One year later: Utah Hockey Club players tell the story of the move to Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Bjugstad was sitting in a park with his wife, soaking in the spring sunshine of Arizona, when the text came in.

It was early April 2024. The Coyotes forward had just returned home from a road trip after sustaining an injury. That meant some extra time with his family, but any peace of the moment quickly left when he read the message.

His wife was mid-conversation when he broke in.

"We're moving," he said.

It's been a year now — April 18 — since the news became official that the Arizona Coyotes' hockey assets were being sold to Ryan Smith and moving to Utah. That began a whirlwind year where the Smith Entertainment Group built the Utah Hockey Club from the ground up.

Branding was rushed, a temporary practice facility was figured out, and renovations to the Delta Center were planned. Most new franchises have years to set things up; Utah had months. As for the players, it meant leaving a home and settling in a new one.

A year later, has it all sunk in?

"Not yet," team captain Clayton Keller said. "Maybe once I get back home for a little bit and relax, see some family, and just kind of lay low for a little bit."

Maybe that's why all the events leading up to the change still seem to blur together. When did they first find out it was all real? Some remember social media reports, others remember team meetings. It all came together quickly for the former Coyotes.

Here's the story of the final days of the Arizona Coyotes and the first of the Utah Hockey Club from the recollections of those who lived it.

On Jan. 24, 2024, Ryan Smith made his intentions public: He wanted an NHL team. The Smith Entertainment Group announced it had formally requested the NHL to start an expansion process for a potential Utah franchise, and was ready to take on a team as early as the 2024-25 season.

That latter part made waves in Arizona. The Coyotes had been marred in a years-long battle to find a permanent arena — it almost felt like they were the target.

Bjugstad: "As a player, as much as you say it doesn't cross your mind, it crosses your mind. When stuff wasn't getting done in Arizona, as far as sanctions on a new arena, we started feeling it."

Defenseman Sean Durzi: "That weighed on us pretty heavy. Some guys had families and houses, some guys just bought places, and then we hear rumors. Some people hear it's true, some people hear it's not true. It's unsettling at first. It hit us pretty hard. We got on a pretty good skid after that."

On Jan. 23, 2024, the Coyotes had 49 points (coincidentally, the same amount Utah had on the same date in 2025) and were 4 points off the playoff line. They would go on to lose their next 14 games.

Forward Dylan Guenther: "It kind of toiled on us, to be honest. It was a big weight just sitting there — you've got family asking, people asking all the time."

Forward Josh Doan: "I think it's always in the back of your mind. Growing up, I got a chance to see potential moves with my dad (Shane Doan). I think it affects the group in a way; there's always kind of something looming that you don't really know."

There was indeed something looming. With the Coyotes unable to give a timeline of when a new arena would be built, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman formulated a plan: deactivate the Coyotes and sell their hockey operations assets to an eager group in Utah.

He brought that plan to Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo on March 6, 2024.

Bjugstad: "After the All-Star break, it started to cook a little bit. I think, obviously, you see stuff on Twitter and you see some of the top NHL reporters speaking on it, and you go, 'All right, well, there's substance in some way.'"

General manager Bill Armstrong: "I heard rumblings when we were at the trade deadline (March 7). I think it was late March when I got the call and learned what was going on. The league called me and just said, 'You're going to be moving.' That was it. That was an interesting call."

On April 10, 2024, the news started leaking out. Multiple reports came out that "progress" had been made on a deal that would relocate the Coyotes to Utah.

Guenther: "I remember it was in Vancouver. It was on my birthday, too; 21 — big day. There had always been rumblings, but you never really knew what was going to happen."

Doan: "It was a little bit of a surprise at first, obviously, with the season still going on. But the whole year everything was up in the air, so you had a little bit of a feeling there's a chance, but you never really thought it would go that quick."

Team play-by-play broadcaster Matt McConnell: "I really didn't think it was real until the very end. I figured if Elliotte Friedman and Sportsnet and those guys are reporting it then it must have some legs."

Keller: "Family is texting you — friends, social media, agents; we didn't really know if it was true or not. It took a while to figure out the details, and then we had to go play a game."

The team went out and beat Vancouver 3-2 in overtime that night, highlighted by forward Logan Cooley's overtime winner.

Durzi: "Me and Gunner (Guenther) were laughing. We weren't too good at a power play that night, and Bear (head coach André Tourigny) ended up taking me and him off. We had a power play in overtime and we went out for the second unit — just because he wasn't too happy with us. But we looked at each other and we said, let's make up for it. We ended up scoring on that power play, and he made a great pass to Cools. We were all just happy. It was an emotional day and good to get a win."

The rumors and reports became real two days later in Edmonton.

Forward Jack McBain: "We didn't really know what to believe or not to believe. I think we were in Edmonton, and we came into a morning meeting, and they put on the screen the top-five golf courses in Utah. That was their way of showing us."

