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The digital age changed the ways people interact with their professional heroes.
It built windows to accessibility with social media, and a permanently open door became a perspective on the possibilities of building content.
Anyone with a phone or mobile device got instant access, and athletes, celebrities, and stars also got their own ability to react in real time.
The ability to harness this power emerged as a unique way for hockey to further develop the community axis. The species, widely recognized for its communal emotional base, is transforming into a connected universe built by connections between professional superstars and the next generation. It was a way to give back, and it had a unique business opportunity.
Growing out of the country was TorchPro, a digital website that provides unfiltered insights into non-hockey practice habits and the lives of professional hockey players. The idea of former San Jose Sharks captain and current Dallas Stars striker Joe Pavelski and former New Hampshire captain Matt Fornataro, it is a link for rising hockey players to meet their icons at a different level while providing a new way to customize the game over a wide area, full of interest.
My favorite player as I grew up was Peter Forsberg, Fornataro said. I would have had access everywhere to any shoe that the guy wore. And now there is access that I don’t think exists. The more consumers we can bring to this platform and the more athletes we can get, the more content we can create to spread our message.
The TorchPro idea originated with Fornataro and Pavelski, two former teammates with Waterloo Blackhawks at the USHL. Both went to play university hockey and returned again after Fornataro retired in 2016 from playing abroad. They started a new project with Kompany39, another digital website founded in 2017 that streamlines the concepts of more widely used hockey camps for young players.
Kompany39 was the first step in the relaunch of hockeys-social media as it extended beyond the physical walls of the actual field and was built on a road map that both players walked into professional hockey. Identifiable elements took advantage of the community spirit of the game and touched on stories that were not as recognizable as mere goals and grants.
I was retired and looking for the next job I was going to go to, Fornataro said, and there was this market and added value for both sides (our company). We sometimes wander a little, but we learn a lot about key issues in marketing and social media, as well as content creation and partnerships. All of these things, five years later, made us hungry and green, but willing to work really hard.
I look back, I’m glad I left (to play junior hockey) because I always asked if I should stay or go, Pavelski said. I didn’t know many people who had experience in my hometown and insiders, but I went to school and went hockey. The exercises were a little longer and information was coming (for everyone). I fell in love with it, and TorchPro tries to create to share those experiences. There are children and families who don’t have the resources to turn to us right away and look for information from people who have done it before them.
TorchPro lives and breathes its contents. The site touches on a variety of athletes ’experiences to allow viewers to live their stories, and an extensive lens illuminates their training, practice and lifestyle. By operating in these different arenas, subscribers can learn from a game book developed to create an unprecedented look at the world of hockey beyond just YouTube clips of goals and celebrations.
It centralizes and builds a troop presence for athletes at a time when reaching the masses is a critical part of digital branding. It breaks the limited capacity of a simple camp and breaks down the general concepts of hockey instructional video by identifying the approach of individuals. There are options for spectators who are more attractive to defenders over attackers or smaller, more agile players compared to transmissions, and each player’s individual touch is a hallmark of their dimension and a staple to their life after the game.
There are some good things you can use and learn, Pavelski said. The biggest thing is that there is a perception that not everything has to be for everyone there. Your audience you are trying to reach is where you can do a lot of good. I think the great thing about this platform is that it dives into more than just an Instagram account and has a deeper connection to fans. There’s more to learning, and I think the stories go a little more than a simple, quick little clip. What tried to drive home to get a connection that goes deeper than others.
(People) turn their eyes because they’ve heard me say so often, but the humble gene of hockey stopped it in terms of marketing for a long time, Fornataro laughed. It’s just the mindset of the best people in the sport, but many people outside the Hockeys bubble don’t know (about the game) because the players are so humble. I think the way of thinking changed because it was like it, and it’s just the world we live in, but we’re looking for a way to do it while building a genuine team and the service we can provide. Every athlete is already a brand, but too many don’t know or are unsure of how to build it consistently and authentically.
The younger generation of hockey players grew up with this stuff, he said, so the mindset is starting to change, but still the mentality requires some training. It’s a great thing that everything doesn’t have to be for everyone, but there are 20,000 kids out there who may never have known how someone like Joe Pavelski educates.
Each athlete works with the company’s full-time employees, and in particular the production team, to present strategic branding to the individual. They build a cross-section of both desires and needs and develop a Game Plan to publish the content while adhering to the pillars and values of the company. The lessons learned will then be applied retroactively to current athletes while maintaining a smooth vision of how to both recruit and improve the current roster.
Our production team is a big part of the start-up and brand building piece, Fornataro said. We use frames of performance, purpose and personality and really try to identify how those poles fit a little different athletes. We didn’t try to put anyone in the box, but we try to surround them with resources that help them tell their stories better. We feel very lucky to have our team, and the content and production manager, TL Fielder, has been in the industry for over 25 years. There’s a clear skill to make athletes feel comfortable whenever the camera is around because we don’t want it to feel forced. But were lucky in the constructive team.
It helped TorchPro get a hold after it changed Kompany39. It recently acquired the daily sports newsletter Morning Blitz and began a new phase of growth through the professional stars it organized. Pavelski anchored the list of sites from the start, but former Boston University and current Boston Bruins defender Charlie McAvoy joined in to produce talent alongside another former terrier, Brandon Yip. Yip played in the NHL, but recently spent time in Germanys DEL and Russias KHL, deepening the bench with longtime NHL veterans Mike Green and Riley Sheahan.
But the company proudly decided to avoid the boxing game only for the next generation of NHL male players when it added Kacey Bellamy, Annie Pankowski and Megan Keller from the U.S. women’s national team. Bellamy and Keller were both part of the 2018 gold medal teams at the Olympics, but all three are part of a capital explosion currently being developed in the current generation of games.
Earlier this year, we looked at our values and bowed to women’s hockey, Fornataro said. Raising women’s hockey is one of our goals because it is important, and these women finally have a place where they can play and be treated like they are professionals. Kacey was the first and best athlete we can ever partner with, and her teammates are so committed and respected.
We want to do a lot of really great things with women because we support them, she said. We would give them a platform to share some stories that often tell or have no resources. We’ve been to the PWHPA event to capture a bunch of stuff, and we want to share their voices. It’s a big, big thing for us, and we were excited about this initiative.
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