NHL’s animated hockey highlight show, Hockeyverse, to debut Feb. 1

Young fans will get the chance to experience hockey in a whole different way.

On Thursday, the NHL announced a first-of-its-kind animated program, the NHL Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week. The 30-minute weekly show, produced by NHL Productions in collaboration with Sony’s Beyond Sports, will air on Saturdays, starting Feb. 1. The program will recap one of that week’s NHL regular-season games in a youth-centric and fun manner.

The show will air on NHL Network in the United States at 9 a.m. ET (re-airing at 12 p.m.), and Sportsnet in Canada at 12 p.m. ET. Fans globally will be able to stream the program on the NHL YouTube channel.

Viewers will be transported from the traditional arena setting into the Hockeyverse, an animated alternate university based in the Canadian outdoors. Powered by NHL Edge Positional Data, the on-ice action will be visualized with dynamic movements and significant realism.

Each episode, featuring teenage commentators as animated avatars, will showcase unique camera angles that will bring viewers closer to the fast-paced action.

“By using avatars, vibrant animations and youthful commentary,” NHL Executive Vice President, Business Development & Innovation, David Lehanski, said. “NHL Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week will further connect young fans and families to the NHL and build upon the League’s recent national and local animated telecast successes…expanding the use of NHL EDGE Positional Data, excite new and existing young fans in Canada and the United States, and deliver even more innovative and unique ways to experience our great game.”

The “alternate reality” broadcasts have become popular across sports in recent years. The NHL has dabbled in animated games. In collaboration with Disney, the league has hosted the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” in which puck and player tracking was used to create a simulcast of live regular-season contests suited for a younger audience.

The first Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week will feature an animated recap of the Vancouver Canucks’ 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals from Jan. 25. In that affair, Canucks captain Quinn Hughes scored twice to power his team to victory.

The matchup of the week for Feb. 8 has yet to be announced. The program will take a few weeks off, along with the NHL, for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The show will be back on air on March 1 and will be putting out weekly shows every Saturday through the end of the regular season, with the final program scheduled for April 19.