The NHL announced the Phoenix Coyotes would be moving to Utah for the 2024 – 2025 season.

They chose to name the new team the Utah Mammoth in 2025.

But What’s The Story Here?

That several mammoth fossils have been found in Utah? Boring…

Sure – they made a cool logo and a zamboni out of it. But that doesn’t cut it.

Utah missed the real story that gave this rebrand a true life force that would’ve tied their new team back to its history for many seasons to come.

And that is the story of the Utah Bandits.

Why “Bandits?”

This idea is born from two insights:

1) Many bandits of the Old Wild West like the Sundance Kid, Butch Cassidy, and the Wild Bunch gang took refuge in a place called Robbers Roost in Southeastern Utah.

AND

2) When the NHL announced they were moving the Coyotes, people from Phoenix felt “robbed” of a hockey team they never truly loved or supported until they were gone.

Why not play with that emotion?

A buzz campaign to excite and infuriate.

OOH billboards announcing the new team are placed all
throughout Phoenix just to rub it in.

Social Launch

The team is then introduced on social, stoking the flames even more.

Season Ticket Holders:

A Surprise Bounty!

The first 500 season ticket holders receive a fully functional iron safe packed with Utah Bandits-themed gear like hats, shirts, pucks, and a ticket booklet with memorabilia tickets for every home game.

Intro Letter:

Season ticket holders receive one of the two personalized letters from the Robbers Roost Dispatch team themselves.

Memorabilia Tickets:

Each home game ticket features a unique design of the Old Wild West along with a pre-game message on them. The tickets are designed to have an antique appeal for collectible resale value in the future.