The most annoying person you know probably posted something saying “new year, new me” as the calendar turned to 2026. Well the ECHL team coming to Trenton, New Jersey next season might have said “new year, new name”. They announced their new identity on January 13th.
The Trenton Ironhawks will be the name of the relocated Utah Grizzlies franchise. The team held a naming contest that received over 2,000 submissions (unfortunately none of our submissions from part one or part two were winners). The team name was announced on Tuesday morning with a fan event held at their new home of Cure Insurance Arena that event. Cure Insurance Arena was also home to the city’s previous ECHL franchise the Trenton Titans/Devils from 1999 until 2013 where they won the league’s Kelly Cup during the 2004-05 season.
The Ironhawks name pays tribute to the city’s industrial past, specifically the iron industry. The league’s official press release goes onto to explain that the name honors “Trenton’s proud past as an industrial powerhouse” while Trenton’s mayor added the name “reflects Trenton’s industrial roots and the strength and resilience that define this community.” Trenton s famously a manufacturing hub, with a local landmark sign on a bridge proudly displaying the phrase “Trenton makes, the world takes”.
The team’s main logo was also revealed as a steel riveted hawk clutching a hockey stick with its claws. The primary colors are grey and blue, to represent steel, with red accents to represent the fire needed to forge the iron and the team’s new intensity. The logo was created in partnership with the team and local marketing agency Adapting Social.
One interesting tidbit from the league’s official article is that the Trenton team already has 650 people who have placed season ticket deposits. Season tickets are a major part of the financial stability of a franchise, as well as the widely accepted way to gauge interest and built support in new markets Remember when the Winnipeg Jets got to 13,000 in a few minutes prior to their inaugural season?
An article from the Desert Sun reports the Coachella Valley Firebirds (a team with a similar bird logo, not that it matters) lead the AHL with 5,800 season ticket memberships for the 2023-24 season. Comparing the business workings of the AHL and ECHL is an imperfect comparison, but the same article says the average AHL team has a season ticket base of around 2,000. Assuming it’s somewhat similar for the ECHL then Trenton is off to a good start with 650 commitments.
The Utah Grizzlies are currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche. It hasn’t been reported yet on if that will remain the case once the team moves to New Jersey. Trenton’s previous ECHL franchise was affiliated with both the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils at various times in their existence.