Each month, New Heights will shine a light on the most unique parts of Philadelphia's hockey community by sharing the stories of people who play, coach, and love the game. The series is being produced by the Flyer's new, in-house content shop, overseen by Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mark Zarthar; and is part of Comcast Spectacor's aggressive expansion into self-produced digital storytelling, both on and off the ice.
"The Flyers are Philadelphia's team - they belong to everyone in this city and this region, regardless of skin color, zip code, income or background - but we know there's more work to be done to make the sport of hockey accessible to and inclusive of everyone, especially members of the Black community," said Andrea Agnew, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Philadelphia Flyers and Comcast Spectacor. "This video series, starting with this month's episode, will help ensure that everyone sees our team and our sport as a place where they are welcome, where they are celebrated, and where they belong."
"Since 2005, with the enduring support of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers Alumni, and a host of loyal donors, Snider Hockey has helped tens of thousands of students build a foundation for lifelong achievement through hockey," said Snider Hockey President and CEO, Scott Tharp. "In celebration of Black History Month, we are excited and honored to work with the Flyers to highlight some of the amazing young men and women who have embraced the sport of hockey and made incredible contributions on and off the ice."
The individuals highlighted in this month's episode of New Heights include:
Jaydon Jones (15 year-old student)
Jaydon currently plays Tier 1 hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers Elite 15U AAA team and is one of the most talented players to come through the Snider Hockey program since the foundation's inception in 2005. He has represented Snider Hockey at the 2018 Quebec International Peewee Tournament and the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Ramella Mitchell (17-year-old student)
Ramella currently plays on the Snider Hockey Girls U19-A team and is on track to play at the collegiate level. Ramella is part of the Snider Hockey Leadership Council and is the only Breakaway Scholar at Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School.
Kaseir Archie (24-year-old alumni)
Kaseir started in the Snider Hockey program in 2008 and quickly established himself as a leader after joining one of the Foundation's first-ever travel hockey teams. He went on to play at the collegiate level for Drexel University and remained involved with Snider Hockey as a coach. Kaseir is also an Alumni member of the Leadership Council and one of the first Alumni to join the Friends of Snider Hockey Advisory Council.
Isa Abdul-Rahman (20-year-old alumni)
Isa played his first season with the Foundation in 2013 and played for the Simons Sonic in the Snider Hockey League (SHL). Isa has now become a role model for the Foundation's students as an Alumni coach.
Each month, the Flyers will release a new video in the New Heights series that focuses on a specific social topic. The next video, which is set to be released in March, will focus on gender equality and women in the sport hockey.
