NHL/NHLPA IGF Hockey Innovation Competition announces 2025 winner

NHL/NHLPA IGF HOCKEY INNOVATION COMPETITION ANNOUNCES 2025 WINNER

Innovation, Creativity, Feasibility, Implementation and Sustainability all Recognized as Important Pillars for NHL’s Growth Strategy

TORONTO (Feb. 3, 2025) – With Lord Stanley as the backdrop, five University of Guelph students from were chosen as the team winning submission for the inaugural 2025 Hockey Innovation Competition last week, the National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League announced.

Hosted at Toronto’s iconic Hockey Hall of Fame, the NHL/NHLPA’s Industry Growth Fund awarded Alexandra Lindsay, Julia Lowther, Caroline MacLeod, Sophie Potter and Gray Yates, third year University of Guelph Sport and Event Management students, engraved crystals, scholarship funding and industry congratulations for their ideation and presentation.

The team’s submission -- NHL Champions Quest -- was centered on enhancing the fan experience with a rebrand of the NHL’s Mobile Museum tailored for elementary school classes. NHL Champions Quest included a stick-in-hands approach to spark interest in hockey, promote youth programs offered in the NHL’s grassroots space, the creation of a digital platform to track progress and provide additional education opportunities and last-but-not-least, fun activities to encourage team building and physical activity.

The IGF Hockey Innovation Competition challenged students to seek innovative strategies and identify emerging trends to attract and engage the next generation of hockey fans. Students were asked to leverage of one of three innovation pillars:

• The Technology Experience: Leverage technology to connect and bring in new youth hockey fans by creating or utilizing an existing platform/app/digital community.  
   
• The Customer Experience (in-game or at-home): Envision the ideal fan engagement experience in the arena or improve and enable new opportunities for connection to provide a more interactive and personalized viewing experience.
   
• Enhancing Existing Programs (education experience or mobile tour experience): Reimagine or enhance an integrated hockey-themed strategy or school-based program to more deeply connect with students within the classroom and beyond or thinking about a future concept of the mobile tour experience.

The competition was extended to students in Universities and Colleges across Ontario and attracted more than 250 participants from 13 schools, yielding 63 unique and creative submissions. Each team was given the opportunity to present via ZOOM to a competition representative before the submissions were narrowed down to six finalists. Those finalists – from the University of Guelph (3), Humber Polytechnic (2) and St. Clair College (1) – were then invited to present their work to a panel of judges at the Hockey Hall of Fame on January 29.  

“Having the opportunity to engage these next generation thought leaders through the NHL/NHLPA Hockey Innovation Competition and our joint Industry Growth Fund, is such a fulfilling experience,” said NHLPA divisional player representative Chris Campoli. “The entries that were submitted, and the process that the students went through in this competition are testaments to the depth of talent out there. Choosing a winner was extremely difficult.” 

"The way the students embraced the competition head-on and came up with innovative and creative solutions to help the NHL grow the game, was nothing short of remarkable,” said Rob Knesaurek, NHL Senior Vice President for Community Development & Industry Growth. “Their critical thinking, determination and willingness to address these challenges, speaks volumes to the next generation of entrepreneurs we had the opportunity to observe. They are all winners in my mind."

WINNER
Team members: Alexandra Lindsay, Julia Lowther, Caroline MacLeod, Sophie Potter and Gray Yates (University of Guelph)

• Submission: NHL Champions Quest – Rebrand the NHL’s mobile museum to tailor the experience for elementary school classes to spark youth interest in hockey and promote youth programs offered by the NHL.
   
• Prizing: $2,500 scholarship (for each member), tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, VIP access to a special NHL behind-the-scenes experience.

RUNNER UP

Team members: Joshua Mastandrea, Ryan Mee, Hunter Sutherland (Humber Polytechnic)

• Submission: NHL x Broadcast Properties – Collaborate with NHL broadcast partners (i.e. Disney) to create and distribute regular programming aimed at engaging families and the youth audience using animated characters and popular shows they can identify with.
   
• Prizing: $500 scholarship (for each member), tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game

About The NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund:

Established in 2013 by the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association, and supported by the NHL’s 32 Clubs, the IGF was created to support and accelerate the development of NHL and Club business initiatives and projects that promote long-term fan development and increase participation at all levels of hockey with an emphasis on youth.  

The IGF focuses on building hockey awareness and avidity both in local Club markets and on a national level (in the United States and Canada) by subsidizing League-wide programs and local Club initiatives, reaching diverse audiences and offering unique hockey opportunities for players and fans.  

Since its inception, the IGF has dedicated more than $200 million to develop programming, create initiatives, host events and provide education that drives awareness and brings hockey to communities across North America.  Learn more about the IGF, here.