Broken hockey sticks are giving four North Battleford high school students a start in business.
Zephyr Whyte, Tucker Russell, Owen Kitson and Carver O’Neil have created Broken Sticks Hockey Apparel through their Entrepreneurship 30 class at North Battleford Comprehensive High School.
The friends drew on their shared interest in hockey to develop the brand, which they plan to introduce to customers at their school’s student-led conference night.
“We just thought of a cool name and made a cool design and just kind of ran with it,” said Whyte, a 16-year-old Grade 12 student speaking on behalf of the group.
The name reflects a familiar experience for hockey players: breaking sticks. The design combines those sticks with fields and green and yellow colours to give the brand a Saskatchewan identity.
Their first offerings will be hoodies for $75 and sweatpants for $55. They hope to have roughly 15 of each available at their school sales table, along with order forms for customers to arrange delivery or pickup.
The group is also considering selling the two items as a bundle later.
(Image Credit: Broken Sticks/Instagram)
Whyte said a connection through a friend’s mother helped them find someone to order, print and embroider the clothing.
The students plan to donate 20 per cent of their profits to the Colby Cave Memorial Fund, which honours the North Battleford-born NHL player who died in 2020 at age 25. The fund supports children’s mental health services and access to youth sports. The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation reported $449,000 allocated to fund initiatives in 2025, continuing the legacy of Cave.
READ MORE: ‘It’s second to none’: North Battleford unveils Colby Cave mural as Edmonton Oilers join tribute
Whyte said their donation would come when the class business shuts down at the end of the second semester.
Starting a clothing company has also taught him how much time it takes to get a business going.
Whyte said “it’s not a very easy process” and that he had expected it to move more quickly.
Still, working with friends has been part of the appeal.
“I feel like it’s only going to get more fun.”
The business’s Instagram account is @broken_sticks306. Order inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
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