Soul On Ice: The Podcast joins NHL lineup

NEW YORK - The National Hockey League (NHL®) today announced the addition of Soul On Ice: The Podcast to its 2019-20 NHL Podcast lineup. The podcast will debut on Wednesday, July 22 with special guests Connor Carrick of the New Jersey Devils, Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Soul on Ice blends elements of culture and hockey, providing uncharted commentary and perspectives on the state of the game, defining moments in history and the future evolution of the sport. The original podcast debuted on March 25 with award-winning filmmaker Kwame Damon Mason and co-hosts Los Angeles Kings prospect Akil Thomas and Niagara IceDogs defenseman Elijah Roberts.

In the first episode, Kwame, Akil and Elijah discuss joining the NHL family of podcasts and the Return to Play plan and along with their guests - Kane, Carrick and Slavin - talk about social justice, the importance of being allies and the growth of the game. Fans can tune-in to find out about the challenges that Kane has faced since being drafted and how he ultimately found his voice and used his past experiences as a player to advocate for positive change within the sport. Carrick and Slavin both openly recognize the specific work and action that needs to take place among white players to drive change and stand united for social justice. Slavin talks about how adopting a black daughter has helped him think about past issues related to social justice and how critical it is for all NHL players to truly listen to the experiences of people of color to completely understand their perspective.

"We are thrilled to be adding to our Podcast lineup in the most meaningful way," said NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer. "We have worked with Kwame and his team for years and love that he brings a unique perspective to everything he magically touches, whether it's a podcast or an Award-winning film."

"When Akil and Elijah approached me with the podcast idea, I was so excited to get back to conducting interviews and having fun and candid conversations after spending 14 years as a radio announcer," said Kwame. "The fact that both players are young in their hockey careers gives our listeners a first-hand look at the game we all love. We are so grateful and excited for this partnership and sharing our perspectives with NHL audiences is the icing on the cake."

Past guests on Soul On Ice, The Podcast include Anthony Stewart, David Amber, Mark Fraser, Erik Gudbranson, Grant Fuhr, Givani Smith, Karl Subban, JT Brown, Kiana Scott, Blake Bolden, Ron MacLean, Xavier Woods, Jaden Lindo, Sarah Nurse, Joel Ward, Quinton Byfield and K'Andre Miller. Previous episodes of the podcasts will be added to NHL platforms in the coming weeks.

"Soul on Ice gives voice to an emerging community within the game of hockey - one that blurs the lines between sport, fashion, food, art, music and more," said Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Affairs. "This mutually beneficial relationship provides our audience the opportunity to connect with the game of hockey on a deeper emotional level, through cultural conversation and storytelling."

New NHL episodes will be available each Wednesday.

Other NHL Podcasts include NHL Fantasy On Ice™, NHL Executive Suite™ and NHL Draft Class™, NHL@TheRink and Puck Culture. Fans can download individual episodes of all series at www.nhl.com/podcasts. NHL Podcasts is an NHL Studio Production. NHL Podcasts are available on Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iheartradio, iTunes, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio.