HUB International has signed a multi-year partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), becoming an official partner and the league’s official employee benefits partner in Canada.
The deal, announced on October 30, starts with the 2026-27 season and covers the PWHL’s five Canadian markets: Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. HUB’s brand will appear on PWHL broadcasts and in community hockey programming.
“This partnership matches the size of our ambitions in Canada,” said Tina Osen, president of HUB Canada.
National sports sponsorships are more common for insurers than brokers, which typically market locally or through referral networks. HUB, which has more than 6,000 employees in Canada, is using the deal to raise its national profile at a time when it is pushing hard into employee benefits.
Earlier this month the broker created two national roles in its employee benefits and retirement practice, citing growing client demand for more integrated advice. The PWHL designation as official employee benefits partner puts that push in front of a broad audience across the five markets where competition for mid-sized employer accounts is most intense.
HUB will also be the presenting partner of Hockey Heroes, a PWHL program that invites fans to nominate women who coach youth hockey in each Canadian market. HUB will help select a national honoree recognised at the PWHL Draft, with a donation going to a charity in the winner’s city supporting women’s coaching.
In the employee benefits market, employer clients often choose advisors based on reputation and existing relationships rather than price alone. A sustained national brand presence, particularly one tied to a fast-growing women’s sports property, could help HUB open doors with HR decision-makers at mid-sized businesses who might not have considered it before.
For independent and regional brokers competing for the same accounts, HUB’s move is a signal that large consolidators are now investing in consumer-facing profiles, not just in acquisitions. The benefits market has long rewarded relationship brokers, but brand recognition is becoming a more visible part of how the largest firms compete for new business.
