Ryan Smith touts Utah’s strength as the NHL’s newest market

LAS VEGAS — Ryan Smith met with media Friday for the first time since Smith Entertainment Group finalized its deal for a new NHL franchise in Utah, and he had an invitation for the national and international reporters in attendance.

“I hope you’re all there opening night in Utah, because we’re going to be sold out this year,” said Smith at The Sphere in Las Vegas prior to the 2024 NHL Draft. “We’ll be in the top 15 in tickets in the entire league in year one with 7,000 seats that aren’t quite set up for hockey. They’ll be watching on the jumbotron and they’ll be happy.”

A little more than an hour later, Ryan and Ashley Smith — owners of the Utah Hockey Club — were at the podium announcing that the team had selected Tij Iginla (No. 6 overall) with the first draft pick in franchise history.

During the media availability, Ryan Smith continued to tout Utah’s strength as the NHL’s newest market, and praised the Las Vegas Golden Knights franchise for its impact on the draft’s host city. (Ashley Smith grew up in Las Vegas.)

“It’s becoming really clear,” Ryan Smith said. “(Utah is) the youngest state in the country. And in my career, you always bet on youth. We’re also the fastest growing, and it has been that way for awhile. If you look at both of those metrics, the NHL’s going to be able to look at that and say, ‘Wow, we made the right move.’

“Watching what the NHL has done here in Las Vegas and how it’s almost plowed the way for two or three other sports franchises, if not more to come, we’re going to have that same impact.”

Among Utah’s other credentials, Smith pointed to the state’s winter sports heritage, its training facilities for Olympic athletes and a likely designation as host of the 2034 Olympics.

“If you zoom out, it all makes sense,” he said.

Smith talked about the challenge of trying to accommodate the demand in ticket sales and shared that 90% of the people who put down deposits for season tickets are not Jazz season ticket holders, and 63% hadn’t been to an event at the Delta Center in the past year.

Smith has said several times that Utah would “show up” for this team. When asked if he was surprised at the level of support he’s seen, Smith was reflective.

“Not surprised,” he said. “When you have a feeling ... I mean, It’s never been done, so you’re not 100 percent sure. But we were pretty sure. I think, watching and tracking the NHL and the movement it’s having .... you know, everyone talks about population size and Utah’s growing super fast, but Utahns like to get out, and they like to go places. They like to do stuff. That’s been incredibly inspiring, and I think that’s helped us be a lot more hopeful that, ‘If we build it, they will come.’ And I think that’s what you’re seeing.”

“I think that Vegas, definitely, given my background here and understanding the demographics here and the people ... this was very, very forthcoming to what we could have.”