A new ECHL franchise is one step closer to butting heads with the rest of the league after unveiling their name and logos.
The franchise based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, revealed their full identity during an event at their future home, the Rio Rancho Events Center, on Monday, September 29. The team will be known as the New Mexico Goatheads when they take the ice for the 2026-27 season.
“Goatheads” was announced in June as one of the three finalists in the franchise’s name-the-team contest, with “Cutthroats” and “Tarantula Hawks” being the others.
The Goatheads name pays tribute to New Mexico’s rugged character and natural landscape. Inspired by the infamous goathead thorn — a hardy desert plant known for its toughness and ability to “stick” wherever it goes — the brand symbolizes resilience and grit. The logo also incorporates the strength of ibex goats found in the Florida Mountains of southern New Mexico, combining local culture with bold design.
— New Mexico Goatheads press release
The Goatheads’ visual identity was developed by The Barn Creative, a Delaware-based agency that has designed logos for a number of minor hockey baseball and hockey teams, including the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League) and two of the Goatheads’ new ECHL compatriots, the Greensboro Gargoyles and the Tahoe Knight Monsters.
The primary logo is the head of a goat with curling horns, a goathead thorn-shaped marking in the middle of its forehead, and the shape of a mountain in its chin. The goat is rendered in the team’s colour palette of Desert Red, Sand and Rio Grande Blue.
The secondary marks are goathead thorns with the initials “NM” inside. One is mainly red, while the other is mainly sand. Both have black and blue outlines.
The identity package includes several text lockups that can be combined with the primary and secondary logos and feature thorny letterforms. One of the text options is the team name inside an outline of the state of New Mexico.
“This brand represents New Mexico’s toughness, pride, and resilience. We wanted something authentic to our community, and we believe the Goatheads are a team and a symbol fans across the state can rally behind.”
— Jared Johnson, General Manager, New Mexico Goatheads
Merchandise with the Goatheads’ logos will soon be available for purchase on the team’s online shop.
The Goatheads franchise was awarded to REV Entertainment in May 2024. It will be the ECHL’s 31st team and will play in the 7,000-seat Rio Rancho Events Center, 30 miles outside Albuquerque.
The Rio Rancho Events Center was previously home ice for the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League (2006-2009) and the New Mexico Mustangs of the North American Hockey League (2010-2012).
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