NHL Power Players having 'dreams come true' by helping grow game

The NHL's youth movement continues with the second group of NHL Power Players, an advisory board made up of fans ages 13-17 who are bringing their best ideas to help grow the game with a younger audience.

Up from 15 in 2019,
this season's panel consists
of 25 kids from the U.S. and Canada. Each was selected from a pool of applicants because of their innovative and creative ideas. They also had to participate in a three-part interview process.
"Last season, I made a ton of friends being part of the Power Players and we grew to become a tight-knit family," said Saad Ahmad, a 16-year-old from Toronto who was also on the advisory board in 2019. "We're early into this season and I can already tell this group is special as well, we bonded immediately and have been connecting ever since.
"It's also just awesome to know that you're getting a chance to directly help the sport you love. People always talk about what they'd do if they had the chance to change things about the League. Being part of the Power Players has allowed me to make those dreams come true. I get to put my own mark on the League and present my own ideas that I think would work."
Throughout the season, the members of the board communicate with each other on a Slack channel and participate on meetings over the phone or Zoom where they will make suggestions on marketing the NHL, community engagement, rules of play, events and social media content.
"NHL Power Players is a unique and engaging way for the League to immerse the next generation of hockey fans into our sport while utilizing their feedback to create thoughtful change in marketing our game," said Heidi Browning, NHL senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Browning and her staff work with the advisory panel throughout the season to discuss the kids' ideas about social media content, marketing teams and players, and the inner workings of the NHL.
"I really enjoyed connecting with the other Power Players and the team members, and I loved being able to see the 'behind the scenes' of the events and social media pieces that I was already familiar with," said 16-year-old Callista Chong, a returning member from Chicago. "It feels like I have more in-depth knowledge about how things actually work from a technical and business perspective rather than just as a consumer."
The group even attended the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis.
"We were able to go to the media and red carpet events, meet with some of the women from the U.S. and Canadian National teams, and go to both the All-Star Skills competition and the games," said 17-year-old Erika Mueller from St. Louis, who is a returning member this year. "It was a surreal experience for me, I was able to meet some of my favorite players and was introduced to several NHL staff as well as Blues staff and locals who worked in other sports businesses."
Many of the ideas from the advisor made a profound impact on Ahmad last year, who believed he only had a future in medicine. He has since become a member of the NHL's Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee, part of the League's initiative to make the sport more inclusive.
"Getting to join the Power Players taught me a lot about the business side of the world, especially that of sports," he said. "It gave me a feeling that it was something that I'd enjoy being a part of, because I learned that marketing and planning for the League requires endless challenges to hurdle, but honestly challenges are something that I enjoy facing. Thanks to that, I wound up changing my career choices entirely. Now my dream is to work in hockey in some capacity, preferably becoming a general manager even if it's a long shot."
This year the members will continue to come up with ideas while navigating the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
"After last year's season, I realized how important growing hockey is to me, especially to communities and people where hockey is not as accessible or popular," Mueller said. "I'm still brainstorming on how to make that a reality during COVID times, but I think the NHL is one of the best sources to build hockey, whether that be through more fan engagement on social media or new ways of engaging fans that can attend games, offering learn to play programs for all ages, doing player spotlights, etc.
"I think a key part to growing the hockey fan base is making sure fans understand and appreciate the game of hockey itself, as well as get to know the players and what the franchises are doing for their communities."