New NHL team marks coming-of-age moment for Salt Lake City as a pro sports hub

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — To casual sports fans and people outside northern Utah, it may look like an NHL team fell into Salt Lake City’s lap in the span of two weeks.

But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes ' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the fast-growing capital city.

The move announced Thursday marks a coming-of-age moment for Salt Lake City as a pro sports hub in the Mountain West, giving the midsize market its second major professional sports franchise in the 45 years since it welcomed the NBA's Utah Jazz.

Now it remains to be seen if the city can generate the same enthusiasm for hockey that it has for basketball — and whether it can provide the stability required for a team that has bounced from place to place over the past few years, observers say.

Utah already has plans bubbling for a new hockey-specific stadium that could also serve as a key venue when it hosts the 2034 Winter Olympics, which the International Olympic Committee is expected to make official this summer. In the meantime, the team will share the Delta Center with the Jazz.

Salt Lake City is also aggressively pursuing an MLB expansion team — which would make it home to three of the “Big Four” U.S. leagues — with advanced plans calling for a new baseball stadium. And Utah billionaire Ryan Smith, who owns the Jazz, pro men's and women's soccer teams Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals, and, now, the new hockey team, has applied to work with the city to transform part of downtown into a sports and entertainment district.

Together, those efforts expand Salt Lake City's footprint in the sporting world and give the renowned winter sports destination a chance to prove it can sustain multiple pro teams year-round.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall called the Coyotes' move a “defining moment” in the city's trajectory that she said unlocks new potential for growth. State and municipal leaders have been outspoken about leveraging a local love of sports to propel the city forward. That strategy has proved successful in other midsize cities, including Las Vegas, which is home to NFL and NHL teams and has an MLB team on the way.

When given opportunities to host major sporting events, from the 2002 Winter Olympics to last year’s NBA All-Star Game, Salt Lake City hasn't failed to deliver, said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. Although the NHL transfer may seem sudden, he said, it was made possible by the confidence Utah has instilled in industry leaders over several decades.

“It didn't fall in our laps,” Robbins said. “What you’re seeing is a lot of momentum around what we've been working towards for a long time."

While several other U.S. and Canadian cities have been vying for an NHL team, Salt Lake City was quick to offer the Coyotes a “soft landing spot” after years of tumult, said David Carter, a sports business professor at the University of Southern California.

The Coyotes have bounced between stadiums, most recently playing in a 5,000-seat arena. Plans for a new hockey stadium may have helped lure them to Utah, but Carter cautioned that they could again end up without a permanent home if that doesn't pan out, or if Smith's company cannot generate enough media revenue, ticket sales and sponsorships to ensure the team's longevity.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he wanted to place the Coyotes with trusted owners in a location where they could be “successful immediately.”

“We focused on the fact that these are the types of owners that we want, and this is the type of community we’d like to be a part of,” Bettman said Friday.

Hockey fans beyond the Beehive state have also questioned whether the moderate metropolis — home to just over 200,000 residents — can sustain a pro team.

Including the suburbs, the greater Salt Lake Valley has a population of nearly 1.26 million, and a light-rail system that can drop suburbanites steps from the downtown stadium. Jazz fans have packed the Delta Center for decades, even in losing years, but time will tell whether the basketball bandwagon translates to a similar hockey hype.

Early data looks promising to Smith, who said Friday that the team had already hit 22,700 season ticket deposits — more than quadruple the seats in the Coyotes’ current stadium and nearly twice the Delta Center's current capacity for hockey.

The sport has started to take off locally since Salt Lake City began hosting Frozen Fury, an NHL pre-season exhibition game, in 2021, Robbins said. The valley is now home to 17 rinks, a youth hockey program and a minor league team that hit a new average attendance record this season.

For former NHL player Ken Sabourin, who spent part of his career playing in the minors in Salt Lake City, it was “a great place to play” with good crowds. While he thinks the local infrastructure is in place, he worries the Coyotes — ranked second to last in their division — are not a strong enough team to captivate their new community.

“It’s a good hockey market; it’s a good sports market," said the player-turned-analyst. "I think they have the fans. It’s whether they’ll come out or not.”

AP Hockey writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

The hockey rink at the Delta Center has new NHL logos Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City. The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah at least initially. New owner Ryan Smith says the name will begin with Utah and he does not want to rush the process of rebranding the franchise upon relocation. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

FILE - Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) makes as save against Los Angeles Kings center Gabriel Vilardi (13) during the first period of an NHL hockey preseason game on Sept. 30, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Hockey has started to take off locally since Salt Lake City began hosting Frozen Fury, an NHL preseason exhibition game, in 2021. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman looks on during a news conference Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City about the move of the Arizona Coyotes franchise to Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Ryan Smith, co-founder and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, speaks during a news conference Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City about the move of the Arizona Coyotes franchise to Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, and Ryan Smith, co-founder and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, speak during a news conference Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City about the move of the Arizona Coyotes' franchise to Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Fans occupy their seats before an NHL hockey preseason game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings, Sept. 30, 2021, in Salt Lake City. Hockey has started to take off locally since Salt Lake City began hosting Frozen Fury, an NHL preseason exhibition game, in 2021. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Wayne, center, and Holly Haacke, front left, support their team, the Ogden Mustangs, as they play the Utah Outliers during the Mountain Division Championship game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in West Valley City, Utah. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Chris Hicks supports her team, the Ogden Mustangs, as they play the Utah Outliers during the Mountain Division Championship game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in West Valley City, Utah. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The hockey rink at the Delta Center has new NHL logos Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City. The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah at least initially. New owner Ryan Smith says the name will begin with Utah and he does not want to rush the process of rebranding the franchise upon relocation. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

