Hockeyverse matchup of the week 3

Saturday morning cartoons are about to get a brand-new look.

Every Saturday, starting Feb. 1, fans will be able to tune in to watch "NHL HOCKEYVERSE Matchup of the Week," a new animated program featuring a 30-minute recap of an NHL regular season game from the week prior.

"NHL HOCKEYVERSE Matchup of the Week" brings new life to those NHL matchups, using NHL EDGE Positional Data to animate all the action. This is the same technology used for the League’s animated games from previous seasons.

“The last two years we specifically did this as a full live game,” said David Lehanski, NHL executive vice president, business development & innovation. “What we’re trying to do this year is build on that, produce more full games, but also test more shorter form content.

“We’re taking some of the success that we’ve had producing these long form, full games as animations and creating shorter form content on a weekly basis,” he added.

Hockeyverse matchup of the week 2

One of the main objectives of the new initiative is to bring young fans closer to the game and to the NHL. To help bring in those young viewers, the program will feature teenage broadcasters, who will appear as animated avatars, to give play-by-play and commentary in a youthful manner.

“A younger voice delivering the game from a play-by-play standpoint and from a commentary standpoint has proven to drive higher level of engagement,” said Lehanski. “People want to be with people they feel a connection with. We’ll go beyond that to create a visual experience that complements it as well with unique characters, unique environments, unique settings that is designed for a younger audience.”

The broadcasters were selected from the Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp, a New York City-based sports broadcasting class for teenagers aged 13 and up. The camp is run by longtime sports broadcaster Bruce Beck, a well-known staple in the industry.

“We’ve tapped into that to try and find really skillful young people,” Lehanski said.

Lehanski said the League will determine which matchups are highlighted based on the teams that are playing as well as certain storylines worth following, such as playoff races or games leading up to a big event.

The first episode, airing Feb. 1, will feature a recap of the Vancouver Canucks-Washington Capitals game from Jan. 25 (a 2-1 Canucks win featuring two goals by defenseman Quinn Hughes).

“We’re hoping that these condensed games serve as an entry point for what we hope will be future avid fans of the National Hockey League,” said Lehanski. “So we’re trying to deliver exciting matchups. We’re really hoping that it catapults interest in the NHL beyond just the condensed games.”

Hockeyverse matchup of the week

The NHL EDGE Positional Data technology opens up plenty of doors to create new ways to experience the NHL, and Lehanski said the "NHL HOCKEYVERSE" is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tapping into that technology.

“There’s really no end to where we can take this,” Lehanski said. “We’re focused on this youthful audience right now and leveraging the format, but we definitely have some plans to start to expand and maybe even age up a little bit.”

Episodes will air on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. ET on NHL Network in the U.S. and on Sportsnet in Canada at 12 p.m. ET. Each episode will also be available on the NHL YouTube channel.