona was scoring in its final 47 games. Clayton Keller continues to be a model of consistency at a team-leading point-per-game pace.
But, even though top prospects Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are progressing nicely, Utah could benefit from more offense from the rest of the lineup. The fourth and fifth goals of the year from Matias Maccelli against Dallas on Saturday were a good sign after he chipped in 17 last season.
Cap Space and Trade Deadline
Could Utah be buyers if they’re still in the playoff hunt leading up to the March 7 trade deadline? That would be a massive shift from the team's years in the desert, when Bill Armstrong's M.O. was to acquire roster players on short-term contracts, then flip them to build draft capital.
According to PuckPedia, Utah’s cap commitment this season is at about $82.7 million. That's just over $5 million away from the cap ceiling of $88 million and will leave the team with room to maneuver if it does want to add.
Utah is still carrying Shea Weber’s cap hit at $7.8 million through 2025-26. But, the big contracts of Jakub Voracek ($8.25 million) and Bryan Little ($5.29 million), who were on long-term injured reserve, both came off the books last summer.
After adding 11 picks in 2024 to Arizona's 12 in 2023 and 10 in 2022, Utah has a plethora of prospects to dangle in deadline deals, on top of surplus second and third-rounders for the 2026 draft.
For the last few years, the Coyotes made trade-deadline moves as sellers. Don't be surprised if Utah flips the script and turns out to be buyers.
Key Stats and Figures
The following table summarizes some key performance indicators for the Arizona Coyotes and the new Utah Hockey Club:
| Statistic | Arizona Coyotes (Final 47 Games) | Utah Hockey Club (First 37 Games) |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 37 | 38 |
| Goals Per Game | 3.11 | 2.86 |
| Goals Against Per Game | 3.72 | 2.97 |