Black Bear Sports Group

What Black Bear Sports Group does

Black Bear Sports Group is the largest ice rink owner and operator in the United States, founded in 2015 by Murry N. Gunty in partnership with private equity firm Blackstreet Capital Holdings. The company owns and operates more than 40 ice arenas across 11 states and, through its Black Bear TV platform, provides streaming coverage of 60+ venues and 100+ sheets of ice. It serves youth hockey families as its primary customer base through a vertically integrated ecosystem spanning arena operations, youth hockey clubs at Tier I, Tier II, and Girls levels, junior hockey teams (Youngstown Phantoms in USHL, Maryland Black Bears in NAHL, PAL Jr. Islanders in NCDC), tournament hosting, league management, and player development programs ranging from free introductory clinics to elite collegiate-pathway pipelines.

The company's core technology platform is Black Bear TV, launched in Fall 2024, which provides live and on-demand streaming of hockey games using Spiideo's AI-powered cloud-based camera system for automatic recording and tracking. The platform is accessible via web, iOS, and Android through Visaic-powered applications, with subscription tiers including pay-as-you-go, monthly, and annual plans, plus a USPHL+ premium add-on channel for the largest junior hockey league in North America. Black Bear TV has streamed over 28,000 youth and scholastic hockey games since launch and integrates with Hudl's Instat platform to deliver professional scouting and analysis tools. The wholly-owned league portfolio includes the Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, Tier 1 Hockey Federation, and National Girls Hockey League.

Black Bear generates revenue through five primary streams: arena facility rentals and ice time, subscription-based youth and junior hockey programming, Black Bear TV streaming subscriptions, tournament hosting fees, and league management. Customer segments include youth hockey families (primary), adult hockey players, figure skaters, and youth hockey associations, served through a hybrid pricing model spanning free programs (Take a Shot at Hockey), recurring subscriptions, and transactional tournament/league fees. Leadership transitioned in March 2026 when Kevin Kuby was appointed Interim CEO, succeeding founder Murry Gunty. The company faces regulatory scrutiny, including a Michigan Attorney General investigation and proposed federal legislation (Let Kids Play Act, introduced May 2026) targeting private equity ownership of youth sports businesses.

Name

Black Bear Sports Group

Legal name

Black Bear Sports Group, Inc.

Website

https://blackbearsportsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Bear Sports Group is the largest U.S. ice arena owner-operator, managing 40+ rinks across 11 states and operating youth hockey leagues, junior teams, and the Black Bear TV streaming platform serving youth hockey families nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Hockey Operations

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Rinks & Winter Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Winter Sports Teams/Clubs (Ski, Snowboard, Bobsleigh, etc.) (MPAKABAI), Regional/Continental Confederations & Associations (MPAKAFAD)

Keywords

• Ice arena operations
• Youth hockey programs
• Hockey league management
• Sports facility ownership
• Hockey streaming platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Arena Operations and Facility Rentals: Revenue generated from operating ice arenas including facility rentals for hockey, figure skating, public skating, tournaments, and events. Multiple naming rights partnerships with companies like BIGGBY COFFEE.
2. Youth and Junior Hockey Programming: Revenue from youth hockey clubs (Tier I, Tier II, Girls), junior hockey teams, adult hockey leagues, and player development programs including Learn to Play Hockey.
3. Black Bear TV Streaming Subscriptions: Subscription-based streaming service offering yearly, monthly, and single-game options for watching hockey games. Includes USPHL+ premium channel packages with additional features like live pause/rewind and on-demand access.
4. Tournaments and Events: Revenue from hosting hockey tournaments, showcases, and special events across the company's arena network.
5. League Management: Revenue from operating hockey leagues including Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, and Tier 1 Hockey Federation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Bear Sports Group owns and operates more than 40 ice arenas across 11 states, runs USA Hockey-sanctioned youth and girls hockey leagues, fields junior and adult hockey teams, hosts tournaments, and delivers the Black Bear TV live and on-demand streaming service for hockey games played at its venues and partner rinks.

