(Salt Lake City) Defenseman Sean Durzi got a glimpse of what the NHL will be like in Salt Lake City in 2022 during a preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights.
Durzi had a goal and three points, but what he really remembered was how passionate the crowd was, even without having a team in the league.
That last aspect is about to change. The Delta Center is the new home of the Utah hockey team. Thursday will be the kickoff of their first training camp after 28 seasons in Arizona as the Coyotes.
“It was already a great atmosphere for the ‘Frozen Fury’ and now it’s going to be our home,” Durzi said. “It’s special to have such passionate fans.”
After three seasons of between 24 and 28 wins, the Coyotes made progress with 36 victories during the last campaign.
They spent the last two seasons hosted by ASU as officials unsuccessfully tried to secure a deal for a new arena in the Phoenix area.
The club was eventually acquired by Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the Utah Jazz, and then relocated to Salt Lake City.
Clayton Keller, who led his team with 33 goals and 76 points last season, is the key piece around which they want to build.
In addition to players who grew up in their system, Utah has brought in Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino, among others.
This season, the capacity will be 11,131 fans at the Delta Center. Renovations have been made and more are coming.
The team sold just under 4,500 season tickets, as well as 8,000 half-season passes.
“People are talking about us a lot and we want to ride that wave,” forward Lawson Crouse said. “There were a lot of question marks in Arizona. We definitely have a home here, so we can put the distractions aside and just go play hockey. We’re really looking forward to it.”
The club is also beginning to integrate into the community.
“Both the people in the crowd and the Jazz staff are showing us how excited they are,” said head coach Andre Tourigny. “Everyone is very, very welcoming.”