TORONTO (June 23, 2026) – NHLPA Goals & Dreams, the charitable arm of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, announced today that its hockey equipment donations for the 2025-26 hockey season has exceeded more than 1,300 sets and over $750,000 of equipment to more than 75 organizations in 10 countries.
“For over 25 years, NHLPA Goals & Dreams has helped bring hockey to deserving youth around the world,” said Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director. “The continued support from NHLPA members reflects the players’ commitment to giving back to the game and creating opportunities for children to experience hockey in their home communities.”
In 2025-26, NHLPA Goals & Dreams made one of the largest donations in the program’s history, together with 11 players, by providing 120 full sets of hockey equipment to 11 hockey clubs in Czechia through the Czech Ice Hockey Association’s Let’s Play Hockey initiative. This season’s NHLPA Goals & Dreams support also includes programs focused on girls-inclusive hockey, reducing financial barriers, Indigenous communities, children with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, military families and grassroots organizations in communities around the world.
“NHLPA Goals & Dreams donations can be the difference in a child connecting with the game and getting to experience hockey firsthand,” said Andrew Wolfe, Director, NHLPA Goals & Dreams. “Thanks to the generosity of the players, NHLPA Goals & Dreams continues to remove barriers so more children of all backgrounds can play.”
2025-26 Highlights:
- Global reach: NHLPA Goals & Dreams had a direct impact in 10 countries – Australia, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.
- Honouring Goodenow: an equipment donation was made to Clark Park Coalition in Detroit, Michigan, in memory of former NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow, who co-founded NHLPA Goals & Dreams in 1999. Clark Park serves over 100 youth, many of which come from low-income households.
- Growing the game in Italy: NHLPA Goals & Dreams donated to the Italian Ice Sports Federation to help build on the momentum and legacy of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, by providing five sets each to five teams (HC Milano Devils, Hc Diavoli Rossoneri, Mastini Varese, US Chiavennese, Hockey Como) in the Lombardia region.
- Building community connections: in Ireland, a donation to the Irish Ice Hockey Association supports a police-led hockey program designed to help build trust with authorities through community engagement. In the United States, support for United Heroes League helps create an environment of continuity and belonging for military children whose families may relocate or experience deployment.
- Growing opportunities for girls in hockey: of the more than 75 organizations supported this season, three-quarters of the recipient programs included girls-inclusive hockey programming, including a donation to the Demons Ice Hockey Club Inc. in Victoria, Australia, and Grindstone Award Foundation in Canada, to help reduce barriers faced by young girls in hockey.
- Partnering to open doors: NHLPA Goals & Dreams and OREO helped extend its reach in the second year of the OREO Stay Playful For All program by providing equipment grants to 14 youth hockey organizations across Canada, with NHLPA members helping bring added visibility and impact to the partnership.
- In its 20th season, Kraft Heinz, the NHL and the NHLPA partnered to connect with kids across the country; NHLPA Goals & Dreams and the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund committed $130,000 in new hockey equipment as part of the program.
- The NHLPA and Amazon kicked off an expanded partnership, with the first event in Ottawa, by donating $25,000 CAD each to three local Ottawa organizations with connections to NHLPA Goals & Dreams – Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League, Canadian Blind Hockey Association, and Next Shift Canada – to support more accessible and inclusive hockey.
