Name and Logo For Worcester, MA's New ECHL Team Possibly Revealed in New Trademark Application

Last month, it was announced that Worcester, Massachusetts would be getting an ECHL hockey team. Beyond that, little else has been announced. Speculation surrounded the team's name. Would it be the Worcester Whitehawks? The Railers? The Six?

A federal trademark application filed by ECHL Inc. on March 11, 2016 may provide the answers. On that date, the minor league hockey league filed an application for the logo mark seen above. The league filed the mark in Class 025 for "[c]lothing goods, namely, shirts, hats, jerseys, sweatshirts, jerseys [sic], pants, visors, and t-shirts" and in Class 041 for "[e]ntertainment services, namely professional hockey exhibitions."

Interestingly, Worcester ProHockey, LLC filed a federal trademark application for WORCESTER BLAST on February 22, 2016 for similar services, including "[p]rofessional ice hockey contests."

Which one will be the team's name? Likely the ECHL application, since that league owns the trademarks to every other ECHL team. 

One caveat - both these applications were filed on an intent-to-use basis. While this basis requires a bona fide intention to use the trademark in commerce, it is not a guarantee that the mark will actually be used (or that it is not being used already).