The Hockey Development Summit 2026 is proud to announce its third guest speaker: Mark Black, Vice-President of International Operations at the National Hockey League (NHL).
Mark brings an extensive background across a wide range of hockey-related roles and is deeply aligned with the mission of Ice Hockey UK and the UK Ice Hockey Foundation — to grow the game through accessible, inclusive and community-based programmes.
A strong advocate for grassroots development, Mark created the NHL’s international grassroots initiative, NHL Street Hockey – a programme designed to remove traditional barriers to participation and introduce hockey to new and diverse audiences. The initiative is actively being rolled out across the UK.
At the Summit, Mark will share his experience building international grassroots programmes and his vision for the future of hockey development.
Tickets for the Summit (26th–28th June 2026), which will bring together Club Chairs, Head Coaches and senior stakeholders from the UK’s youth hockey system, can be found here https://ukihf.org/event/summit.
We’re excited to welcome Mark to Sheffield, UK.