Utah
Utah Hockey Club’s practice facility is 1 of a kind | NHL.com
The Utah Hockey Club will play its first regular-season game on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+). NHL.com is counting down to the first game with a five-part series about hockey in Utah. Today, in Part 3, columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika looks at how Utah put together a practice facility in a matter of months:
KEARNS, Utah — The Utah Hockey Club practices in an environment unlike any other in the NHL, and the story behind it illustrates Utah’s commitment and creativity since the NHL established the new franchise April 18.
The locker room is part of a two-story, 17,400-square-foot structure Utah built in 3-1/2 months at a cost of several million dollars for the inaugural season while it broke ground on a permanent practice facility.
The structure sits in a corner inside the 275,000-square-foot Utah Olympic Oval, the long-track speed skating venue for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, the home of US Speedskating, and an official U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site.
When the players leave the locker room, they walk on a carpet laid over a running track and skate across a 400-meter speed skating oval known as the “Fastest Ice on Earth.” Their practice rink is on an island in the middle of the oval and has been converted from Olympic size to NHL size.
The practice rink sits next to another rink used by figure skaters and short-track speed skaters. Utah Hockey Club banners hang on the walls with Olympic banners. Flags from nations around the world hang overhead.
The players see speed skaters and figure skaters training. They use the running track to warm up or work out. They even used the oval for speed testing in training camp, sprinting down the same ice that produced 10 Olympic records and eight world records in front of 53,000 fans over 14 days at the 2002 Winter Games.
“It’s a high-performance environment,” said Chris Armstrong, Utah president of hockey operations. “You feel it the minute you walk in here. There are always athletes pushing to be their personal best. That’s just a good environment to be in for any athlete.”
Utah
Utah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers Summer League recap and final score
The Utah Jazz won their final summer league game against the Portland Trail Blazers 83-79. It was a fun game that came down to the wire, with a few Jazz players showing promise that could help the team.
The player who surprisingly didn’t help as much as you’d hope was Blake Hinson, who shot just 1/9 from three. Hinson was a sharpshooter for the Jazz last season, and it’s too bad that he couldn’t show that shooting stroke in the summer league. It’s likely not a big deal, but it would have been nice to see that shooting continue in the summer league. It does make you wonder why all the players who played for Utah last season, or will be getting regular minutes next year, didn’t shoot well in Las Vegas. Is that a trend? Or is it just a coincidence? It makes you wonder if the Jazz have been running hard practices, or if the players are tired from enjoying their time in Las Vegas? There’s no way to really know, but it’s interesting.
Utah’s strongest performer, in terms of plus-minus, was Bez Mbeng. He was a team-leading +14 and, even though he didn’t shoot the ball well either, his defense and intensity really shows on the floor. In this one, Mbeng had 4 steals and handled the ball for a lot of the game. He was also one of the top players in minutes with 20 in this one. I personally really like Mbeng and I’m rooting for him to make the team. I do think he can be a defensive-focused do-it-all player who could really contribute if he keeps improving.
Justin Harmon scored the ball well, leading the team in scoring with a team-leading 21 points. He had 6 free throws in this one and was a positive contributor overall. Harmon could be a nice addition to the training camp roster and, if he can show out, maybe he can earn himself a roster spot. He’s worth watching going forward at the very least.
And with that, the summer league is now over, and we now enter a long summer that will lead into one of the most exciting eras of Jazz basketball I can remember. It will be led by the best prospect in Jazz history to actually suit up for the Utah Jazz, and I can’t wait to see him develop into a superstar wearing the purple and blue.
Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
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