The NHL Power Players youth advisory board is back for its seventh season.
This season’s board is made up of 23 teens, aged 13-17 from the United States and Canada that were chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants.
Launched in 2019, the Power Players offer feedback and suggestions to the NHL on how to help grow the game amongst young people like themselves.
New board member Sophie Knakal, a 16-year-old from Manhasset, NY, is excited to have the opportunity to show kids her age what hockey has to offer.
“With the program, I wish to accomplish gaining more fans, getting more teenagers to become fans of the NHL,” Kankal said. “When I meet people, I love sports [so] the first thing I ask them is, ‘oh what's your favorite sport?’ And I hardly ever hear hockey and I want to change that. It's such an exciting and action-packed game.”
Knakal got into hockey thanks to her dad, a huge New York Rangers fan. She played two seasons of travel hockey as a kid. The family has had Rangers season tickets since she was 7 years old.
When she saw the NHL Power Players advertised while watching NHL Network every morning, she knew she had to join.
“I went online and looked at the Power Players website and thought it was really cool that they have this initiative where they have kids give them advice on how to market to them,” Knakal said. “I think it's really smart because they want to market to kids. So, hearing from kids would be a great way to get that first-hand experience.”
The advisory board meets twice per month where they discuss their opinions on happenings around the League such as the players' new relaxed dress code and how to increase reach to casual fans, especially females.
The program is also an opportunity for the members to develop leadership skills to benefit their future careers with many interested in a career in sports or advocacy. Perfect for Knakal, who plans on majoring in sports management in college and her dream is work for the NHL one day.
Peyton Tigchelaar, a 17-year-old from Vancouver, BC, joined the board to help increase outreach to diverse communities.
“My passion is increasing visibility to women's sports and underrepresented ethnicities. I'm a girl and I'm also Chinese, so there aren't very many people like me who are hockey fans or even play the sport itself. I would really like to diversify the fan base.”
Tigchelaar was inspired by her experience this past summer with the organization Black Girl Hockey where she had a blast working with professional athletes to teach girls of all ethnicities hockey.
Born into a hockey family, Tigchelaar started playing the sport in 2016 after joining the San Jose Sharks learn to play program when she lived in California. Both her parents played hockey and her grandfather played professionally.
Sophie, Peyton and may of their fellow board members will travel to two of the NHL’s marquee events this season, the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Miami and the 2026 Stadium Series Navy Federal Credit Union in Tampa Bay, where the members will be face to face together for the first time.
“I'm super excited for the Winter Classic,” Tigchelaar said. “I have been preparing for Miami for months now. I am so excited to meet the board because we don't really get the chance to see each other in person. I've only met one of the Power Players so far in person and I just want to meet everyone else, so I think that's going to be a great way to connect with everyone.”
