Building the Future of Hockey Through Innovation, Community, and Partnership

We sat down with Katie Cheesbrough, Head of Brand IP & Programs at SponsorPulse, to unpack the vision behind the competition, what made this year’s program stand out, and how initiatives like this are helping shape the future of sports partnerships through innovation, education, and community impact.

What is the NHL/NHLPA Innovation Competition, and what was the vision behind it?

The vision behind the NHL/NHLPA Innovation Competition was to create something bigger than a traditional case competition - almost a Dragon’s Den-style platform designed to help the NHL engage younger audiences in a more meaningful way.

At the core of the initiative was a simple idea: who better to help generate ideas for the future of hockey than the very audience the league is trying to reach?

The competition connects post-secondary students directly with the sports industry through real-world business and community-focused challenges tied to the future of hockey. It provides students with meaningful access, hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to industry leaders, while also bringing fresh thinking, new perspectives, and actionable ideas back to the NHL and its partners.

What stood out to you most about this year’s competition?

The quality of thinking from the students was incredible.

What stood out most was how purpose-driven many of the ideas were. Students weren’t only thinking about business growth; they were also focused on accessibility, wellness, sustainability, and community impact.

The diversity of backgrounds also brought a unique dynamic to the competition. Students from business, engineering, design, technology, health sciences, and other disciplines all approached the challenges differently, creating a richer exchange of ideas and perspectives.

Perhaps the most rewarding part was seeing students build confidence while networking directly with industry leaders throughout the experience.

From your perspective, what makes a program like this successful?

Programs like this are successful when they create value for everyone involved.

For students, that means real access, meaningful experience, and tangible opportunities to learn and grow. For brands and partners, success comes from driving relevance, insight, and authentic engagement with the next generation.

Another critical piece is authenticity. When students know their ideas are genuinely being considered by organizations like the NHL, NHLPA, SAP, ESPN, clubs, and other industry leaders, the level of engagement changes completely.

How do you think about designing initiatives that balance innovation with real-world impact?

The process always starts with identifying a real challenge or tension that exists within the industry or community.

Innovation for the sake of innovation rarely creates meaningful results. The strongest ideas are creative, but also practical, scalable, and capable of solving real problems.

There is also a strong focus on experience design - thinking carefully about how participants engage with the program, what they take away from it, and how the initiative creates value beyond a single event.

Ultimately, the goal is to build programs that inspire people while also leading to tangible action.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for brands in programs like this?

Today, brands are looking for more than visibility. They want meaningful ways to connect with communities and future audiences.

Programs like this allow brands to authentically align themselves with education, innovation, youth engagement, accessibility, and impact.

There is also a significant opportunity for brands to become true enablers by helping create experiences, mentorship opportunities, scholarships, technology access, and pathways into the industry.

The strongest partnerships are the ones where the brand becomes part of the ecosystem, rather than simply appearing as a sponsor logo.

How does SponsorPulse approach bringing these types of partnerships and initiatives to life?

At SponsorPulse, the approach combines insight-led strategy with execution.

Everything begins with understanding audience behaviour, cultural trends, partner objectives, and identifying whitespace opportunities within the market.

From there, the focus shifts toward building platforms and experiences designed to create long-term value rather than one-off activations.

There is also a strong emphasis on scalability and sustainability to ensure programs can continue evolving and growing year after year.

Why do you think programs like this resonate so strongly with participants and communities?

Programs like this resonate because they feel authentic and personal.

One student shared that during the final pitch event, they felt like “a rockstar” from the moment they arrived - a reflection of how meaningful and empowering the experience was for participants.

Students are looking for real opportunities to contribute, connect, and feel seen. Communities also respond positively when sport is used as a platform for something bigger, whether that’s education, wellness, innovation, or inclusion.

There is also something uniquely powerful about bringing industry leaders and young people together in the same space to collaborate and learn from one another. Throughout the competition, industry leaders repeatedly commented that the future is in incredibly good hands after hearing the students’ ideas and presentations.

Looking ahead, how do you see initiatives like this shaping the future of sports and partnerships?

The future of sports partnerships is increasingly moving toward platforms and communities rather than traditional sponsorship models.

Going forward, partnerships will be less about passive visibility and more about participation, collaboration, and creating experiences people can actively engage with.

Programs like this also help leagues and brands stay connected to emerging audiences, new ideas, and future talent.

There is a significant opportunity to build ecosystems that bring together education, sport, innovation, culture, and community impact in a more integrated way.

What advice would you give to organizations looking to build similar programs?

Start with a clear purpose and a real problem to solve.

Build with the community, not simply for the community, and focus on creating mutual value for all stakeholders involved.

Organizations should also never underestimate the importance of experience design and storytelling in shaping how people connect with a program.

Most importantly, commit to building something long-term. The strongest platforms are the ones that continue evolving and creating impact year after year.

More Than a Competition

The NHL/NHLPA Innovation Competition demonstrates what’s possible when leagues, brands, and partners create platforms that prioritize participation, insight, and community impact. More than a competition, the initiative represents a shift toward partnerships that are collaborative, experience-driven, and designed to create long-term value for everyone involved.

As sports organizations continue looking for more meaningful ways to connect with future audiences, programs like this offer a blueprint for how innovation, education, and partnership can come together to shape the future of the industry.