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<\/a>USF students part of the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program won the Change Maker award as a part of the NHL\u2019s Hockey Innovation Competition at ESPN\u2019s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. ORACLE PHOTO \/ MITHIL VYAS<\/p>\nHockey\u2019s<\/a> future growth in Florida may not start on the ice, but in Hispanic and Latino community spaces built around food, music and connection.<\/p>\n Four USF graduate students believe those gatherings can serve as a welcoming first introduction to the sport through a new, community-first event proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Claire Maloney, Emma Mussante, Kylie Haffner and Anthony Costanzo are all first-year students in the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program at USF<\/a>.<\/p>\n Together, they created Hockey Unidos \u2014 a grassroots proposal built around monthly, community-first ball hockey activations rooted in Hispanic and Latino culture.<\/p>\n Maloney, 21, said the idea came to life through the group\u2019s research into untapped potential to grow the NHL\u2019s fanbase.<\/p>\n Ice hockey accounts for just 4% of self-declared favorite sports among fans in the U.S., according to Fox Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw that 94% of Hispanic males reported being sports fans,\u201d Maloney said. \u201cBut, less than 7% follow the NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n Their idea earned the group the Change Maker Award at the NHL Hockey Innovation Competition<\/a> on Thursday at ESPN\u2019s Wide World of Sports in Orlando.\u00a0<\/p>\n The NHL Hockey Innovation Competition<\/a>, presented by SAP and supported by ESPN\u2019s Take Back Sports initiative, is designed to bring in fresh ideas from college students to help grow the sport.<\/p>\n The award recognized the most practical and ready-to-launch concept among 28 submissions from 12 colleges and universities across Florida.<\/p>\n Six teams advanced to the final round to present their proposals to NHL and industry leaders.<\/p>\n But the win for the students came with more than recognition \u2014 as they received a $2,000 scholarship and tickets to the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: USF men\u2019s basketball\u2019s second-half surge fuels victory over FAU<\/a><\/p>\n Instead of arenas, the group\u2019s concept centers on utilizing unused community spaces for gatherings, food and family events.<\/p>\n Each event would include ball hockey, Spanish-language NHL broadcasts, music, giveaways and Hispanic-owned food vendors.<\/p>\n Mussante, 23, said their research showed strong interest among Hispanic and Latino residents in local gatherings, which led them to focus on that population.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also found that 63% of Hispanic and Latino residents want community events in general,\u201d Mussante said. \u201cSo why not hockey? Since it\u2019s such a growing sport in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n So, Miami emerged as a natural pilot market, as 44% of the designated market area identifies as Hispanic or Latino \u2014 the region\u2019s largest demographic group.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Derrick Brooks brings \u2018Game of Life\u2019 philosophy to USF<\/a><\/p>\n The intent, Maloney said, was to elevate Hispanic and Latino voices in a way that felt genuine rather than promotional.<\/p>\n \u201cHispanic culture and heritage is such an important part of Florida culture and heritage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Haffner, 23, said Florida\u2019s cultural diversity made the concept feel necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially down by Miami, like Hispanic culture is such, like a center to all the culture down there,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we just felt like we could represent them a little more and make sure they had a voice in the conversation of the future of NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n Haffner said the idea was reinforced by personal experience, recalling a friend from Mexico who attended his first hockey game in Orlando.<\/p>\n \u201cWe brought him to a hockey game, and he was like \u2018I never knew that this was so fun,\u2019\u201d Haffner said. \u201cWe want to do that for anybody who might be interested in the sport\u2026 everyone\u2019s welcome in hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n On the finance side, Costanzo, 23, focused on making sure the concept could work if adopted.<\/p>\n Each monthly gathering would cost about $12,000 \u2014\u00a0 with roughly $3,000 for staffing, operations and equipment, $2,000 for giveaways, and around $1,000 each for marketing, food, entertainment, permits and insurance.<\/p>\n Still, the team highlighted the design as sponsor offset, allowing the events to be held in corporate parking lots and driving foot traffic to and from them.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: USF\u2019s Brian Hartline becomes highest paid coach in program history over Golesh<\/a><\/p>\n That balance of creativity and practicality is what appealed to NHL officials in Orlando.<\/p>\n Mandi Duhamel, the NHL\u2019s vice president of industry growth and community development, called the team\u2019s proposal practical and ready to implement.<\/p>\n Duhamel said the students presented a complete business plan with all the operational details, making it a concept the league could seriously consider.<\/p>\n The competition itself, she explained, was designed to gather fresh ideas from outside the NHL\u2019s usual circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought the next generation was the best place to go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman<\/a> praised the creativity of participants, calling the event an exciting showcase of innovation with the potential to make a real impact on the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thrilled with the level of engagement to creativity, how smart the participants are,\u201d Bettman said.<\/p>\n And with the NHL continuing to explore how its fan base can grow<\/a>, Bettman said innovation like that showcased at the event reflects an encouraging direction for the league.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game has never been better,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything starts with the game, and our fans are the most avid, the most loyal, the most passionate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n