They may not have a nickname yet, but it looks like Utah's NHL team will have plenty of fans.

Ahead of Utah's inaugural season, Chris Barney, CEO of the team told reporters that more than 34,000 people have placed a deposit for season tickets. Utah had roughly 29,000 fans who had paid the $100 deposit by late April when the team had its launch event.

Around 92 per cent of deposits for the startup hockey club came from non-Utah Jazz season-ticket holders -- the NBA franchise NHL Utah will be sharing the Delta Center with. And more than 60 per cent didn't attend a single event at the arena this past year.

As the team and NHL tap into this clearly excited market, they also face the challenge of trying to keep up with demand. For instance, the 34,000 deposits far exceeds the seating capacity of the Delta Centre.

“The math just doesn’t work for everybody to get a seat,” said Barney, per The Athletic's Ian Mendes.

Barney said that the arena, originally built as a dedicated basketball facility, will have 10,000 seats with a clear and unobstructed view of the ice surface next season, but up to an additional 6,000 seats could be available for marquee matchups with a "partial ice view."

The club did say tickets for such seats would be discounted, starting as low as $19.

Fans who've put a deposit down will have their shot at purchasing tickets later this month on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those who placed a deposit but end up missing out on purchasing season tickets due to capacity limitations will be given priority to purchase smaller ticket packages and single-game seats.

“The stated goal is to give as many people to have an opportunity to be in the building as possible,” said Barney.

NHL Utah exceeds 34,000 season ticket deposits

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