Ryan Smith Envisions Mammoth, Jazz Branding Unique To Utah
May 8, 2025, 8:31 PM | Updated: 8:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY—Amid a ground-up rebuild for the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz, Governor Ryan Smith is confident that both teams will represent Utah, from top to bottom, in future years.
A day after rebranding the Utah Hockey Club as the Utah Mammoth, Smith joined Hans and Scotty G. on KSL Sports Zone to discuss his vision for both franchises.
The enthusiasm for Mammoth was overwhelming when fans voted for what they wanted to name the NHL franchise heading into its second season.
“When we got down to three, our fans made it super easy for us,” Mammoth owner Ryan Smith said of the club’s ultimate name choice.
RELATED: Utah Hockey Club To Become Utah Mammoth
BREAKING: The Utah Hockey Club will officially become the Utah Mammoth after a 13 month naming process 🦣#TusksUphttps://t.co/NGQtxi2VoG
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) May 7, 2025
An 11-day stretch of NHL and NBA games in early February gave Smith and his team the ideal opportunity to get the public’s opinion. Nearly one million votes later, and hockey fans in Utah had spoken.
“I’m super proud of our group,” Smith beamed. “To go where the fans wanted to go.”
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Nestled between the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west, Salt Lake City offers uncommon access to outdoor activities that many other pro cities lack. Smith and the Jazz will be leaning into that landscape for years to come.
Decades of purple, green, and gold Mardi Gras style colorways, dating back to the franchise’s inception in New Orleans, gave way to a short-lived mountain theme in the Stockton to Malone heyday of the late 90s.
The purple and white mountain ensemble lasted eight seasons before giving way to a mishmash of half-hearted rebrands that never truly stoked the fanbase’s fire.
The situation hit rock bottom in the 2022-23 season when highlighter yellow displaced any semblance of an identity, while simultaneously proclaiming ‘Purple is Back’.
The @utahjazz note is purple once again ahead of Friday’s jersey reveal.
🟣⚪️🏔#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/OR9tTqALLT
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 16, 2022
Four seasons later, the Jazz will introduce a modern, white, mountain-themed jersey that eliminates the highlighter yellow once and for all.
Now this is what I'm tallking about… Check out the new uniforms for the Utah Jazz!
Story to come… pic.twitter.com/IjXjvdXepJ
— SportsLogos.Net (@sportslogosnet) June 5, 2024
“Getting all of our jerseys to a uniform color, uniform design where the mountain is a connector that we can authentically own,” Smith said. “We own that mountain, and incorporating that here is pretty cool.”
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With skiing, hiking, and everything else that mountain life entails in our backyard, Smith envisions a team that embraces Utah’s unique qualities for the long haul.
“We’d just love to keep the branding the way it is all the way,” Smith said with a chuckle.
Will Hardy extension gives Jazz franchise added stability
Hardy, 37, joined the Jazz in 2022 immediately before the team blew up the roster, trading away Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, and Bojan Bogdanovic, just two seasons after finishing with the best record in the NBA.
Hardy has a record of 85-161 in three seasons at the helm of the Jazz, though his record reflects a franchise stockpiling assets rather than underachieving.
We are excited to extend Will Hardy’s contract as head coach of the Jazz through 2031. Will is a great leader, communicator, and ambassador for our org, and is a tremendous partner to Danny, JZ, and me. Our goal is to hang a banner, and Will is a huge part of this journey. pic.twitter.com/DbIenZzse1
— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) May 5, 2025
“I feel like Will has been such an incredible partner and Ambassador, and a heck of a basketball coach,” Smith said as he praised Hardy. “We like Will more today than we did when we hired him. He’s a gamer and he’s all in.
RELATED: Will Hardy Signs Contract Extension Through 2031
Hardy’s primary focus as he begins his head coaching career has been developing players, communicating with veterans, and absorbing losses necessary for draft positioning.
Despite the losses piling up, Smith sees a bright future in the Will Hardy era.
“It’s probably hard for the fans when they don’t see things from the outside,” Smith reassured the fanbase before giving Hardy his vote of confidence.
“We’re going to win with Will, and we’re going to win in Utah,” Smith stated. “I want him to be able to see the work pay off as we start pulling out of a rebuild.”
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12 p.m. with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. Listen to Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Find sports.ksl.com coverage of the Utah Hockey Club here. Find sports.ksl.com coverage of the Utah Jazz here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
