NHL's newest team opens practice facility while Vancouver Canucks continue at a snail's pace
In Vancouver, it has become a punchline.
But in Utah, it is reality.
Building a team practice facility has proven to be an impossible task for the Vancouver Canucks for over a decade.
Meanwhile, the NHL’s newest team, the Utah Mammoth, just opened theirs.
“It’s pretty special,” said Mammoth owner Ryan Smith. “We told the players a year ago that we would build this for them when they came up here, and I think just being able to pay it off [is huge]. Our mission is very much we’re going to do what we say we’re going to do, and it’s pretty amazing.”
Utah has only had an NHL team for 17 months, but that was apparently enough time to build a dedicated practice facility, which is now the norm in the league.
“After it was announced that the hockey team was coming to Utah, we knew having a world-class practice facility was a top priority, and we knew that we needed to do it as fast as possible,” Jim Olson, SEG executive leading SEG facilities projects, explained. “It was a great team effort by everybody to get it done in a 13-month period of time.”
The new practice rink in Utah (@utahmammoth/X)
What a contrast this is with the Canucks, who will soon be the only NHL team without their own practice facility.
Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford stressed the importance of a new practice facility three years ago, calling it a “priority.”
“We’re gaining momentum on it,” he said at the time. “Getting down to two, maybe three different sites. Very close to making a decision on the site.”
Since then, Rutherford has expressed frustration about the process. It was clearly more difficult than he could have envisioned.
That’s why when Daily Hive asked for an update on the ongoing search for a new facility at Wednesday’s media availability, it was met with laughter from the 76-year-old executive.
“I never thought somebody would ask that question,” Rutherford joked, before providing some positive news.
“We are closer [to building a new practice facility],” he said. “We do have a few legitimate options now. We are in conversations with those options. If I say anything beyond that, you’re gonna laugh at me.
“We should be able to get this done at this point.”
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We’re still short on details, and shovels have yet to hit the ground. But there are at least some signs of hope.
Canucks management toured a number of local rinks in the spring. They were spotted at Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre in Burnaby, and they’ve had discussions about Britannia and the PNE in East Vancouver.
But if those plans fell apart, it wouldn’t be the first time. There were plans to build a practice facility across the street from Rogers Arena, at the Plaza of Nations, in 2018. Those plans were abandoned in 2021.
The @utahmammoth have a new state-of-the-art practice and training facility in Sandy, Utah, that's apparently going for its first Michelin star, based on the kitchen. Wow.
Check out the other amenities. pic.twitter.com/aF3DHuNRHB
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 17, 2025
The Canucks currently practice at Rogers Arena, but are forced to skate at UBC when concerts or other events take over the stadium. They don’t have a problem finding a sheet of ice, but having a dedicated practice facility is about more than just having a place to skate.
That’s clear when you hear how other teams talk about their facilities.
“This is spectacular,” Utah GM Bill Armstrong said. “It’s a state-of-the-art facility, I believe it could be the best facility in the National Hockey League. The impact that this will have on our franchise is massive. It will give us a chance to become an elite NHL franchise.”
The lounge (@utahmammoth/X)
Utah is now home to a 146,000-square-foot practice facility, which will also act as the team’s official headquarters. It includes multiple ice sheets, a team store, skate rentals, locker rooms, and concessions.
The weight room (@utahmammoth/X)
“This new Utah Mammoth practice and training facility is one of the most tech-forward facilities in all of sports. Not only will it be an epic place for players to train, but it will be an incredible gathering place for the community as well,” Smith said.
“Every detail of the space was designed with the athlete experience in mind, giving players the ultimate environment to succeed and creating amazing spaces for them to rest and recover.”
A place to take a dip (@utahmammoth/X)
And in Vancouver, the search continues.