THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
WITH JASON ROMANO, FEATURING JACCOB SLAVIN
Jaccob Slavin is an All-Star defenseman with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was selected by Carolina in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft after a collegiate career at Colorado College (in Colorado Springs), and made his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 2015.
In 2017, Slavin signed a seven-year contract extension with the Hurricanes, and in 2020 was named to his first All-Star team. One year later, he won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy presented each year to the “player to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” In 2024, he won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for a second time, and in July he signed a new eight-year contract to remain with Carolina until 2033.
Today on the podcast, we welcome back Jaccob Slavin to share about signing his new contract, stability in Raleigh with the Hurricanes, and sharing the Gospel with his teammates.
Left to right: Mark and Angela Rumschik, James and April Reimer, and Victoria and Owen Power after an outreach event in Buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Mark Rumschik)
As the NHL playoffs rage on and the intensity grows with each passing game, hockey fans watch intently, eagerly anticipating which team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup skyward in triumph. But while the incredible saves and mesmerizing goals get all of the attention, the true Lord of all is orchestrating something much more powerful.
Each Monday during the season, far away from the public eye, dozens of pro hockey players gather together for mutual growth in Christ and encouragement in faith. These discipleship gatherings occur on Zoom as pro players — competitors all vying for a shot at the Cup — come together as one under the lordship of Christ.
The man behind this NHL discipleship group is Mark Rumschik, an Athletes in Action staff member based in Michigan who has been working with hockey players for more than a decade now. Over the years, he’s been discouraged as he’s seen players, once seemingly enthusiastic in their walk with Christ, drift away in pro hockey.
“There’s a culture out there that pulls guys away,” Rumschik told Sports Spectrum. “Over the past couple years, my heart has just been broken for players that I know want to walk with Jesus but just don’t have other people doing it with them.”
Last summer, as Rumschik contemplated the issue, God sparked in his mind a vision of multiplying discipleship within the hockey world. A couple conversations with former NHL defenseman Nate Prosser later, and the plan was in motion. In partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Pro Athletes Outreach, Rumschik launched the pro hockey discipleship.
The first meeting was held on Oct. 6. Fifty players participated.
“[The discipleship] is designed in a way that we’re gonna help guys with walking with God daily,” Rumschik said. “There are some former players and myself that are investing in the leaders of our group, and the leaders are just mirroring what we’re doing with them to their players that are in their group.”
The leaders of the group are pro hockey players themselves, and they’ve each been called to lead a small group of peers within the larger discipleship meeting. Leaders connect with their groups during the week, do life with them, keep them accountable, provide them with Christian community and always point them toward Christ.
The discipleship movement is more than a Monday morning Zoom call; it’s a community in which players throughout professional hockey can navigate the spiritual challenges of their profession while remaining faithful to Him. They are asked about their personal devotion, their prayer life, their Bible reading, and their spiritual conversations with teammates. Multiplication of disciples has been the result.
“I view my role as I just want to equip these [pro hockey discipleship leaders] and give them the tools to go do the things that God has called them to do,” Rumschik said. “… We’re just a bunch of guys who are coming together, unified under the name of Jesus, trying to reach hockey players and empower and equip them to do the same.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING DANIELLE FORTE
On today’s episode, Matt invites his wife, Danielle Forte, to the show for a special Mother’s Day edition. Danielle shares about raising kids to love Jesus, why she is so passionate about being a mother, her adoption story, and the importance of keeping her identity in Jesus and not her role as a mom or wife.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING JUWAN JOHNSON
Juwan Johnson is a tight end for the New Orleans Saints. He went undrafted in 2020 out of college after spending four seasons with Penn State and a fifth at Oregon. He signed with the Saints after the 2020 NFL Draft and has become an integral part of New Orleans’ offense. In 2025, he had his best season as a pro, with a career-high 77 receptions and 889 receiving yards.
Today on the podcast, Juwan Johnson opens up about how putting Christ first transformed his identity beyond the jersey. He shares about how to lead with a servant’s heart in the spotlight, from handling the pressures of the NFL to finding a deeper purpose off the field.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING ALEX HIGHSMITH
Alex Highsmith is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft after a stellar college career with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers.
In 2022, Highsmith led the Steelers with a career-high 14.5 sacks and tied for the NFL lead with five forced fumbles. He was rewarded in July 2023 with a four-year contract extension. He will be entering his seventh season with Pittsburgh in 2026.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Alex Highsmith about representing Christ as a football player, growing in his faith, the pressure of performing on the field, and giving back to his community.
