Color of Hockey: Osei-Tutu driven to excel as agent

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles John Osei-Tutu, who is one of only two Black agents certified by the NHL Players Association to represent players in dealings with NHL clubs.

John Osei-Tutu’s hockey journey began with a movie.

“ 'The Mighty Ducks' came out and there were two Black kids in the movie, 'Jesse' (played by Brandon Adams) and 'Terry' (played by Jussie Smollett),” Osei-Tutu said. “I looked at my mom and said, ‘Hey, I’d love to try this.' At the time, I had no idea that it was uncommon or unusual for Black kids to play hockey.”

Osei-Tutu became a player and later became one of the rarest of a rare breed: a Black sports agent who represents professional hockey players.

The Freeport, New York, native, who turned 36 on Monday, and Eustace King are the only Black agents certified by the NHL Players Association to represent players in dealings with NHL clubs.

Brett Peterson was an agent before he joined the Florida Panthers in November 2020 and became the first Black assistant general manager in the NHL.

Osei-Tutu’s clients include Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato, Nashville Predators defenseman prospect Ryan Ufko, Boston Bruins goalie prospect Brandon Bussi, Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect Nick Abruzzese and Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Marc Johnstone.

He's also the family adviser to James Hagens, an incoming Boston College freshman forward who was a standout for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team and is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

“I have had this burning passion for hockey my entire life,” Osei-Tutu said. “I've been involved either as a coach, a player, an adviser, scout, skill development, video coach. I've worn all these hats in hockey. And it is the coolest thing in the world to get to use my professional skills in furtherance of my passion for this sport.

"My goal is to represent the best players in the NHL.”

His initial goal after seeing “The Mighty Ducks” was getting on the ice. Once his mother took him to a local rink for skating and lessons, he was immediately hooked.

He worked his way up the local hockey ladder, playing for the Freeport Arrows, Long Island Royals, the Portledge School, New York Apple Core and Brewster of the old Empire Junior Hockey League.

Health issues forced Osei-Tutu to stop playing at 18, but it didn’t diminish his love for the sport. He became a coach while pursuing his education.

He earned a law degree from Fordham University in 2015 and landed a job with a litigation firm in New York’s financial district, but he felt something was missing.

“I already had some interest in working in the agent business,” he said. “I had some really strong relationships with players, I coached some really good players. I learned from my peer group’s experiences and watching guys like (Boston Bruins defenseman) Charlie McAvoy, somebody I did skills with, and it got to the point where I said, ‘I can do this.’”

Osei-Tutu and friend Bobby Gauthier founded OT Sports Group LLC in January 2016, and later co-branded with PuckAgency, a long-established firm run by Jay Grossman.

The two friends began using their knowledge of the New York-area hockey scene and beyond to look for clients, but business started out slowly.

“Bobby and I worked for five years to get our first NHL player, and he fired us 10 games in,” he said. “This is a very difficult industry to gain any traction in. We've worked for free for players ... and other agents have poached them. We are very, very, pleased and proud to be where we are today, and it’s very much a story of perseverance.”

The son of a Ghana-born father and United-States-born Black mother, Osei-Tutu said he loves representing clients and being a role model.

“I never get involved in hockey if 'Jesse' and 'Terry' aren’t in ‘The Mighty Ducks,’ and I do very much believe that representation matters,” he said. “When I was coming up, there wasn’t an HPOC Movement, 43 Oak Foundation or Hockey Equality and there also weren’t a lot of executives in hockey that look like me.

“We now have a Black assistant general manager (Peterson), we have a Black general manager (San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier), Eustace and I are representing players,” Osei-Tutu said. “There wasn’t that type of visibility before and I do hope that I am able to set an example for young diverse people, and just young people in general, that if you love the game and want to be in the NHL, maybe your athletic talent won’t get you there, but you do have the opportunity to use your brains and other skills that you bring to the table that can open doors to you to work in the NHL and be involved in the game.”

Ross Mitton, Osei-Tutu’s nephew, jokes that he’s responsible for Osei-Tutu becoming a hockey agent. Osei-Tutu began coaching Mitton when he was 12 and helped his family navigate the elite organized hockey system.

“John’s very unique,” said Mitton, who’ll be a fifth-year senior forward at the University of Maine this season after playing the past four seasons at Colgate. “He’s very upfront and honest. He tells me when I’m playing bad, who’s coming to watch, things like that. He treats me like he treats other players.”

Johnstone said Osei-Tutu has represented him through the highs and lows of his career.

Johnstone was one of the feel-good stories of the 2023-24 season when he debuted with the Penguins as a 27-year-old undrafted rookie against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 8, 2023.

His 7:19 of ice time capped an unconventional path to the NHL that included playing two years for Chicago of the United States Hockey League, four years at NCAA Division I Sacred Heart, two seasons with South Carolina and Newfoundland of the ECHL and four seasons with Toronto and Wilkes Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He thought his career was over when South Carolina cut him just five games after he turned pro in 2020-21.

“In one of my darkest moments when I got cut from the ‘Coast’ and I was really down on myself, he's kind of the guy that showed me the light, like, ‘The dream’s still alive,’” Johnstone said of Osei-Tutu. “He was almost speaking it into existence, which as many people say, doesn't really help or doesn't work. But it really does.”

Johnstone said he and Osei-Tutu have come full circle together.

“I was one of his first players,” he said. “When we were on the phone that first time, it was pretty special talking about making it and the dream. One of the things that he said is, ‘Nobody will be able to take that away.'

“That’s been true for me and for him.”