FILE - Workers put up signs celebrating the awarding of a new NHL team to Utah at the Delta Center Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Salt Lake City. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - Workers put up signs celebrating the awarding of a new NHL team to Utah at the Delta Center Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Salt Lake City. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - Signs celebrating the awarding of a new NHL team to Utah is displayed at the Delta Center, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, left, and Ryan Smith, co-founder and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group, speak during a news conference Friday, April 19, 2024, in Salt Lake City about the move of the Arizona Coyotes franchise to Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Julie Brian, center, of Layton, Utah, celebrates as the Ogden Mustangs score against the Utah Outliers during the Mountain Division Championship game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in West Valley City, Utah. It may look like an NHL team has just fallen into Salt Lake City's lap. But local organizers say the Arizona Coyotes' relocation to Utah is the product of a yearslong effort to beckon professional hockey and other elite sports to the capital city. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

NEW YORK (AP) — The King's Trust celebrated its new name, an update of King Charles III's long-running charity The Prince's Trust, and the expansion of its work in the United States with a star-studded gala in New York City on Thursday night.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the trust will continue to help young people around the world to build those key skills to support them into employment," Charles said in a statement read to the audience, offering his regrets for being unable to attend the event, which was the first organized under the charity’s new name. "Together, we can build a better future for the next generation.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and gala co-chair Lionel Richie, who has worked with the charity for more than three decades, said Charles was doing well and had wanted to attend. Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday, following the announcement in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.

“I told him, ‘Stand still. Just recover,’” Richie said. “We've got many more of these galas to do in the future.”

The Prince’s Trust was founded in 1976 when then-Prince Charles used his severance pay from the Royal Navy to launch the nonprofit dedicated to helping unemployed young people in the United Kingdom get trained for jobs. Since then, the charity has expanded its education and employment initiatives into 25 countries.

Richie said he and other famous supporters in attendance would work to represent the charity in Charles’ absence. They included singers Sam Smith and John Legend, who performed to close the evening, and supermodels Kate Moss, Emily Ratajkowski and Ashley Graham. Actor Dominic West, who played Charles in later seasons of “The Crown,” also was on hand, along with Michaela Jae Rodriguez, who currently plays the head of a charity on the AppleTV+ philanthropy sitcom “Loot.”

Rodriguez said philanthropy is important to her in real life as well as on screen, focusing on supporting climate groups such as The Rainforest Alliance, but also charities supporting young people including The King's Trust.

“I think it’s important that we show up for the kids who want to strive, who want to have something that they can live for,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press. "We want to make make sure that they know they can do it.”

Victoria Gore, CEO of The King's Trust USA, said that kind of support always has driven the charity, but it has been very methodical about its expansion, especially in the U.S., where it launched its first program in The Bronx last year, an education project called the Enterprise Challenge.

“We don't want to double up on what somebody else is doing already,” Gore said. “It's about collaboration and meeting a need.”

The King’s Trust USA this year expanded its work to three cities — New York, Chicago and Detroit — and plans to launch two new initiatives later this year, said Michael De Roeck, head of programs.

The trust soon expects to launch an American version of its Get Hired program, a job fair for young adults in the program, and Development Awards, where those in the programs can get a $500 grant to purchase laptops, work clothes and other items to aid in their job search, De Roeck said.

The organization's work already has made an impact in those cities. Nakya Weeks, a 16-year-old high school student from Chicago, said the King's Trust Enterprise Challenge made an impact on her even before her team won the national award last year for her team's project to create a salon in an unused cosmetology lab at her school.

“It was awesome that people wanted to be a part of it,” said Nakya, who said the support for the project made her enjoy going to school more. She sees a future in education and hopes to attend Harvard University and become a traveling nurse.

Nakya's mom, Terry Lee, is thrilled by the change she has seen in her.

“It's a big deal to have someone to trust her, to believe in her, to help her follow her dreams and get her back on the right track,” Lee said. “It actually takes a village.”

American young people don't necessarily relate to being the recipients of interest from the British royal family as do young people in the U.K., De Roeck said.

“I mean, a lot of people have seen ‘The Crown,’” he said. "But everyone’s been incredibly positive about the programs once they see they work.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Irina Shayk attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Eileen Gu attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Kate Moss, left, and Charlotte Tilbury attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Dr. Dana Kraft, left, and Robert Kraft attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Teyana Taylor attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lionel Richie, left, and Lisa Parigi attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)