AMESBURY, Mass. – The Hockey East Association announced today the addition of the Shift Group as an official corporate partner. The agreement was secured by Van Wagner, who manages Hockey East’s sponsorship and marketing partners program.
“Hockey East is excited to begin a partnership with the Shift Group, who aim to help student-athletes succeed following their playing careers,” said Hockey East Commissioner Steve Metcalf. “The league and its partners are dedicated to providing the best possible experience and support for its athletes both during and after their time on campus and this partnership is another step toward that goal.”
The Shift Group’s mission is to provide collegiate athletes a network and road map for a smooth transition into professional careers. Founded by former Division 1 athletes and staffed by some Hockey East alumni, the Shift Group offers B2B sales training for both athletes and veterans and introductions to a large hiring network of close to 200 hiring partners in technology, healthcare, biotech, real estate, and financial services.
“Athletes pour their heart and soul into the game – it gives them purpose and identity,” said JR Butler, founder of the Shift Group. “When your playing career ends, a huge part of a successful transition is finding a career that aligns to purpose and identity. Every player goes through the struggle, including me. I built Shift Group because I wish it existed when I was getting out of hockey myself.”
The Shift Group emerged from founder Butler’s experience as a sales leader at an early-stage start-up and the expensive struggles of retaining sales hires in a fast-growth well-funded company. The goal of Shift Group is to prepare collegiate athletes and military veterans for success with companies where they can grow, learn, and earn consistently.
The partnership will promote and market the Shift Group year-round through Hockey East marketing channels including exposure on This Week in Hockey East, the league’s weekly preview show that airs every Friday during the season.
For more information on the Shift Group visit them at @ShiftAthlete on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
ABOUT THE HOCKEY EAST ASSOCIATION
The Hockey East Association is an 11-team Division I college men’s hockey conference founded in 1984 and a 10-team Division I women’s league which began play in 2002-03. The men’s league has won 10 NCAA championships, most recently in 2021. Since 1999, Hockey East has won eight men’s NCAA Championships with 17 NCAA Championship Game appearances, while placing 29 teams in the Frozen Four and 79 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Hockey East has sent 123 teams to the men’s NCAA Tournament since its inaugural season, more than any other conference in that span. Hockey East is home to 11 Hobey Baker winners and four Patty Kazmaier winners.
ABOUT SHIFT GROUP
Shift Group is a training and recruiting platform placing talented, retired collegiate and professional athletes in high caliber and lucrative B2B Sales positions. Athletes spend their lives engaging in team-based activities where they are rewarded for performance-based outcomes. Competitive drive, work ethic, and the desire to win are innate qualities of those performing at elite levels. Athletes at this level must have discipline, resilience, and grit. These are the intangible parts of any elite athlete’s identity. When combined with confidence, curiosity, and coachability, these traits separate great athletes – and great salespeople. Once an athlete finishes Shift Group training, they get access to hiring managers at Startups, Fortune 500’s, and other organizations building out sales teams across the globe – with the Shift Group team coaching them through every step of the process.
