OREM, Utah — Walk through the halls on the campus of Utah Valley University and you’ll come to the office of Erik Nystul, where it isn’t hard to figure out who he’s rooting for with walls covered with Utah Hockey Club paraphernalia.
"Getting a hockey team in Utah is kind of a dream come true," Nystul admits. "I'm in a constant state of celebration."
Nystul has been a lifelong hockey fan, and it shows. When it comes to his new favorite team, this superfan can't resist.
"Anything that they put out, I'm unable to not buy," he said. "Costco has t-shirts, bought those as soon as I saw them. I got the lanyard that I turned into a key chain. Pucks. Made my own hat on the day it was announced.
"There's not much out yet, but whatever I've been able to find, I collect."
But none of this truly makes him a superfan. For that, you need to go to the parking lot and see his NHL Yeti license plate.
"I have to give credit to the state of Utah and how easy they make it to get personalized license plates," said Nystul.
Of course, the team has yet to settle on an official nickname as it goes with Utah Hockey Club for its inaugural season. While there have been no clues as to where the franchise may turn for its name, Yeti seems to be the fan favorite.
"...I'm just kind of beating people to the punch. I'm definitely... I'm playing bets ... I don't have any inside info or anything," he said.
With his thirst for gear, there’s a place across the valley that Erik might want to visit.
David Sanders is the manager at Pro Image Sports in Lehi who has seen the demand from the first day the team was announced.
"...Getting asked daily for the new hockey hockey team now," said Sanders of the initial frenzy. "People just really starting to gear up."
And the beauty is, the store now has anything you could want.
"Got a lot of t-shirts and got a good chunk of hats, a lot of novelty items and lanyards, key chains, license plate frames," he said.
Nystul admits a visit to Pro Image Sports would be "dangerous" for his wallet, but back to that yeti license plate. What if the team goes in a different direction?
"I'm feeling pretty confident right now," he claimed. "If I need to redo it because they end up not being the yeti, I will be first in line at the DMV.
With his license to be excited, it's been a life long wait to cheer on a team to for fans like Erik to call their own.
"It's time to hop on board," the superfan explained. "It's intense and you'll get hooked."
