Utah News

The Utah Jazz announced the return of the Salt Lake City Summer League for 2026. Once again, it will be a four-team, six-game event hosted by the Utah Jazz. Here are the details:

It will inc

• It will be held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at the University of Utah

• It will be held on July 4th, 6th, and 7th

• Tickets go on sale in May for the general public and can be purchased at SLCSummerLeague.com.

• It will be held at the University of Utah for a second time because the Delta Center will be closed for renovations.

This has the potential to be an electric summer league. Utah, Atlanta, and Memphis all have great odds to get top picks in the draft in the upcoming lottery. Even the Thunder have a shot at a top pick because they own the Clippers’ 12th pick. On top of that, it’s likely we’ll see Ace Bailey play again. It could be an electric atmosphere if the Jazz combine Bailey with one of the top players in the draft. That, of course, will be decided on May 10th in the upcoming draft lottery.

“It’s very irritating, and it messes with their thermoregulation, so it costs them a lot more energy, and then it can lead to a lot more mortality to especially the calves that were born last may or sometimes the adults if it gets really bad,” said Kent Hersey with Utah Department of Natural Resources.

With the 2026 NFL Draft right around the corner, it’s not hard to find mock drafts and positional rankings floating around the internet.

As such, we’ve created a similar list of our own and ranked the top Utah prospects expected to be drafted over the coming weekend.

Let’s take a look at the top four Utes who should be picked during the draft, which is set for April 23-25.

1. Spencer Fano

The Spanish Fork, Utah, native has been widely regarded as the Utes’ top 2026 prospect for almost a year now. Fano’s highly-efficient 2025 campaign, in which he didn’t allow a single sack across 350 pass blocking opportunities and was hailed as a consensus All-America and the Outland Trophy recipient, only strengthened his case for being a high draft pick.

The notion that Fano could move inside to play guard or center at the next level has added some intrigue to his NFL profile as well, and will likely lead to him being one of the first offensive lineman on the board on Thursday.

2. Caleb Lomu

Like Fano, Lomu didn’t allow a sack from his left tackle post this past season. The Arizona native also graded out as one of the top tackle prospects at the scouting combine, where Lomu finished No. 3 in production score, No. 4 in overall score and No. 5 in athleticism (Fano came in at No. 1 in all three categories).

Perhaps the only things keeping him from being talked about as a potential top-10 pick are his experience level (two-year starter in the Big 12, which isn’t known for elite pass-rushers) and how he handles power rushers at the next level as a taller, upright tackle.

3. Dallen Bentley

Bentley will probably have to wait until after the first day of the draft for his name to be called, given all the tight end talent in this year’s draft with Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers leading the way. Still, the former Snow College product graded out as the fifth-most athletic tight end at the combine after posting a 4.62 time in the 40-yard dash, pairing nicely with the career-year he had with the Utes in 2025 (48 catches, 620 yards and six touchdowns). His route-running leaves room for growth, though his toughness and frame (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) are two qualities that’ll help him get picked over the weekend.

4. Logan Fano

If both Fano brothers hear their name called during the draft, it’ll likely be because a team picking in the later rounds liked Logan’s size, strength and ability to defend the run off the edge. His pass-rush game probably needs some refinement, though Logan’s toughness and quickness could help set the foundation for a nice career at the pro level.

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The University of Utah has its signature piece of its 2026 recruiting class, and it is coming from overseas.

Draft Express’s Jonathan Givony reported Monday morning that Israeli-Danish point guard Noam Yaacov has committed to the Runnin’ Utes.

Who is Noam Yaacov?

The 6-foot-2 Yaacov is a 21-year-old with several years of pro experience, most recently with Filou Oostende of the BNXT League, a first-tier league in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In addition to committing to Utah, Yaacov will go through the NBA draft process, Givony reported.

Yaacov is a rising star in the game, having won BNXT League Player of the Month honors in March, when he averaged 20.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game, while making an average of 2.6 3-pointers per contest.

During the 2025-26 season, he is averaging 17.9 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49% from the field, 40.3% from 3-point range and 77.4% from the free-throw line.

How does Noam Yaacov fit into Utah’s plans for the 2026-27 season?

Yaacov is the kind of dynamic guard that Utah coach Alex Jensen and his staff can build their roster and game philosophy around.

He is the fifth recent addition to Utah’s upcoming roster, along with four transfers in former Utah Valley wing Jackson Holcombe, former Ohio State combo guard Taison Chatman, former Weber State big Malek Gomma and former Wright State point guard TJ Burch.

With Yaacov and Burch, the Utes’ point guard depth is in place — that was the position of greatest need for Utah in the offseason after seeing Terrence Brown hit the transfer portal.

Not only does Yaacov bring the ability to create his own shots, he can also help facilitate and connect a group that, on the surface at least, appears well-balanced.

With Yaacov’s commitment, Utah can focus on bringing together the final piece or two of its 2025-26 roster and building for the future.

It looks like Lauri Markkanen already has a plan in place for how the next few months of his offseason will go while away from the Utah Jazz.

And compared to some of his past summers while being with the Jazz, things don’t appear to be looking much different from the norm.

Deseret News‘ Sarah Todd reported in a recent breakdown of the Jazz’s summer plans that Markkanen will be in the market for the next few months before taking a brief trip to Finland for the World Cup qualifiers.

