SALT LAKE CITY – The 2027 Winter Classic is headed to Rice-Eccles Stadium as the NHL confirmed on Wednesday that the Utah Mammoth will host the marquee outdoor event next year.

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BREAKING: The Utah Mammoth will host the 2027 Winter Classic against the Colorado Avalanche.#TusksUp #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/mbtjmOhd0p

— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 7, 2026

Utah Mammoth to host 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles

The Utah Mammoth will host the 18th NHL Winter Classic at Rice Eccles Stadium, which regularly houses University of Utah Football games amongst other events.

“We couldn’t be more excited, more thrilled,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

“This is great for this franchise. The fan response…the community response has been incredible. We’re delighted to share this event with this great community.”

The Mammoth will welcome the Colorado Avalanche to Salt Lake City for a Central Division matchup.

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The game will feature some of the NHL’s premier talent as Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther face off against Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Gabriel Landeskog.

What is the Winter Classic?

Since 2008, the National Hockey League has hosted a collection of outdoor games headlined by the annual Winter Classic.

Normally hosted on New Year’s Day, two teams are selected to participate in a marquee outdoor hockey game.

In the past, cities such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor, and Seattle have hosted the extraordinary event.

In 2026, the NHL experimented with a different approach as the Florida Panthers hosted the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

In 2014, the NHL also introduced the Stadium Series to add even more annual outdoor games to the league’s schedule.

However, these differ from the Winter Classic as they serve as more of a supporting event to reach additional markets, as opposed to the Winter Classic, which is the primary outdoor game for the calendar year.

The Winter Classic will now return to a true winter setting as Salt Lake City prepares to welcome the prestigious outdoor event next year.

What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?

The Utah Mammoth will begin a seven-game home stand against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. MT.

The game will be available on Mammoth+.

All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).

Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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