‘I’m fired up’: Utah Hockey Club fans excited to be part of history at the franchise’s first NHL draft party

Back in 2010, Dylan and Ryan Carty began playing the EA Sports NHL video game and “fell in love” with hockey.

Friday night in Salt Lake City, the brothers were among the hundreds of fans at the Delta Center for the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural NHL draft party, celebrating both the team’s newest young players along with having a local franchise in the first place.

“It’s the first (draft) here, so we knew we had to be here,” Dylan Carty said. “It’s phenomenal to be here.”

The free event included on-ice photo opportunities, player autographs, in-arena entertainment and a number of other activities. Additionally, the night marked the first chance to purchase the team’s new rock black, salt white and mountain blue apparel, which many fans immediately donned upon acquiring to pepper the lower bowl seats with Utah’s colors as ESPN’s draft coverage was broadcast on the video board.

“I wanted to get the first merch. I didn’t want to wait for it to be shipped to me,” Ryan Carty said. “I want to support the team any way I can. I want to show the organization that they have a good support base and that we’re ready to go.”

The Carty brothers had been fans of other NHL clubs — with Ryan actually having been an Arizona Coyotes fan — but have since pledged their allegiance to Utah, even going in on season tickets with a group of friends and planning to attend around 15 games this season.

California natives Hannah Hickman and Zach Tripp both came to Utah for college, casually getting into hockey over the past year even before there was any sort of buzz about bringing the Coyotes to Salt Lake City.

“It was really good timing,” Hickman said.

Despite being transplants to the area, Hickman and Tripp have taken pride in becoming immediate Utah Hockey Club supporters, especially for helping establish a tradition and culture within the fan base.

“We’re fans from Day One, from as soon as the team was announced,” Tripp said. “(Witnessing history) was a big piece to us even coming here today. This is the first draft, the first ever pick for a brand new franchise. How often does that happen anywhere across the country or world? It’s so cool to be part of this and feel like the entire city, state and everybody in the community is just taking it in together right away.”

Added Hickman: “It’s been truly incredible. It’s been such a great thing to see and be part of. We’ve shown what it will be like in how we’ve embraced this team with open arms, and I think it’ll only be up from here ... it’s really been cool to have been part of this from the beginning. We’ve talked about it a lot — that’s why we go out to all the events, we really want to show our support for the team.”

Joe DuPaix, a Salt Lake native currently serving as the head football coach at Southern Virginia University, was in town to visit family and ended up attending Friday’s festivities.

While not necessarily a big hockey fan, DuPaix sees Utah getting an NHL club as “one of the coolest things ever” and couldn’t resist heading over to the Delta Center.

“When you look at the whole country, Utah should have a hockey team,” DuPaix said. “With the mountains and the snow here, it just makes too much sense. I’m fired up that Ryan (Smith) brought us the mighty Utah Hockey Club.

“Utah is going to have one of the loudest arenas in the league, I expect that.”

While Utah has yet to play on its home ice, the growing buzz for the new team was more than evident Friday at the Delta Center. Now, with the Club’s pair of first round draft selections — Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin — the hometown hope will continue to swell.

“I feel like when they get here and they have this support, they’ll be a few pieces away from a playoff run. It’s possible,” Ryan Carty said. “They’ve got a pretty good base. They need defenders pretty desperately ... but they’re gonna get a lift. How could you not get a lift from a new organization, new arena and new everything here?”