The NHL Players’ Association has made a crucial business-related hire at a pivotal time, given the NHL and the NHLPA are in discussions for a new collective bargaining agreement.
Former NFLPA executive Steve Scebelo has been named the chief commercial officer for the NHLPA, a newly created role expected to lead the organization’s business approach and help drive commercial growth. While CBA negotiations take place, Scebelo has already started exploring ways to not only bolster current revenue streams but also create additional ones.
“It’s fertile ground,” Schebelo said in a phone interview. “We want to work on our core sponsorship and licensing areas to start. There’s going to be some good potential growth and then there’s a lot of areas to get creative and go beyond those cores [sectors]. First things first, that’s building revenue in our core areas.”
Schebelo, who will report to NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh, understands though that achieving his revenue goals hinges on growing the profiles and marketability of the league’s current stars, from Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard to older legends like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The former president of NFLPA’s for-profit marketing and licensing arm (NFL Players Inc.) wants to get more hockey stars involved in various activations. He referenced former New York Rangers star Mark Messier whose popularity soared after his team won the Stanley Cup in 1994.
“He was the face of all these different campaigns,” Schebelo said. “We know that it can happen. These players are dynamic, and we have to give them the opportunity to shine off the ice, either with products or experiences.”
Schebelo, a licensing veteran who most recently worked as the founder of consulting firm REP Worldwide, looks to grow the NHLPA’s business across consumer products, sponsorships, advertising and individual player endorsements. As part of getting his internal team into a more progressive mode, Schebelo also floated the union potentially investing in early-stage companies that are native to the hockey industry.
“Just being open to it is something as a practice that hasn’t been part of the NHLPA’s business in the past,” he added.
Schebelo previously led various business initiatives at the NFLPA, which included overseeing nine years of consecutive revenue growth. “We’re going to dig into the NHLPA’s numbers and see if that’s something that we can do,” he said. “We need to make sure that we have a reasonable timeline and that the [internal] team is energized, asking ourselves ‘what’s it going to take to double this business?’ ”
The NHL, which is projecting a significant salary cap increase over the next three seasons, is experiencing a wave of momentum following a strong viewership showing in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. There’s also growing anticipation for the 2026 Winter Olympics, where NHL players will be on the Team USA roster for the first time since 2014. Focused on growing revenue in the U.S. specifically, Schebelo believes it’s critical for the NHLPA to capitalize on this moment and better demonstrate to its commercial partners how it can add value.
The NHLPA wants to build around its core U.S. partners, which include Fanatics, Upper Deck and EA Sports, but also tap into new global markets and opportunities abroad as it represents players from more than 20 countries. The overseas interest comes as the NHLPA and the NHL recently jointly partnered to bring the World Cup of Hockey back in 2028.
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