Balancing Pro Hockey and a Startup: Inside Evan Nause's Pursuit of the NHL and a Brain-First Sports Nutrition Company
As he prepares for training camp with the Winnipeg Jets organization, professional hockey player and Headstrong co-founder Evan Nause is chasing two of the toughest goals in sports: earning an NHL roster spot and building a challenger brand in the sports nutrition industry.
By a freelance journalist in the style of Forbes.
The phone rarely stops ringing for Evan Nause.
One conversation is with his skating coach about adding another step to his stride before training camp.
The next is about manufacturing timelines.
An hour later he's reviewing athlete partnerships for Headstrong.
Then he's back in the gym.
Most people would struggle to balance one of those careers.
Nause is balancing two.
At just 23 years old, the former second-round NHL Draft pick is preparing for perhaps the most important training camp of his professional career after signing with the Winnipeg Jets organization. Every workout, every meal and every on-ice session is designed around earning one of the hardest jobs in professional sports: a place on an NHL roster.
At the very same time, he's helping build Headstrong, a young sports nutrition company challenging some of the biggest brands in the industry by focusing on something many athletes have overlooked for years: the brain.
Watching Nause move between those two worlds, it's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Built Through Hockey. Inspired by Curiosity.
Long before there was a company, there was a conversation.
More than a year ago, Nause and exercise physiologist, entrepreneur, and Headstrong co-founder Dr. Darren Burke began exchanging text messages about a question that rarely receives enough attention in elite sport.
Athletes spend countless hours training their bodies.
Why isn't the brain treated with the same level of intention?
Those conversations became phone calls.
The phone calls became ideas.
Eventually, Burke boarded a plane and travelled to Savannah, Georgia, where Nause was playing professionally. They spent several days together, talking hockey, science, nutrition, leadership, entrepreneurship, and the realities of building something meaningful from the ground up.
For Nause, the trip wasn't just about business.
"It says a lot about Darren that he would get on a plane just to come see me play," he says. "He's a class act."
That visit became one of the defining moments in the early story of Headstrong.
Not because contracts were signed.
Because trust was.
Two Different Careers. One Mindset.
Nause's hockey résumé is impressive.
After winning a national championship in junior hockey, he was selected in the second round of the NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers organization, a milestone achieved by only a small percentage of players who dedicate their lives to the game.
Since then, his journey has looked much like professional hockey itself.
Some NHL games.
Several seasons developing in the American Hockey League and ECHL.
Long bus rides.
Unpredictable schedules.
Different coaches.
Different systems.
New teammates.
In July 2026, another chapter began when he signed with the Winnipeg Jets organization, earning another opportunity to compete for an NHL roster spot.
For many players, changing organizations would consume every waking hour.
For Nause, it simply became another challenge to prepare for while continuing to help lead a growing startup.
"The biggest lesson hockey teaches you is that nothing is guaranteed," he says. "Every season you have to earn your spot all over again. I think entrepreneurship is exactly the same."
Competing Against Giants
Professional hockey players understand competition.
Every practice is an audition.
Every shift is evaluated.
Every season brings another wave of talented players trying to take your place.
Building a consumer brand feels remarkably similar.
Sports nutrition is one of the most competitive industries in the world, filled with multinational companies, enormous marketing budgets, decades of brand recognition, and shelves crowded with products promising better performance.
That reality doesn't discourage Nause.
It motivates him.
"In hockey, you don't choose easier opponents," he says. "You prepare better. You become more disciplined. That's how we've approached building Headstrong."
The company isn't trying to become another protein powder or pre-workout brand.
Its mission is different.
Headstrong was founded on a simple belief: athletes train their bodies relentlessly, yet the brain, arguably the most important performance organ, has often been overlooked.
That philosophy has become the company's north star.
The Startup Nobody Sees
Like professional sports, entrepreneurship looks very different from the outside.
People see product launches.
