After racking up high-profile sponsorships with professional basketball and soccer teams and leagues, beverage maker BioSteel Sports Nutrition is hitting the ice – literally. The company announced today it has entered a multi-year partnership naming BioSteel the Official Sports Hydration Drink and Official Hydration Partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the NHL Players’ Association.
According to the company, the deal will include “League-wide rinkside marketing and product supply rights, retail activation rights, community engagement platforms, player marketing and activation rights and more” beginning with the 2022-23 season. BioSteel branding is set to appear on “each bench, penalty box and goal net.” while granting BioSteel access to use the NHL league and individual team logos during brand activations.
The announcement comes ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft, beginning tonight in Montreal, where BioSteel will serve as a presenting sponsor of national coverage on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.
“We are thrilled to announce our new long-term partnership with BioSteel – an authentic brand that was born in the locker room, built by and for hockey players,” NHL Chief Business Officer and Senior EVP Keith Wachtel said in a statement. “BioSteel is an extremely motivated and engaged partner who is going to bring our sport to fans through their distribution channels like never before. This landmark deal includes a commitment to execute against extensive retail activations and through all the League’s media platforms, and as such, the NHL, our players and our fans are going to benefit significantly from this partnership.”
The deal represents a homecoming for BioSteel co-founder and co-CEO Michael Cammalleri, a retired NHL left wing who played with the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and the New Jersey Devils over a 16-year playing career.
“Hockey has been an integral part of the BioSteel brand since day one, when we set out to offer a cleaner, healthier hydration product for both myself and athletes everywhere,” Cammalleri said in a release. “To see this brand become the Official Hydration Partner of the NHL is truly a full circle moment, and we’re so proud to partner with the League and the Players’ Association to support players hydration both on and off the ice and to introduce a new generation of fans to our brand and products.”
Along with business partner John Celenza, Cammalleri created BioSteel as a zero sugar, better-for-you powdered product line in 2009. The brand has since expanded its offerings to include a 16.7 oz. zero sugar sports drink line packaged in Tetra Paks. In 2019, the brand was acquired by Canadian cannabis conglomerate Canopy Growth Company, which is itself backed by liquor and spirits giant Constellation Brands.
Notably, the deal sees Toronto-based BioSteel supplant Gatorade as the NHL’s sports drink partner. The PepsiCo-owned category leader announced earlier this year it would not be renewing the sponsorship deal with the North American hockey league that it held since 2006. PepsiCo, however, will remain an exclusive soft drink partner. The move comes as PepsiCo has scaled back slightly on some of its sports partnerships, including a decision to drop Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsorship from its deal with the NFL.
The NHL partnership is the latest in a series of high profile sponsorships BioSteel has secured, including deals naming it the Official Sports Drink of both USA Hockey and the U.S. Soccer Federation and individual partnerships with NBA teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors.
Beyond working with teams and leagues, the brand also has accrued a roster of athlete ambassadors such as NFL stars Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins and Ezekiel Elliot, Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash, NHL centers Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid, and Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic (also an equity partner in the brand) among others.
Last month, BioSteel announced it had brought on former Press Premium Alcohol Seltzer COO Bruce Jacobson as President. Jacobson has spent 17 years with Press investor Constellation Brands, including four years as Chief Commercial Officer. Speaking to BevNET at the time, Jacobson said BioSteel plans to introduce a new 500 mL 4-pack in 2,200 Walmart stores this month and has distribution in over 200 Constellation-aligned DSD houses, with a target of bringing on 15,000 new retailers before the end of the year.