Product overview

Black Bear Sports Group operates as a comprehensive hockey ecosystem combining arena ownership and operations, league management, streaming technology, and player development programs. The core platform centers on Black Bear TV, an AI-powered streaming service delivering live and on-demand hockey coverage across 60+ venues. This integrates with Spiideo's computer vision cameras and Visaic's platform infrastructure. The product portfolio spans entry-level programs (Take a Shot at Hockey, Learn to Play Hockey, Foundry Adult Hockey's Get In The Game) through elite youth and junior hockey (Youngstown Phantoms, Maryland Black Bears, PAL Jr. Islanders), all connected via Black Bear's owned and operated league infrastructure (Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, Tier 1 Hockey Federation, National Girls Hockey League). The company also operates over 40 ice arenas nationwide and supports players through the Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation scholarship program. The ecosystem provides a complete Ascension Path from youth hockey through junior hockey to college hockey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atlantic Hockey Federation: USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League facilitating games for over 550 member clubs across AA divisions for age groups 8U through 18U.
• Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation
• Tier 1 Hockey Federation
• Black Bear TV
• Take a Shot at Hockey (TASH)
• Foundry Adult Hockey

Products and services

• Black Bear TV Streaming Platform High-quality live and on-demand streaming platform delivering coverage of youth, scholastic, high school, college, and USPHL junior hockey games across 60+ venues and 100+ sheets of ice, available via pay-as-you-go, monthly, and yearly subscription tiers, with multi-platform support (PC, Mac, iOS, Android).
• Take a Shot at Hockey (TASH) Free 4-8 week introductory hockey program for children ages 4-9 with no prior organized hockey or skating experience, providing ice time, certified instructors, and head-to-toe loaner equipment at no cost to families.
• Learn to Play Hockey Entry-level hockey programs for players building skills across Black Bear arenas, with more than 5,600 players currently enrolled; includes progression pathway from TASH with equipment provided for first-time participants.
• Foundry Adult Hockey Adult hockey programs for players 18+ offering structured pathways into the sport through the Get In The Game beginner program and Novice Draft League, including a 25% discount for veterans, military personnel, and first responders.
• Junior Hockey Programs Elite junior hockey teams including the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), Maryland Black Bears (NAHL), and PAL Jr. Islanders (NCDC), with alumni advancing to NHL and NCAA Division I hockey.
• Youth Hockey Clubs Youth hockey programs across Tier I, Tier II, and Girls divisions, including the Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, and Tier 1 Hockey Federation leagues spanning AA divisions from 8U through 18U and AAA teams from 9U through 18U.
• Arena Operations Ownership and operation of more than 40 ice rinks across 11 states, making Black Bear Sports Group the largest rink owner and operator in the United States, including facility management, repairs, improvements, and rink revitalization programs.
• Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation Scholarship program providing tuition support to families across Black Bear's national network, with cumulative scholarship contributions exceeding $250,000 since launch to help young athletes continue participating in hockey.
• Defender Hockey Tournaments Hockey tournaments and special events operated through Defender Hockey Tournaments, providing competitive tournament opportunities for teams across various age levels and divisions.
• USPHL+ Premium Streaming Channel Premium streaming channel add-on for Black Bear TV covering all NCDC, USPHL Premier, and USPHL Elite games with live pause/rewind, 30-day on-demand access, highlight clipping and sharing, and game downloading.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000 children introduced to hockey through free and entry-level programs in 2025-26 season
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NHL/NHLPA Learn to PlaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Partnership to host and support NHL/NHLPA Learn to Play Hockey programming at Black Bear arenas. 1,100 players progressed through NHL/NHLPA Learn to Play programming at Black Bear arenas in the 2025-26 season.
• BIGGBY COFFEEflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Naming rights partnership for ice arenas, with facilities now operating as BIGGBY COFFEE Ice Cube locations in Ann Arbor, Brighton, East Lansing, Chelsea, and Kalamazoo. The partnership pairs Black Bear's hockey and skating expertise with BIGGBY COFFEE's Michigan community roots and franchise network. Both companies share a belief that strong rink communities help grow the game.
• HudlcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 February 2026Strategic partnership announced February 2026 to expand access and enhance value for hockey teams. The partnership integrates all Black Bear TV content—including games from NCDC, USPHL, and other hockey leagues—onto the Hudl Instat platform, providing scouts and teams with detailed game footage and analysis for player evaluation. Black Bear teams receive preferred pricing for Hudl's professional-grade analysis tools.
• VisaiccoreTechnology or Integration · 22 July 2025Technology partnership to create an interactive web platform and mobile app for Black Bear TV streaming service. Visaic powers the Black Bear TV app for Android and iOS devices.
• East Brunswick TownshipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2025Black Bear Corp. (dba Pro Skate Arena) selected as operator for East Brunswick's new municipal ice arena through a five-year contract. The 75,000-square-foot facility behind Lowe's on Route 18 includes NHL-sized and Olympic-sized rinks.
• SpiideocoreTechnology or Integration · 15 May 2025Technology partnership to equip all Black Bear venues with Spiideo's cloud-based camera system powered by artificial intelligence for automatic recording and tracking of every situation and player movement. The award-winning AI capture technology is trained specifically for hockey.
• United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2025Exclusive broadcast and streaming partnership beginning with 2025-26 season. Black Bear TV streams all NCDC, USPHL Premier, and USPHL Elite games, pre-season, regular season, playoff, Showcase, All-Star, and special event games. USPHL is the largest junior hockey league in North America with over 150 teams and 20,000 players.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ASM Global: World's largest venue management and services company, operating stadiums, arenas, and convention centers globally. Comparable as a scaled multi-venue operator with facility management expertise; broader portfolio than Black Bear but overlapping on arena operations and event hosting.
• USA Hockey: National governing body for ice hockey in the United States, overseeing amateur and youth hockey including sanctioning of leagues like AHF, AGHF, and THF (Black Bear subsidiaries). Comparable as the industry regulator/incumbent shaping rules and standards that Black Bear's league operations must comply with.

