The Team (Formerly Wasserman)
Contract Powerhouse

US

$1.8B

Key Facts

Also known as: Wasserman; Wasserman Hockey; Wasserman Media Group; The·Team.
Founded: 2002.
Headquarters: Los Angeles, United States.
Other offices: 6 continents, 28 countries and 70+ cities, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Toronto, Madrid, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Sydney and Abu Dhabi.
Agency type: Large / multi-sport sports, music and entertainment agency.
Ownership: Private company; Providence Equity Partners made a strategic investment in 2022 while Casey Wasserman retained control, and Sports Business Journal reported a formal sale process after the 2026 rebrand.
Primary markets: NHL, AHL, NCAA, CHL, USHL, Europe, plus global multi-sport representation and marketing.
Players (Total market value: $1.808B active NHL contract value): 345+ total hockey clients; NHL clients: 120+; NHL-drafted clients: 146

Key agents: Dave Gagner, Judd Moldaver, Kurt Overhardt, Markus Lehto, Rich Evans, Brian Schoelzel, Shaun Hunwick, Sami Mettovaara, Pete Rutili, Simo Niiranen, Joe Pinter, Daren Hermiston, Ryan Ballard, Jeff Jackson; THE·TEAM also lists Daren Hermiston, Ryan Ballard and Chris Lepkowski as NHLPA Certified Agents.
Affiliates: A.M.A. Sports Agency
Languages: English-led global operation with multilingual coverage through 28 countries and European hockey staff.
Contact email: info@the.team or Contact form.
Phone / WhatsApp: Los Angeles office: +1 310-407-0200.
Website: https://the.team/
Socials:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.team.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the%C2%B7team-co

About THE·TEAM

THE·TEAM is the 2026 rebrand of Wasserman, a Los Angeles-based global sports, music and entertainment company. The company was founded in 2002 and has grown into one of the largest talent representation businesses in sport. Its hockey group became a major NHL force after Wasserman took an equity stake in Orr Hockey Group in 2018, hired Judd Moldaver later that year, acquired ACME World Sports in 2020, acquired PointsWest Hockey in 2021, and partnered with Momentum Hockey in 2024. That buildout brought together agent groups tied to Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor, European NHLers and a broad prospect pipeline.

The agency says its hockey group has produced 51 first- and second-round picks since 2014, including three first-overall picks and 11 top-10 picks. Its public “historic contracts” list includes Connor McDavid’s $100M contract, Kyle Connor’s $96M extension, Auston Matthews’ $58.17M deal and Zach Werenski’s $57.5M deal. The group is known for premium NHL contract work, especially short-term superstar leverage, long-term RFA security, high-bonus structures, NMC/NTC protection and European-to-North America execution. It also offers development, draft preparation, social media, content creation, health support, philanthropy and brand building. Its global footprint gives it unusually strong cross-border coverage, especially Canada, the United States, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and wider Europe. THE·TEAM’s differentiator is scale: it can combine NHLPA-certified contract negotiation, internal marketing teams, commercial sales, content, analytics and post-career pathways inside one global agency platform.

Client Roster

Top players / NHL players

• Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – current 8-year, $100M deal; 2-year, $25M extension from 2026-27, $12.5M AAV, NMC – C – Canada – 1997-01-13.

• Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 4 years, $53M, $13.25M AAV, full NMC – C – United States – 1997-09-17.

• Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets) – current $7.14M AAV; 8-year, $96M extension from 2026-27, $12M AAV, NMC – LW – United States – 1996-12-09.

• Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) – 6 years, $57.5M, $9.583M AAV – D – United States – 1997-07-19.

• Evan Bouchard (Edmonton Oilers) – 4 years, $42M, $10.5M AAV, NMC in years 3-4 – D – Canada – 1999-10-20.

• Noah Dobson (New York Islanders) – 8 years, $76M, $9.5M AAV – D – Canada – 2000-01-07.

• Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues) – 8 years, $65M, $8.125M AAV – RW – Canada – 1998-05-05.

• Nick Suzuki (Montréal Canadiens) – 8 years, $63M, $7.875M AAV – C – Canada – 1999-08-10.

• Alex DeBrincat (Detroit Red Wings) – 4 years, $31.5M, $7.875M AAV, M-NTC – W – United States – 1997-12-18.

• Roope Hintz (Dallas Stars) – 8 years, $67.6M, $8.45M AAV – C/LW – Finland – 1996-11-17.

• Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings) – 5 years, $31.25M, $6.25M AAV, M-NTC in final year – C – Canada – 2002-08-19.

• Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild) – current $3.75M AAV; 5-year, $34M extension from 2026-27, $6.8M AAV – G – Sweden – 1998-06-07.

Prospects & young talents

• Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks, NHL) – 3-year ELC, $2.925M base value, $975K cap hit, performance bonuses – C/LW – Canada – 2007-02-16.

• Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken, NHL) – 3-year ELC, $2.66M, $886,666 cap hit – C – Canada – 2004-01-05.

• Conor Geekie (Tampa Bay Lightning / Syracuse Crunch, NHL/AHL) – 3-year ELC, $2.66M, $886,666 cap hit, performance bonuses – RW/C – Canada – 2004-05-05.

• Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks, NHL) – 6 years, $42M, $7M AAV – C/LW – Canada – 2003-01-30.

Goalies

• Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild) – G – Sweden – 1998-06-07.

