SUMMARY
In one of the fastest-moving sports on the planet, milliseconds matter. For the National Hockey League®, staying ahead of the curve means embracing technology that doesn’t just keep pace, but pushes the game forward. That’s where Presidio comes in.
As an Official Technology Innovation Partner of the NHL, Presidio has worked behind the scenes to design, build, and deploy custom applications that are reshaping how the League operates, from high-stakes moments at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft™ to real-time decisions on the ice. Through close collaboration and tailored application development, we’ve helped increase situational awareness for NHL On-Ice Officials, streamline live broadcasts encoding and distribution, as well as enhance the player selection process.
Here are three powerful examples of how Presidio’s app development expertise is helping the NHL transform the game from every angle, from Draft Day to Game Day and everything in between.
BLOG CONTENT
- Draft Day: Draft App Enhances the NHL’s Player Selection Process
- Game Day: NHL Watch Comms App on Apple Watch Keeps NHL Officials Focused on the Ice
- Every Day: VTOC Streamlines Broadcast Operations League-Wide
- A Unified Digital Approach to NHL Innovation
- From Bench to Broadcast, Presidio Is Helping the NHL Lead with Technology
Draft Day: Draft App Enhances the NHL’s Player Selection Process
The NHL Draft™ is more than a ceremonial milestone—it’s a fast-paced, high-stakes event that shapes the future of every franchise. But for years, team reps relied on siloed spreadsheets, text chains, and manual coordination to make picks. That all changed with the NHL Draft App, a secure platform developed by Presidio to bring order, accuracy, and speed to one of the NHL’s most important offseason events.
Designed in close collaboration with NHL operations and team executives, the NHL Draft App enables users to:
- Access player data and rankings
- Submit and confirm picks securely from any location
- Track team selections and player availability in a centralized interface
- Propose and complete trades
- Fully integrated with the League’s backend systems, the NHL Draft App eliminates manual missteps and reduces administrative friction. Since its launch, it has supported thousands of picks with precision and speed—transforming the Draft pick process into a model of digital efficiency.
The NHL Draft App 2.0 was developed to support decentralized draft environments, enabling League executives and NHL Club Front Offices to collaborate seamlessly across remote or hybrid settings. The NHL Draft App helps shape how the NHL approaches modern event operations.
At the 2025 NHL Draft™ on June 27-28 in LA, the NHL Draft App once again powered the behind-the-scenes action—ensuring every pick was made securely, accurately, and in real time.
Game Day: NHL Watch Comms App on Apple Watch Keeps NHL Officials Focused on the Ice
While the NHL Draft App supports the league’s future, the NHL Watch Comms App impacts the game in real-time. Developed by Presidio in partnership with the NHL and Apple, this custom Apple Watch application gives on-ice NHL Officials a critical tool —allowing them to receive real-time, haptic notifications without ever taking their eyes off the play.
By syncing with NHL arena game clocks, the NHL Watch Comms App delivers timely alerts for:
Period countdowns, including custom haptics at 10, 3, 2, and 1 seconds
Penalty box expiration timing to prevent collisions with players
Remaining time on the game and penalty clocks- With a 92.5% adoption rate among NHL Officials and over 1,775 deployments in live games, the NHL Watch Comms App has built a platform to enhance on-ice communications. On-ice NHL Officials no longer need to glance at distant scoreboards or rely on verbal cues—they get what they need, when they need it, with a subtle tap on the wrist.
How does it work?
Watch the video to see how the NHL Watch Comms App works and how it helps NHL officials stay focused on the action.
Every Day: VTOC Streamlines Broadcast Operations League-Wide
While the NHL Draft App optimizes offseason player selection logistics and the NHL Watch Comms App supports in-game officiating, the Virtual Technical Operations Center (VTOC) supports the NHL’s daily rhythm, serving as the league’s centralized platform for live broadcast encoding and distribution.
Live production demands can vary wildly from venue to venue. That’s why Presidio and the NHL built VTOC as a virtualized, cloud-based control system that integrates dozens of production workflows and venue feeds into one unified interface.
With VTOC, the NHL can:
- Monitor live feeds across all arenas
- Identify issues in real time with proactive diagnostics
- Manage encoders, decoders, routers, and signal paths from one centralized platform
VTOC doesn’t just simplify operations—it strengthens the NHL’s ability to deliver high-quality content to fans around the globe, ensuring an uninterrupted, seamless viewing experience from puck drop to final horn.
A Unified Digital Approach to NHL Innovation
The NHL Draft App, NHL Watch Comms App, and VTOC aren’t just technical upgrades—they reflect Presidio’s integrated approach to digital transformation. Built as part of Presidio Captivate, these apps work together to help the NHL enhance fan engagement, optimize operations, and scale innovation over time.
Captivate includes accelerators perfect for sports, media and entertainment brands:
- Real-time AI metadata extraction
- Personalized streaming experiences
- Fantasy integrations and eCommerce overlays
- Ticketing, access control, and fan companion apps
From on-ice performance tools to behind-the-scenes workflows, Captivate helps the NHL operate with speed, precision, and insight—exactly what today’s sports world demands.
From Bench to Broadcast, Presidio Is Helping the NHL Lead with Technology
Whether it’s equipping on-ice Officials with real-time notifications, simplifying content operations, or powering one of the most important events on the NHL calendar, Presidio’s app development work is helping the League innovate with purpose.
These three apps demonstrate what happens when deep industry expertise, agile development, and strategic partnerships come together. And for the NHL, it’s just the beginning.
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