The arrival of Utah Hockey Club has given a boost to youth hockey programs in the state — both in terms of enthusiasm for the sport, and support from the NHL.

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Ian Cole (28) warms up with the team before the start of their game agains the New York Rangers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

The NHL unveiled its quarter-century teams this past week, and Utah HC’s selections were as fresh as it gets. Since the franchise has been in the league for less than a year, the names on these lists are all recent additions.

And then there were three. But how did we get here? The naming of Utah’s hockey franchise — currently known as Utah Hockey Club — has become a dramatic, lengthy process because of copyright issues in seemingly every direction.

Played with a purpose, checked well, especially in first period; penalty kill did its job; new (old) top line comes through in clutch

Fans are voting between Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws for the final name of Salt Lake City's NHL team. Here's what they're saying.