They see social media.
They see polished photography.
What they don't see are the hundreds of decisions that happen behind the scenes.
Manufacturing meetings.
Packaging revisions.
Regulatory reviews.
Retail conversations.
Customer support.
Late-night strategy sessions.
Building a startup is rarely glamorous.
Nause laughs when asked about work-life balance.
"Some days balance doesn't really exist," he admits. "You just focus on doing the next thing well."
That mindset has carried him through both careers.
Why Culture Matters More Than Talent
Ask Nause what he's most proud of, and he doesn't immediately talk about hockey.
He talks about people.
Three years in Florida's development system taught him something few leadership books can.
Championship teams aren't simply collections of talent.
They're built on trust.
That lesson followed him into business.
One of the friendships formed during those demanding years became one of Headstrong's earliest leadership decisions.
Rather than searching for an executive with an impressive résumé, Nause reached out to someone he had lived the journey with.
Keaton Pehrson, a trusted teammate and friend from his playing career, joined Headstrong to lead Partnerships and Business Development.
It wasn't just a hiring decision.
It was a reflection of the culture Nause wants to build.
"When you've gone through long bus rides, difficult seasons, uncertainty and adversity together, you learn a lot about someone's character," he says. "That's hard to replace."
Leadership Looks Different Than Most People Think
Despite his age, Nause speaks about leadership with unusual maturity.
Not because he believes leaders should have all the answers.
Because he believes they should ask better questions.
"Some of the best leaders I played with weren't the loudest people in the room," he says. "They were the most consistent."
That philosophy has become part of Headstrong's culture.
Consistency.
Preparation.
Accountability.
Humility.
Those values matter whether you're walking into an NHL locker room or a startup meeting.
The Pursuit Never Stops
Training camp begins in September.
Between now and then, every workout matters.
Every stride.
Every repetition.
Every recovery session.
Every improvement.
At the same time, Headstrong continues to grow.
New partnerships.
New customers.
New challenges.
New opportunities.
Neither pursuit offers certainty.
Both demand relentless commitment.
"The work is never really finished," Nause says. "That's probably what I enjoy most."
Final Thoughts
Watching Evan Nause move between elite sport and entrepreneurship, it's clear the two worlds have more in common than most people realize.
Both reward discipline over shortcuts.
Both test resilience daily.
Both demand that you earn your place, over and over again.
Whether he's competing for an NHL roster spot with the Winnipeg Jets organization or helping build Headstrong into one of the most respected brain-focused sports nutrition companies in the industry, the approach remains unchanged.
Show up.
Do the work.
Make the people around you better.
Then come back tomorrow and do it again.
For Nause, that's not just a strategy for hockey.
It's a philosophy for life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Evan Nause?
Evan Nause is a professional hockey player, former second-round NHL Draft pick, and co-founder of Headstrong, a sports nutrition company focused on supporting brain performance and cognitive health.
Which NHL organization does Evan Nause play for?
After spending three seasons in the Florida Panthers organization, Evan Nause signed with the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2026 and is preparing to compete for a roster spot at training camp.
What is Headstrong?
Headstrong is a science-driven sports nutrition company focused on helping athletes support brain performance, cognitive function, recovery, and long-term brain health alongside physical performance.
Why did Evan Nause co-found Headstrong?
After extensive conversations with exercise physiologist Dr. Darren Burke, Nause recognized that athletes devote tremendous effort to training their bodies but comparatively little attention to supporting brain performance. Headstrong was created to help change that.
What leadership lessons has hockey taught Evan Nause?
Nause credits hockey with teaching him resilience, accountability, consistency, teamwork, humility, and the importance of culture - principles he applies every day while building Headstrong.
How does Evan Nause balance professional hockey and entrepreneurship?
Nause balances his playing career with Headstrong by approaching both with the same mindset: disciplined preparation, consistent habits, strong teamwork, and a commitment to continual improvement.