Coyotes name change to become official at 2014 draft

The Phoenix Coyotes officially will become the Arizona Coyotes during the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft on June 27 (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN, RDS).

"We are very excited that our franchise will change its name to the Arizona Coyotes at the NHL Entry Draft this week," Coyotes co-owner and president Anthony LeBlanc said. "Becoming the Arizona Coyotes makes sense for us since we play our games in Glendale and the city is such a great partner of ours. We also want to be recognized as not just the hockey team for Glendale or Phoenix, but the team for the entire state of Arizona and the southwest. We hope that the name 'Arizona' will encourage more fans from all over the state, not just the valley, to embrace and support our team."

The Coyotes will commemorate the name change with a new shoulder patch, but their home and road jerseys will not otherwise change.