Direct peers

• FloSports: Subscription-based sports streaming platform covering hockey, wrestling, and other niche sports. Closely comparable as a content-rights-driven streaming business targeting passionate niche sports audiences; competes with Black Bear TV for hockey subscriber dollars.
• LiveBarn: Subscription streaming service that broadcasts live and on-demand video from ice rinks, sports facilities, and arenas across North America. Directly comparable to Black Bear TV's pay-per-game and subscription model for ice rink content.
• National Sports Center: Operator of one of the largest amateur sports complexes in the U.S., hosting youth and amateur tournaments, leagues, and events across multiple sports. Comparable as a multi-facility sports complex operator offering programming, tournaments, and league management under one organization.
• BigLeague Holdings: PE-backed youth sports facility operator and consolidator operating multi-sport complexes across the U.S. Directly comparable as a PE-rollup strategy targeting the fragmented youth sports facility market with similar capital structure and acquisition-driven growth model.

Others

• Spiideo: Provider of AI-powered cloud-based sports camera systems used for automatic game recording and tracking. Comparable as a Black Bear technology partner whose AI capture infrastructure enables the Black Bear TV streaming product and could be considered an enabling technology provider rather than a competitor.
• United States Hockey League (USHL): The only Tier I junior hockey league in the United States, in which Black Bear owns and operates the Youngstown Phantoms. Comparable as a top-tier junior hockey organization with shared talent development and broadcast partnership (via USPHL exclusivity), though structurally a league rather than a vertically integrated operator.

Emerging players

• Hudl: Sports video and analytics platform used by teams at all levels for game footage, analysis, and recruitment. Comparable as a youth sports video/coaching platform and Black Bear's strategic partner; partial overlap with Black Bear TV's analysis and content distribution use cases.
• BallerTV: Subscription and pay-per-view streaming platform dedicated to youth sports broadcasts including basketball, volleyball, and other emerging sports. Comparable as a youth sports-focused streaming service with a similar content + community approach to Black Bear TV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Bear Sports Group