Hyundai Teams Up with an NHL All-Star

Hyundai Canada’s strategic partnership with hockey star Matthew Schaefer provides franchised dealerships with community-driven marketing assets to enhance local retail showroom engagement.

Hyundai Auto Canada has recruited 2025 NHL first-overall draft selection and Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer as a national brand ambassador. The multi-platform agreement aligns Schaefer with the automaker’s national hockey initiatives, including its official partnership with the NHL and NHLPA, alongside major philanthropic activations under the Hyundai Hope on Wheels banner and its Greatest Save campaign, which pledges ten dollars per regular-season save to pediatric cancer research.

For Canadian automotive dealer principals, general sales managers, and marketing directors, high-profile athletic alignments offer tangible retail advantages by driving brand equity within suburban family demographics. Leveraging recognizable hockey ambassadors allows franchised retailers to reinforce community ties across showroom promotional events, elevating foot traffic and differentiating local stores in competitive regional trade areas.

According to Hyundai Canada President and CEO Steve Flamand, the partnership highlights resilience and shared values that resonate strongly across grassroots sports communities nationwide. Supported by an expanding retail network of 225 Canadian dealerships, linking corporate healthcare donations—targeted to reach $4.8 million by late 2026—with popular hockey activations delivers sustainable brand trust that directly supports long-term customer retention.