NATE EWELL TALKS COLLEGE HOCKEY

NATE EWELL TALKS COLLEGE HOCKEY

By: Matthew Blittner

College Hockey Inc. steers young hockey players to the collegiate ranks instead of juniors or various other minor leagues.

As a small, non-profit organization, it relies on a dedicated and responsible staff.

Their Deputy Executive Director Nate Ewell, formerly the V.P. of Communications with the Capitals, chatted with yours truly about his role with College Hockey Inc., and what the organization’s goals are.
HOW COLLEGE HOCKEY INC. WAS FOUNDED: “College Hockey Inc. began in 2009, but the idea for it was several years in the making. It was formed to address the number of American players who were forgoing their NCAA eligibility to sign with the Canadian Hockey League. Our coaches and leaders in College Hockey wanted to create a group that could help educate kids and families about the NCAA’s rules to educate them about the benefits of the College Hockey route.

“Initially, the Board of Directors consisted of the Commissioners of the six Division I hockey conferences; there is still a very similar structure to this day. There is now a second representative from each conference who is either a Coach or an Athletic Director. The Board now consists of 12 members: the six commissioners and a Coach or A.D. from each conference.”

BEST PART OF JOB: “I was hired as Director of Communications and promoted to Deputy Executive Director when our Executive Director Mike Snee came on board. It’s still very much a communications job, so I handle most of our online presence, both our website and social media, as well as other types of media outreach such as media relations and other marketing in the form of commercials and brochures.

“I’m passionate about College Hockey. I love being able to go to the rink. I love the game and having the opportunity to give back to it. I grew up around College Hockey; my father was a women’s coach, who coached at both Colby College and Princeton. When I was in school at Princeton, I went to the games at Baker’s Rink. My first job out of school was at Michigan State. I’ve had a lot of formative experience in and around the college game. I had the opportunity to work in the NHL with the Capitals. I started out as Manager of Communications, and when I left I was V.P. of Communications. I had two different stints with them. I was there from 2000 to 2001, and 2005 to 2011, but when I had the chance to come back to college it was a no brainer.”

BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN THE JOB: “The biggest challenge for anybody in communications is finding unique ways to cut through all the information that is out there for people. It’s difficult, with so much content being produced at so many different levels, even for a hockey fan, to break through and try to get your message out. We need to find new ways to tell our story. To do that, in an effective way, in terms of reaching people, but also in a cost effective way that makes sense. We are a relatively small three person non-profit.”

GROWTH OF COLLEGE HOCKEY: “Since 2009, the organization hasn’t changed a lot. What we’re trying to do is help pro- mote College Hockey as a whole, trying to work with partners like the NHL and NCAA, who identify opportunities and schools. That’s been the exciting part of what we’ve been able to get done. It’s a big project that requires a lot of things to be in the right place, more so than just us pushing the idea forward. We’ve been able to do more and more as the organization has matured.

“We have one person in each office in the three M’s of hockey: Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Having a small staff like ours, it’s more effective for us to be in different locations and be able to reach both the College Hockey community and the hockey community at large, by spreading ourselves out rather than being centrally located.”

GOALS FOR THE ORGANIZATION: “The immediate goal is to continue to educate families and players about College Hockey, making sure we’re getting in front of the right people and making sure we can spread that message as effectively as we can. Long-term, the growth of College Hockey, not just in terms of the number of programs, but also in terms of the strength and quality of the programs we have now.”

IN FAVOR OF COLLEGIATE HOCKEY: “There are three main components. The first is education. In College Hockey, that’s the primary focus - getting a degree. Ninety-two percent of College Hockey players do that. The second piece would be the life experience of being on campus - the opportunity to enjoy the best four years of your life, as most people consider that to be their college time. The third piece is that it’s a hockey decision. At the college level what people will find is that the more they dig into it, the hockey is just as good, if not better, and for many players the time you get to spend in college allows you to develop and become a player.”

THE COLLEGE HOCKEY STAFF: “The staff is just three. The first nine months or so of the organization, I believe it was just two. Paul Kelly, the former Executive Director of the NHLPA, was the first Executive Director. I came on board in 2011, re- placing one of those guys, so it’s never been more than three. Mike Snee is our Executive Director, and is based out of Minnesota. I am in Massachusetts. Brent Darnell is based out of Michi- gan, from the USA National Development program. We rely on the help of a lot of people on the ground.

“College alum are always willing to help us out. Whether it’s youth hockey, junior hockey, or just as parents, we tend to get a lot of help, whether it’s speaking at an event, or something like that. Everything that’s part of our core mission is conducted by the three of us. Somebody that runs a camp and wants us to speak to their kids and welcomes us into their program to spread our message is really the type of stuff I’m talking about.”