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10 // OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM 10 // OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY Images On Ice; Getty Images DIVERSITY New Initiative Looks To Open The Ice To Everyone k NBC Sports has launched Hockey Culture, a multi-platform initiative dedicated to bringing equality and inclusion to the sport of hockey. Led by NBC Sports NHL analyst Anson Carter, Hockey Culture will address contemporary topics within the sport, aim to promote diversity around the game and on the ice, and increase community engagement with hockey. "We plan to use this space to address problematic topics on and off the ice, improve the diversity of the game and create more engagement in communities where hockey isn't as accessible," Carter said in a mission statement posted on the NBC Sports website. Hockey Culture episodes have aired on Hockey Culture's dedicated YouTube channel throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Additional stories are featured across NBC Sports digital and social media platforms. "There are a lot of great, diverse stories out there within the game of hockey," said the former NHLer who played four years at Michigan State University "Our goal with Hockey Culture is to show the world that the sport of hockey is a place for everyone—not just on the ice, but also off the ice as well." NTDP Coaches Climb The Ladder Of Success NTDP O F F T HE D R AW John Wroblewski Seth Appert College Hockey Temporarily Placed On Hold k The Hockey Commissioners Association, which represents the 11 Division I men's and women's hockey conferences, announced that the start of the 2020-21 season will be delayed due to the impact of COVID-19. Each conference, according to the commissioners association, will decide on its own season start. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference said in a statement that it "anticipates that competition for NCHC programs will commence on or after November 20." The Big Ten and WCHA didn't list a target date to start play. "I am convinced we will have a college hockey season in 2020-21," WCHA Men's Commissioner Bill Robertson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "The determination of our start date is part of our larger return-to-play discussion. We want to give our student-athletes the opportunity to safely play as many games as possible this season." COLLEGE U SA HOCKEY'S NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM has a long and distinguished record of developing players to succeed at the next level. It has the same track record when it comes to helping talented Americans climb the coaching ladder. Within the span of 24 hours, two of the most successful coaches in the 24-year history of the program accepted head coaching roles with American Hockey League teams. After the Los Angeles Kings announced on Aug. 17 the hiring of John Wroblewski to coach the Ontario Reign, the organization's AHL affiliate. The next day Seth Appert accepted the head coaching position with the Rochester Americans, the minor league affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Days later, USA Hockey announced the hiring of Dan Muse and Adam Nightingale as new head coaches for the 2020-21 season. Appert spent the past three seasons in Plymouth, Mich., after a successful collegiate career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The 46-year-old native of Cottage Grove, Minn., had a combined 43-29-7 record in splitting time between USA Hockey's Under-17 and 18 teams. He was also an assistant coach on the U.S. team that won the 2017 World Junior Championship, and head coach of the silver medal-winning U.S. Under-18 Team. Wroblewski, a player on the inaugural NTDP roster returned as an intern assistant coach in 2007. Over the years he has helped guide the program and its players to historic heights. He led the program to its first USHL playoff berth since 2012, its first-ever USHL Eastern Conference Finals appearance (2018) and a top-three finish in all 12 international tournaments he coached, including a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF Men's Under- 18 World Championship.