Delta Center renovation progresses as arena prepares for preseason hockey game

Ryan Smith, who owns both the Utah Mammoth and the Utah Jazz, shared an update this weekend illustrating the Delta Center's renovation status as it readies for a preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche in September 2025. The project’s second summer phase focuses on adapting the arena for hockey, which required raising the rink floor by two feet, lengthening end zones by 12 feet each, and installing a flexible scissor-lift bleacher system.

Workers are now fitting terraces and gondola seating that will hold roughly 200 fans each on the north-northeast side, and a new 450-space parking structure is slated for completion later this year. Jazz president Jim Olson highlighted that the steeper upper-bowl sight lines will give fans a more intense presence, enhancing the home advantage. Looking ahead to 2027, Smith Entertainment Group intends to connect the lower and upper bowls into a continuous slope similar to the Intuit Dome’s “Wall,” aiming for unobstructed views for both hockey and basketball spectators.