Utah’s First Next-Gen Game a Big Success

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The Utah Hockey Club’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the team’s first Next-Gen game. A Next-Gen game is an event that NHL teams usually put on to help the youth discover the sport of hockey. It’s also usually a weekend matinee game to make sure every kid can attend without having to worry about late bedtimes or school. 

With Utah being the newest team in the league, they haven’t been able to spend as much time in the community as all the other NHL franchises have. However, in their short time in Salt Lake City, the team has made an impact in the community and on the local youth hockey scene. Saturday’s game was a representation of how quickly Utah has been able to connect with the community.

Saturday’s Game Was a Huge Hit

Utah hasn’t hosted many matinee games during their inaugural season with the only previous one coming against the Anaheim Ducks back in December. Many outside hockey fans looking in were wondering if the fanbase would show up on an early weekend game due to Salt Lake City’s high Latter-day Saints population. However, just like in December, they showed up, even filling up the obstructed view seats in the upper bowl which has become a usual sight to see in the Delta Center.

It was awesome to see that a good chunk of the crowd during Saturday’s game were kids. Utah made sure to capitalize on the Next-Gen draw. First, every fan got a rally towel that was designed by a young fan named Willow. 

Next, Utah players showed up in youth hockey jerseys. That includes Ian Cole wearing a Utah Junior Grizzlies jersey, which is a youth program that has been around since 1996. Even Utah’s team dog Archie showed up wearing a youth jersey.

Throughout the game, the kids took over jobs around the arena. That included Michael reading the starting lineups in place of public address announcer Dave Joseph, Julia helping out with the in-arena hosting, and Kaylee singing the national anthem. Throughout the game, the kids continued to take center stage with some interviewing Dylan Guenther during intermission, some participating in games like a slushie drinking contest, and lining up alongside Utah players during the anthems.

As for the actual game, it was the perfect scenario to happen to keep kids engaged. Utah ended up scoring six goals against the Lightning. Alex Kerfoot, who recently became a dad himself, didn’t like the fact that Utah gave up four goals but says the fact that the fanbase made the atmosphere exciting and loud is a huge win for the youth scene in Utah.

“I think kids like goals,” Kerfoot said. “That wasn’t our plan, to go and score six or give up four, but it’s fun. I think that this was a great atmosphere for kids to come and watch the game. This is a new market. We’re trying to grow hockey here. (The) Smith Entertainment Group has done an awesome job of growing the game in this community. To have a night like this where we get to bring in some youth hockey players and some kids to an early game on the weekend, it’s lots of fun, and I hope that we can do that again in the future.”

Head coach André Tourigny remembers one of the first moments he had in Utah was stepping off the plane with the team, arriving to a crowd of kids wearing jerseys and cheering them on as they entered their new city for the first time. He’s said repeatedly that it was one of the best moments in his hockey career. Now, he wants to make sure he gives back and keeps being involved in the community. After all, games like the one on Saturday could make a hockey fan for life.

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“Our first contact with Utah was when we got received by all those young people, I remember being there at the airport,” Tourigny said. “It’s important to give back. It’s important to be involved in the community. We have an opportunity to make fans for life today. Who doesn’t like to be around kids and give back to them? So it’s always easy when the guys get involved…We love it, and I think being with the youth is great. It’s a way to show our appreciation to our fans and how grateful we are.”

The players have always been involved in the youth scene wherever they go. Clayton Keller donated $1,000 to Shott’s Tots (a youth hockey program in Arizona) immediately after the team moved to Utah. Tyson Nash and some of Utah’s broadcasters have participated in youth hockey sessions, helping them learn the sport. Kerfoot and his wife Marissa have given away their personal tickets repeatedly to female youth hockey groups in hopes of growing that side of youth hockey.

“We just wanted to make an effort to allow girls hockey to have the same opportunity that the boys have, and it’s been great seeing them come out,” Kerfoot said. “A lot of them are super excited to be out there, and hopefully, as youth hockey continues to grow, girls hockey is right there with the boys as well.”

It’s been a complete team effort in helping youth hockey grow in the state of Utah. The best part however is that this is just the beginning. The future is bright for the sport of hockey in the state.

Utah’s Presence in the Youth Scene Only Just Beginning

Utah owner Ryan Smith has done wonders for the sports scene in the state. Ever since purchasing the NBA’s Utah Jazz back in 2020, he’s been on a mission to grow the sport of basketball across all of Utah. The team’s youth program, the Junior Jazz, is now up to around 70,000 registered participants and has a presence in six states.

After bringing the NHL to Utah, Smith now has his sights set on growing the youth hockey scene to where the Junior Jazz is now. With Utah being the fastest-growing state in the country and having the youngest demographics, it’s certainly achievable, especially with the sport’s recent growth in popularity. 

Ryan Smith NHL Utah
Ryan Smith laughs as he speaks during a news conference at the Delta Center (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Before any hockey programs are expanded though, there needs to be more ice rinks built in the state. Currently, Utah has around 16 sheets of ice. That includes places like the SLC Sports Complex. However, arenas like that also host teams like the University of Utah’s ACHA men’s and women’s teams that hold more importance than most youth hockey programs. Parents who have caught the hockey itch have attempted to bring their kids to try to skate but have found that ice rinks have been filled to capacity quickly.

The issue recently arose on X where a Utah fan named Matt tagged Smith in a post, asking if he plans to help build more ice rinks in the state. Smith quickly responded saying that it’s SEG’s belief that every municipality in Utah should have an ice rink and that he plans on making that a summer project of his.

Smith is already building an ice rink in Sandy, which is where Utah will practice beginning next season. It will also serve as a community rink. However, it won’t be surprising if Smith goes above and beyond this offseason on his word to improve the hockey scene in the state this summer, considering his good relationship with Utah’s government and his commitment in the past to build up the Junior Jazz program.

Even with the short-term impact that Utah has made on the youth hockey community, the interest in hockey in the state has never been higher. The arrival of an NHL team has been a huge reason for that. As mentioned, the best is yet to come because the kids who are growing up playing hockey might one day make it to the NHL. It’s been seen with all of the newer expansion cities. Dustin Wolf came out of the Bay Area because of the San Jose Sharks, Trevor Moore came out of the Southern California area because of the LA Kings, and Auston Matthews came out of Arizona because of the Arizona Coyotes. It’s only a matter of time before you see it happen with Utah, and Tourigny knows it.

“You look at guys who are coming out from California,” Tourigny said. “30 or 40 years ago, that was not happening. Now you have a lot of players from California. You have players from Tennessee. You have players from Arizona. Everywhere where the NHL goes, it creates a passion. It creates excitement from the fans. Now we will have young super athletes for athletes from Utah who will become hockey players and will be the next generation of superstars in the league.”

One day in the future, a 6-4 win for Utah over the Lightning on a Saturday afternoon might not look like much. However, just like a Coyotes vs Washington Capitals game on Jan. 16, 2006, a future NHL star might’ve been in attendance just like Matthews was back then. The game and Next-Gen event that Utah put on could’ve made a kid fall in love with the sport, which could make the game one of Utah’s biggest success stories this season.

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