Utah Hockey Club's Clayton Keller Accidentally Leaks Team Name

As anticipation builds for Utah’s new NHL team, currently using the placeholder "Hockey Club" as the franchise's nickname, a potential spoiler has come from the most unlike of all possible sources.

Clayton Keller, star forward for the Utah HC, hinted at what could be the team’s official name during an interview with NHL.com, potentially revealing the name “Yeti” before the organization planned to make it public.

“It sounds like it’s going to be the 'Yeti,' but I don’t know," Keller said on September 11, via Cole Bagley . "We’ll see what happens. Whatever they choose, I think it’ll be a good one."

Utah’s new franchise, owned by Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group, has yet to formally announce the team name and logo, with plans to wait until the 2025–26 season for the big reveal. For now, only the one-off uniforms have been released.

Fans have been involved in choosing the name, voting on a list of options including Venom, Outlaws, and Yeti. However, Keller’s comments seem to suggest that “Yeti” could be the front-runner.

While nothing has been confirmed by the franchise nor the NHL, Keller possibly leaked a detail the organization was hoping to keep under wraps for a while longer.

Even if it can be considered a huge spoiler, this unintentional leak has only added to the excitement surrounding Utah’s first NHL season, which begins next month after the Arizona Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City.

Keller, who is considered one of the best players in the organization, could be gearing up for a true breakout season, not only personally but team-wise following, more than any other move, the addition of young star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.

At 26, Keller already boasts 418 career points in 520 regular-season games, though he has only appeared in nine playoff contests to date.

Related: Report: NHL Prepared to Move Coyotes to Salt Lake City