Durzi: "We heard messages just with some insiders and stuff; and, realistically, we were just checking online, and then Bear pulled us in and had a talk with us, and said, 'It's true. The rumors are true.'"

Crouse: "Originally, we found out on Twitter and then Bill came and met with us before the Edmonton game and told us it was legit."

Armstrong: "I think it was really awkward just with the different avenues of information. The players were hearing this, they were hearing that. And I think it was at some point as a GM, you have to provide clarity, not full clarity, but some clarity, because they needed to understand what was coming our way."

McConnell: "It was horrible. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It was really tough day. My wife sent me a text with a song 'Starting Over' by Chris Stapleton — 'I can be your lucky Penny. You can be my four-leaf clover. Starting over.' I listened to it about four times that morning. And then when we were driving out to the airport after the game, you could hear a pin drop. I just remember looking at people, looking at my colleagues, and they're just staring out the window, wondering, what's ahead? So I sent them that song. It was the quietest bus ride I can remember."

The Coyotes played their final game on April 17, 2024 — a 5-2 home win over the Oilers.

McConnell: "We had never really been given the official 'they're moving' — so we're like, 'well, how do we present this?' Tyson Nash was pretty emotional on the pregame show that night, and with Todd Walsh, who was the pregame show host, they just went 'the heck with it — we're going to talk about the team, we're going to talk about the memories and everything else.'"

Cooley: "It was definitely an extremely weird game. It was weird heading to the rink knowing that it's going to be the final time you probably put on that jersey. But it was cool to be a part of — hopefully never part of something like that again."

Doan: "In a way, it was saying good bye for now. Who knows what the future holds for Arizona hockey? It was cool to be a part of that last game and get a chance to experience that."

Durzi: "There were a lot of good, die-hard fans over there, even in a small building like that; a lot of people who care about the team through the ups and downs. At the end of the day, they showed up for us. Now you want to win for your city, and thought the guys did a good job focusing on just one game, and fans did a great job of showing up and having a little farewell."

Crouse: "I'd been there for so long — eight years. Having the ability to connect with fans for eight years, it's definitely difficult when you see them and see how heartbroken they are. It was an emotional game."

McConnell: "Nobody wanted to leave Mullet. The players were throwing hats up into the crowd. When we were off the air, my stats guy brought a bottle of wine, so a bunch of us had some wine in the booth and we were all just wondering what's next?"

The next day, Ryan Smith met with the players and hockey operations staff for the first time.

Crouse: "He came into the room with his wife, pulled up a chair in front of the room, and just had an honest conversation with us."

Keller: "He made us feel like you were talking to just like one of your buddies. He's got that great personality about him. He was asking us different things that we needed that maybe we didn't have."

Cooley: "We talked about the fans for the Jazz and the support they get there — they knew it was going to be special for hockey, too."

Crouse: "I think that went a long ways with our team at the time, like he didn't lie about anything or promise anything that he wouldn't come through with."

Keller: "Then he took us golfing, and you can really get to know someone on a golf course. We all left that meeting and that day with a smile on our face and very excited about where we were headed in the next year."

Cooley: "If guys were a little down, it got you excited to want to come to Utah."

Armstrong: "I would say out of all his touches with the players, that was the biggest one. I don't know exactly how he does it. He has a special way with people. But our players needed to hear from him, they needed to be around them, they needed to get a vibe from him of where the organization was going. And he delivered in a big way. I think our players felt extremely comfortable with him, and were looking forward to going to see Utah."

The move became official that afternoon. The league announced Utah as its newest franchise, making for a pretty hectic summer. The team held a welcome event the next week, and the new team went to work on the inaugural season. A year later, it's still just beginning to sink in what all happened.

Guenther: "I didn't know anything about Utah. I kind of knew where it was on the map and stuff. I didn't really expect to ever go to Utah. I had a suitcase and a car, so it was an easy move."

McBain: "It was a pretty easy transition. We heard great things about Utah, so it was exciting coming into a new market, new atmosphere."

McConnell: "The welcome event was a highlight of my career. I was blown away by the enthusiasm. I just thought of how cool it would be to be able to call games in Utah, the professionalism blew me away. It was just a 180 from what I had been used to, and it continues to be a 180 from what I'm used to this day."

Armstrong: "It's funny when you look back, it seems like a long time ago because you're so entrenched in the season and everything. From the moment we landed, it's been on. It's been one thing after another. It's been so exciting for us to be in Utah, to be around the fans and the passion."

Crouse: "I've been honored to be a part of it. This is something really cool that not many players get to go through, and something that I'll remember for the rest of my life."

Cooley: "I didn't know much about Utah or anything like that. I didn't know it was going to be anything like this. Obviously it was crazy, but honestly, I couldn't be happier to be here now."

Bjugstad: "I'm happy it happened. I've really enjoyed being here."

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