The University of St. Thomas School of Engineering received media coverage for the launch of the first-ever Minnesota Wild Hockey Lab, a new partnership bringing engineering students into the world of professional hockey. Across multiple outlets, the collaboration highlights how students are working to design improved protective equipment.
This year’s focus was on redesigning shin guards, aiming to improve player safety while maintaining performance. The initiative highlights hands-on learning, giving students the opportunity to apply classroom concepts to real-world challenges in the program’s inaugural year.
From KARE 11:
University of St. Thomas Mechanical Engineering Professor John Wentz says about a dozen of his students jumped at the opportunity.
“We thought this was something that was right up our alley,” Wentz said. “It’s so great to take the theory they’re learning in class and then turn it into something tangible.”
On Monday, the students were presented with the problem, that hockey shin guards are often cumbersome for players who want to move quickly across the ice rink.
The students were then given three days to work on their designs for a better shin guard.
On Friday the students will present their ideas to a panel of judges at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul.
John Edwards is a junior in the engineering department, and his team is experimenting with liquids inside the shin guard to see if liquid can be used to absorb an impact.
“We’re hoping to create something that is light and form fitting to an area where the player needs protection. We’re thinking this could replace the hard composite layer and possibly be able to flow with the player’s movement,” Edwards explains.
From WCCO-TV:
“I thought it was very interesting to where engineering and sports overlap, and kind of just how we can complement players making them safe and just exploring that kind of crossover,” said John Edwards, one of the students participating.
“This is a fantastic project,” said mechanical engineering professor John Wentz. “It’s one of the things that really matches what we like to do here at St. Thomas. It’s very applied. It’s hands on. It’s working with an exciting partner.”
One of the biggest hurdles is the time crunch. It’s a fast turnaround with the work starting Monday and final presentations to the team and their professors Friday.
From FOX 9:
From Axios:
Twelve University of St. Thomas engineering students spent their spring break working with the Minnesota Wild to prototype more protective hockey gear.
Why it matters: These Minnesota students are helping to solve a growing problem for the NHL: blocked-shot injuries, which pose serious financial and competitive risks. ...
Yes, but: When it comes to gear, “hockey players don’t like new,” St. Thomas engineering junior Jack Loucks said.
So the students’ challenge was to develop prototypes that fit seamlessly with existing pads.
What they did: The students divided into three teams for a three-day friendly competition – and took three different approaches to impress the judges: Walz, two St. Thomas athletic trainers and an engineering professor.
One team used packets of, essentially, an industrial-grade variant of “oobleck” – that water-and-cornstarch fluid kids play with that hardens on impact – as extra padding.
Another extended the shin pads to cover more of the player’s knee and added foam-padded ankle protectors.
From KSTP:
