Black entrepreneur behind Swift Hockey emerged as face of brand despite minimal representation in sport

Zechariah Thomas never wanted to be the face of his business.

The 21-year-old owner of Swift Hockey, an NHL certified hockey stick company based out of Oshawa, Ont., didn’t know how the hockey community would react to a young, Black entrepreneur being behind a business looking to produce affordable sticks for those unable to manage the high costs of rival companies.

“It’s hard to create a business,” Thomas told CBC Sports. “Especially a hockey-related business — at this scale — being a Black entrepreneur selling to people that may not accept Black people in the sport yet.” 

The company’s small team, consisting of some current and former hockey players, has been with Thomas since its inception in 2022.

Even then, Thomas’s ex-hockey mates, who are his friends and business partners, knew he had reservations about revealing to the public Swift Hockey was a Black-owned business.

“He never wanted to be the face of the brand due to, racism in the community,” Ryan Ellis, Swift Hockey’s chief operating officer, said. “In a primarily white sport, people might not trust a Black entrepreneur to create a new stick and trust that he has the background or much knowledge about hockey.”

Thomas played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League during his late teens, including sneaking into two games with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He knows hockey as well as anyone, and after securing a segment on Dragons’ Den to pitch his product, Thomas had no choice but to emerge as the man behind the brand.

“It was really hard, honestly,” Thomas said. “This was a business I never wanted to put my face on; I was really scared that I wouldn’t be a business — I wouldn’t be able to sell hockey sticks if people knew it was a Black-owned company in the hockey industry.”

Swift’s pitch saw airtime on Sept. 21, 2023, when the Canadian show kicked off its 18th season. Following the premiere, Thomas received an outpouring of support from hockey players, especially Black hockey players, who loved the brand.

The episode saw the then 20-year-old Thomas ink a deal with fellow Jamaican Wes Hall. However, unlike many pitches, Thomas’s goal of entering the Den was less about selling a million-dollar dream and more about selling his vision of how hockey should be.

“It’s not about the financials with this business. It’s not about making a million dollars,” Thomas said. “I really want to change the industry as it was something I was also affected by growing up.”

Making hockey affordable

Thomas began playing hockey when he was 10. While his parents could somewhat keep up with his passion, he grew up watching his teammates and opponents unable to afford hockey sticks as the cost proved too high.

To help, Thomas would give away many of his sticks to teammates when they broke if they couldn’t afford a replacement.

To keep their price tag to $150.99 US, or $170.99 for a goalie stick, the Swift team has a simple strategy to maintain low costs.

“We don’t have a massive markup,” Ellis said. “[Big brands] have like a 300 per cent markup, and we don’t.

“We are looking to change the community instead of making a million dollars.”

Partnering with Team Jamaica 

Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton is one of many athletes representing Swift Hockey.

Currently, he splits time between the AHL and ECHL while using his Swift goalie stick during the summer — he can’t use Swift-branded sticks in either pro league due to a lack of partnership between the company and the two organizations. 

Along with his professional career, Thornton, like Thomas, represented Jamaica on the national level at a Latam Cup. When Thomas created his company, nailing down a partnership with the Jamaican ice hockey team was a top priority. 

He went to Team Jamaica as a former player and entrepreneur looking to help the industry and get players like him into hockey.

Thomas spearheaded Swift Hockey’s eventual partnership with Team Jamaica, finalizing the deal in the summer of 2023. Now, his company supplies the Jamaican national team with hockey sticks and apparel.

While Swift Hockey grows and continues to prove it’s an option for athletes at any stage in their hockey playing career, Thomas takes pride in showing what someone of his age and background can achieve.

“What I’ve accomplished [in the] entrepreneur field and also the hockey field shows a lot of Black hockey players that it’s really possible,” Thomas said. “I know I didn’t believe too much at a young age.”

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.