“I think hockey is often misunderstood among my generation,” said Madison Xu, a 17-year-old member of the advisory board from Vancouver. “Spreading the sport is something I care about, and I think the way it helped me, it can help other people as well.”
The advisory board meets virtually two to three times per month to give these young fans an opportunity to offer feedback and suggestions to the League.
Some Power Players even get to travel to different marquee events throughout the season.
Xu described hockey as a “consistent presence in my life,” and said she’s been watching the sport with her dad over the last few years.
“That’s something that brings me a lot of comfort and something I greatly value,” she said.
She enters her first year with the Power Players and is looking forward to putting her best ideas forward throughout the season.
“I really want to be contributing very thoughtfully to all the meetings that we’re having,” Xu said. “And give the most valuable insights that I can.”
During the program, the Power Players can advocate for certain passion projects to help them gain traction within the League.
Kade McKeever, a 17-year-old from Virginia in his second year with the program, used his time last year to make a presentation on adaptive hockey. McKeever himself participates in blind hockey (as well as field hockey at his high school and is signing up for an upcoming adult league), so he decided to use Power Players as a way to support inclusion in the sport.
“I’m a big advocate for adaptive hockey since I’m visually impaired myself,” McKeever said. “My approach for working with the League is that I want to be the voice for the people who don’t have it.”
After McKeever’s presentation last year, the program brought in Jen Lee, the Team USA Paralympic goaltender, as a guest speaker during the annual career day at the end of the season.
“Seeing my small little presentation about adaptive hockey lead to having a three-time gold medalist was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life,” McKeever said.
This season, as a more experienced Power Player, McKeever wants to get out of his comfort zone and take more of a leadership role in the program.
“Make myself approachable, meet new people and be open to reaching out to people who work at the League,” he said.
Xu is also looking to use Power Players as an opportunity to make some more connections in the world of hockey, within the Power Players program and also all within the League.
“I’m really excited to learn from my peers,” she said. “It’s such a great group of people and there’s so much that you can absorb.”
The program runs throughout the entire NHL season.
"We are thrilled to welcome the next class of NHL Power Players, a remarkable group of young leaders who will inspire us with their creativity, passion, and commitment,” said Heidi Browning, chief digital officer at the NHL. “Through this program, we are empowering the next generation to help shape the future of our great game by sharing their perspectives, ideas, and unique voices. We look forward to learning from this talented group and working together to create new opportunities for fans, strengthen connections across the hockey community, and ensure the sport remains more inclusive, engaging, and accessible for everyone."