“First up is Lauri Markkanen, who will be in-market until his kids are out of school, then he plans to go back to Finland and play for the Finnish national team in 2027 World Cup qualifying games. Those matches will be in the first week of July.”

Lauri Markkanen to Take Offseason Visit to Finland

Like last offseason, Markkanen would go overseas to play for the Finland national team, but instead of the World Cup, would compete in the EuroBasket tournament.

That tourney would be one in which the country and their national team would actually reach historic heights in by finishing in fourth place overall behind Germany, Turkey, and Greece; the best the team had ever accomplished.

This offseason, Markkanen will be with Finland again. Though the World Cup and their qualifiers are a bit of a different stage, the overarching process of going overseas to put on a Finnish uniform remains the same.

Markkanen still remains the only national player on the Finnish roster to have any NBA experience, considering he’s only one of two players in the country’s history to ever make it to the pros within the states.

So, any time that Markkanen has while on the Finnish national team is bound to be a vastly different experience from what the NBA provides. Yet, that lack of league experience hasn’t stopped him and the country from making their mark as one of the rising powers among the global basketball stage.

It also remains to be seen if any other players on the Jazz will decide to take a trip to Finland like last offseason.

In the summer of 2025, it would be Keyonte George as the one on Utah’s roster taking the trek over the pond to spend a few days in Finland, both to work out with the Jazz All-Star to build a bit of added chemistry, but also to get a glimpse of Markkanen’s hometown and the way of life in another country.

That visit was previously said to have a notably positive impact on the dynamic between both George and Markkanen. So in turn, perhaps that sets the stage for a similar opportunity to arise this summer in an effort to keep the ball rolling on the Jazz’s goals for next season.

Therefore, maybe George or another familiar face will take on a similar endeavor this offseason, but nonetheless, it all should set up for everyone around the Jazz roster to have a much-improved 2026-27 season ahead.

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The Utah Mammoth’s first taste of playoff hockey delivered everything it promised—speed, chaos, physicality—and then ended in a gut punch.

The Vegas Golden Knights rallied from multiple deficits to defeat Utah 4–2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, flipping what felt like a tightly controlled debut into a third-period collapse for the visitors.

Vegas, now unbeaten in regulation in its recent stretch under head coach John Tortorella (8-0-1), once again leaned on relentless pressure and depth scoring to overwhelm Utah late. Colton Sissons led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also found the back of the net. Carter Hart turned aside 32 shots, and Noah Hanifin chipped in two assists from the blue line.

For Utah, Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund provided the offense, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a game that featured momentum swings, heavy contact, and a simmering edge that boiled over several times—including a post-buzzer altercation.

Utah didn’t just show up—they struck first, and nearly carried that energy into intermission.

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Logan Cooley, who buried a one-timer from the right circle with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. It was the kind of moment that briefly quieted the building and hinted at a dream start for the league’s newest postseason entrant.

The second period, however, belonged to chaos.

Sissons tied the game at 3:44, jamming home a rebound off a Cole Smith feed. Utah responded quickly, reclaiming the lead when a strange sequence near the crease ended with the puck deflecting into the net off a Vegas miscue, officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.

But that edge was fragile.

The Golden Knights’ response came in waves—and with force.

Mark Stone evened things up on the power play, hammering home a rebound at 5:33 of the third period. From there, the tone of the game shifted entirely. Vegas tilted the ice, leaned on Utah’s defensive zone mistakes, and eventually broke through again when a turnover by MacKenzie Weegar led to a decisive go-ahead goal off a Noah Hanifin shot, finished by Sissons’ presence around the puck.

Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-net goal, putting a punctuation mark on a night where Vegas simply refused to fade.

Utah, meanwhile, was left to absorb the reality of playoff margins—small mistakes, magnified instantly.

The series continues Tuesday night back in Las Vegas, where Utah will try to reset before the moment starts feeling even heavier.

Hotel management company Stonebridge is set to oversee operations at a Kimpton hotel currently being constructed in central Salt Lake City, Utah, US.

Developed by The Domain Companies, the hotel is scheduled to welcome guests in early 2028.

It will include 216 rooms across ten storeys and will house two separate dining venues, including one rooftop option.

Guests will also have access to meeting spaces totalling 7,000ft², with facilities such as a ballroom, boardroom and pre-function areas.

Amenities will include a fitness centre, valet parking services and terraces designed for both indoor and outdoor gatherings throughout the year.

The hotel’s location places it within ten minutes’ walking distance of the Delta Center, Pioneer Park and City Creek.

Commuters will be able to reach Salt Lake City International Airport in 15 minutes.

The Domain Companies co-CEO Matt Schwartz said: “We are grateful to be partnering with Stonebridge, which brings deep expertise in operating luxury and lifestyle hotels with expansive food and beverage programmes.

“This project will provide downtown Salt Lake City with a world-class hotel experience that will set a new standard for hospitality in the market.”

Stonebridge CEO Rob Smith said: “This location, with its level of design, food and beverage activation, and brand backing, positions a Kimpton to outperform its competitive set.

“Our focus will be on building a ramp-up strategy that maximises rate, drives premium demand segmentation, and delivers long-term returns for ownership.”

Last month, Kimpton Era Midtown New York opened in Manhattan, US, expanding the brand’s presence in the city.

Developed and managed by Extell Development, the 33-storey property represents the company’s first directly operated hotel project.

“Stonebridge to oversee new Kimpton hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah” was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand.

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