TORONTO — The challenge for any business is finding ways to attract new customers. For the NHL, it is no different. And the best way of growing the game is to connect to the next generation of fans.
So the NHL and NHLPA partnered to host the 2024-2025 Industry Growth Fund Hockey Innovation Competition, focused on outcome-based investing using a pitch-style competition to engage with the next generation of hockey fans and entrepreneurs.
Students across Ontario universities and colleges were invited to create innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions to increase participation and fandom for future growth of hockey for a chance to earn a scholarship toward future tuition costs.
“Hockey, although we have great momentum and have had some great years, we recognize that we have opportunities and some challenges in front of us,” said Rob Knesaurek, NHL Senior Vice President, youth development and industry growth. “The ability to engage in a younger generation and get them to help us to solve problems was so enriching. Sometimes as an older, wily guy, I have blind spots and it was great to bring these young students together just to help us solve some of the issues that we don’t always think of these solutions and how they impact their generation.”
The competition received 63 proposals across 13 colleges and universities that included 252 participating students. After an exhaustive process where groups made their initial pitch via zoom, six finalists were determined and invited to present in-person to a panel of five judges on Wednesday at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The pitches incorporated ideas that encompassed gaming, mental health initiatives, cartoon-themed kid specific broadcasts, social media and charity components. But ultimately, after an hour-long deliberation period following the six pitches, in the Great Hall with the Stanley Cup serving as the background, the NHL Champions Quest led by Sophie Potter, Julia Lowther, Alexandra Lindsay, Gray Yates and Caroline MacLeod from the University of Guelph was announced as the winner.
“I can’t even think right now,” Potter said. “I’m just so excited, just seeing the progress of our team and how we’ve all come together to get this far is insane and then on top of that winning, I’m just so ecstatic about it.”
Knesaurek said determining a winner was challenging.
“It was tough,” he said. “I think what we did in the room there was say, ‘what could we implement sooner rather than later?’ What was a space that is not too populated? What is kind of real to do and something that can be brought to life with the imagination of these young kids.’ It was a tough decision. Any one of them could have been winner.”
The concept will leverage the NHL’s Mobile Museum to tailor experiences to school classrooms giving access to the museum in the form of a school field trip. Through the project, it will introduce hockey to children, parents, staff and communities through the excitement of the mobile museum and events surrounding its visit by leveraging an existing asset without having to start from scratch.
“The NHL is looking to increase engagement with younger audiences so we decided to come up with an idea that could capture that younger audience and spark that lifelong passion for hockey,” Lindsay said.
As the students said in their presentation, they viewed the mobile museum not just as a museum but as a gateway for future hockey fans by giving classrooms the opportunity to visit and making the NHL accessible to kids from under-represented background.
“We really wanted to present an idea that was something that was not only a great idea but feasible and could actually be implemented by the NHL,” Lowther said. “We wanted to take the mobile museum and take it to another level because it’s already such an amazing asset that the NHL has.”
Added Yates, “We’re just thinking we can reimagine it to inspire and educate young fans and try to ignite that lifelong passion for the game.”
Knesaurek said he feels the NHL Champions Quest has the potential to make a dramatic impact in the growth of the game by bringing the product directly to the next generation of fans.
“I do want to build out their idea,” he said. “I think they have a way of really connecting with kids where they are at which is in schools, a unique way of redesigning our mobile museum, connecting teachers and parents, that’s the ecosystem we are after, that’s the next generation of fans and if they can help us get their quicker, we’re in.”
MacLeod said it was the first time all five students had worked together on a project.
“Some of us had worked together before in other school projects, others were completely new,” MacLeod said. “We were kind of sitting beside each other that day and said, ‘hey this should be our group’. We were hoping for like an 85, we were not expecting this result so over time our group has grown a lot closer than it was at the start and now I feel like we’re best friends.”
“Weight lifted of our shoulders. Seeing the other groups holding themselves so well, they were so strong, you get in your head and get a bit nervous but we came through with our confidence I feel and all took a deep breath and it paid off.”
She said they ultimately received a grade of 100% on the project.
In the end, Knesaurek was left remarkably impressed not just with the winning pitch but all six groups.
“I thought everyone was a winner today and I really think we have some new fans as a result of it, new people engaged and I hope to stay in touch with all of them,” Knesaurek said.
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