Utah Hockey Club Proprietor Ryan Smith Generates Interest Through Complimentary Ticket Distribution
As the Utah Ice Hockey Club, handing out 2,000 tickets for a regular-season game is more of a celebration than a reason for concern. Not all professional sports teams possess an untouched stock of "optimal viewing position seats" that can serve as a lure to attract new supporters.
Initially, Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith intended to distribute the eight seats in his private suite before a home game against the Vancouver Canucks. However, his tweet sparked over 700 reactions, resulting in a wider invitation to the public.
Ultimately, Smith extended the opportunity to 2,000 additional attendees, swelling the Delta Center crowd beyond its 11,131 capacity sold-out total. The fans witnessed an exciting match as Utah rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to clinch a 3-2 overtime win thanks to Mikhail Sergachev's game-winning goal on a 2-on-1 play with just 12 seconds remaining.
Acquired during the 2024 NHL draft weekend from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sergachev has played a significant role in boosting Utah's performance in its new home. With injuries to fellow experienced defenders John Marino and Sean Durzi, 26-year-old Sergachev has clocked an impressive 25:45 game time, the third-highest in the entire league.
Sergachev has also accumulated eight goals and 26 points in 33 matches, placing him on track to duplicate his highest career scoring total of 64 points, achieved in the 2022-23 season.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka has also been a noteworthy performer. Currently placed second in the NHL for savings above expectation (16.5) based on stats by MoneyPuck, Vejmelka boasts a career-best save percentage of .918.
After enduring nomadic years in Arizona, playing their last two seasons at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena on Arizona State University's campus as subtenants, it's hardly surprising that Utah has emerged as a dominant force on the road. Unbeaten in regulation over their last eight games, they have amassed an impressive 6-0-2 record away from home, indicating a strong 11-6-2 performance on the road overall this season.
Utah's home victory over Vancouver improved their standings at home to 5-5-3. The team's recent 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks has situated them just outside of the Western Conference wild-card picture, with one remaining game before the NHL's three-day holiday break — an upcoming home game against the Dallas Stars as part of a 13-match schedule on Monday.
The Stars handily defeated Utah by a 2-1 score in the regulation game on Dec. 2, representing Utah's only regulation loss since Nov. 24. The fierce Western Conference standings reveal Utah's positive trajectory toward securing a playoff spot in their debut season. The franchise's only post-season appearance in the past 12 years occurred as one of the 24 teams in the 2020 pandemic bubble, eliminating the Nashville Predators in the best-of-three qualifying round before suffering a defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
Smith and his co-owner, Ashley, have already contributed to other NHL team owners' success with their $1.2 billion acquisition of Arizona's hockey assets in April 2023. This transaction triggered a 140% increase in the team's franchise evaluation, a significant factor in the league's overall 44% increase in average valuations in 2024, according to our estimates. The financial growth of the Utah Ice Hockey Club and the league overall presents a promising outlook for future collective bargaining negotiations.
Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated at a recent board of governors' meeting in Florida that discussions regarding the next round of collective bargaining with the NHL Players' Association executive director, Marty Walsh, would commence in February. The duo aims to finalize an agreement before the end of the current hockey year.
- The Vancouver Canucks will be visiting the Delta Center soon, a challenging match for Utah considering their recent success against Western Conference opponents.
- Ashley Smith, co-owner of the Utah Ice Hockey Club, is excited about the club's progress, especially the contribution of recent acquisition Mikhail Sergachev from the Arizona Coyotes.
- Mikhail Sergachev's impressive performance for the Utah Ice Hockey Club has drawn comparisons to his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he often shared the ice with Mikhail Ketrakov and Anthony Cirelli.
- Karel Vejmelka's exceptional goaltending skills have earned him a spot on the Arizona Coyotes' roster, where he will likely face off against his former team, the Utah Ice Hockey Club, in a high-stakes NHL game.
