St. Clair College Advertising students taking on Ontario's best at NHL Innovation competition | St. Clair College
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Lizzie Marion, Elliot Smith, Kayla Kwiatkowski, and Nathan Triolet on the train
Lizzie Marion, Elliot Smith, Kayla Kwiatkowski, and Nathan Triolet on the train to Toronto on Jan. 28, 2025, to compete in the NHL Hockey Innovation Competition the following day. (Steve McEachern/St. Clair College)

Advertising students from St. Clair College are headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ont. on Jan. 29 to face-off against other colleges and universities in the NHL/NHLPA Hockey Innovation Competition.

After two rounds of submissions and campaign pitches, The St. Clair College team, made up of Advertising and Marketing Communications Management students, was selected as a competition finalist. They bested other top-tier Ontario colleges and universities, punching their ticket to Wednesday's final pitch session and awards banquet.

The team of third-year St. Clair College students will be presenting their ideas at the Hockey Hall of Fame Wednesday morning, competing against five other college and university teams in front of a panel of NHL executives, sponsors, and industry judges.

Students have been assigned a pitch coach from "The Dragon's Den" as well as an NHL marketing executive to help them refine their presentation and deliver their outstanding ideas.

Team St. Clair is presenting an idea called "Unlock the Rink" - an innovative campaign that is designed to redefine NHL fan engagement.

"Wait until you see it. It'll knock your socks off," said program coordinator and professor, Steve McEachern.

Students in the Advertising program, which is in the School of Media, Art and Design, are fresh off a victory in the CRI Global Sustainability Marketing Competition, where the team placed first in the world against students from 700 schools in 120 different countries.

"These achievements are a point of pride for Windsor and a testament to St. Clair's ability to compete on a global scale," McEachern said. "While facing off against global universities with massive resources and prestigious reputations, our students demonstrated unparalleled creativity, resilience, and innovation."

A south view of the Hockey Hall of Fame building, Toronto, Ont. on April 17, 2017. (Source: DXR/Wikimedia Commons)