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres) – G – Finland – 1999-03-09.

• Joonas Korpisalo (Boston Bruins) – G – Finland – 1994-04-28.

• Alex Nedeljkovic (San Jose Sharks) – G – United States – 1996-01-07.

Highlights

• Negotiation style: Premium-market NHL contracts, including superstar leverage, high signing-bonus structures and long-term RFA/UFA security.

• NHLPA/CBA expertise: Multiple NHLPA-certified agents and a public active NHL book of 150 contracts, $1.808B total value and $380.42M cap hit.

• Network strengths: North America plus Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and wider Europe through ACME, PointsWest, Momentum and KO Sports expansion.

• Development pipeline: 51 first- and second-round NHL Draft picks since 2014, including three first-overall picks.

• Brand/commercial capability: THE·TEAM says its sports practice has delivered $5B+ in marketing deals for clients.

Agency Snapshot

Origin story

• Founded in 2002 as Wasserman and rebranded as THE·TEAM in 2026.

• Hockey scale began accelerating in 2018 through the Orr Hockey Group stake and Judd Moldaver hire.

• First major NHL star foothold: Connor McDavid through the Orr Hockey/Dave Gagner/Jeff Jackson pathway; Auston Matthews through Judd Moldaver.

Milestones

• 2002 – Wasserman founded.

• 2018 – Equity stake in Orr Hockey Group; later hired Judd Moldaver.

• 2020 – Acquired ACME World Sports, adding Markus Lehto, Simo Niiranen and European depth.

• 2021 – Acquired PointsWest Hockey and added Rich Evans in Western Canada.

• 2024 – Strategic partnership with Momentum Hockey.

• 2025 – McDavid signed a 2-year, $25M extension; Kyle Connor signed an 8-year, $96M extension.

• 2026 – Wasserman rebranded as THE·TEAM.

Network strengths

• North America: NHL/AHL/NCAA/CHL/USHL coverage through Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver and wider North American offices.

• Europe: Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Czech/Slovak and broader European coverage through ACME, Europe staff and partner network.

• Specialty lanes: Superstar forwards, first-round draft talent, Finnish/European NHL players, goaltenders, and high-value RFA extensions.

• Affiliates: A.M.A. Sports Agency, 319 agency (Czechia)

Support Team / Partners

• Contract/cap specialist: Dave Gagner, Judd Moldaver, Kurt Overhardt, Markus Lehto, Rich Evans, Olivier Fortier and Pete Rutili lead major NHL contract books.

• Immigration/visa counsel: Not publicly named.

• Litigation/agent-law counsel: THE·TEAM advertises in-house legal/accounting support across athlete services, but individual hockey counsel is not publicly named.

• Marketing/brand partnerships: Internal marketing, brand creation, content and social teams.

• PR/media training: Draft media training and social/content creation are part of hockey services.

• Skills coaches / performance partners: Strength, conditioning, nutrition, emotional growth and performance education are listed hockey development services.

• Analytics/scouting support: THE·TEAM lists performance analytics among sports services.

• Financial advisors/tax partners: Not publicly named.

Notable Deals Led by THE·TEAM

• 2025 – Connor McDavid: Edmonton Oilers – UFA extension – 2 years – $25M – $12.5M AAV – NMC.

• 2025 – Kyle Connor: Winnipeg Jets – UFA extension – 8 years – $96M – $12M AAV – full NMC.

• 2025 – Noah Dobson: New York Islanders – RFA extension – 8 years – $76M – $9.5M AAV.

• 2025 – Evan Bouchard: Edmonton Oilers – RFA contract – 4 years – $42M – $10.5M AAV – NMC in years 3-4.

• 2025 – Niko Mikkola: Florida Panthers – UFA extension – 8 years – $40M – $5M AAV.

• 2025 – Filip Gustavsson: Minnesota Wild – extension – 5 years – $34M – $6.8M AAV.

• 2025 – Michael Misa: San Jose Sharks – ELC – 3 years – $2.925M base value – $975K cap hit – performance bonuses.

• 2024 – Quinton Byfield: Los Angeles Kings – RFA contract – 5 years – $31.25M – $6.25M AAV – final-year M-NTC.

• 2024 – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Buffalo Sabres – RFA contract – 5 years – $23.75M – $4.75M AAV – M-NTC in later years.

• 2023 – Auston Matthews: Toronto Maple Leafs – UFA extension – 4 years – $53M – $13.25M AAV – full NMC.

• 2023 – Alex DeBrincat: Detroit Red Wings – RFA contract – 4 years – $31.5M – $7.875M AAV – M-NTC.

• 2023 – Roope Hintz: Dallas Stars – long-term RFA extension active from 2023-24 – 8 years – $67.6M – $8.45M AAV.

Track Record (Last 3 Seasons)

NHL contracts signed: PuckPedia lists 150 active NHL contracts for THE·TEAM; this includes contracts signed across multiple years, with major 2023-26 examples listed above.
Total value signed (USD): $1.808B active NHL contract value on PuckPedia as of its current agency leaderboard crawl.
Total AAV represented (USD): $380.42M active NHL cap hit.
Extensions/renewals: Major recent extensions include McDavid, Kyle Connor, Niko Mikkola, Filip Gustavsson, Noah Dobson and Evan Bouchard.
ELCs signed: Recent ELC examples include Michael Misa and Conor Geekie.
RFA outcomes: Recent RFA outcomes include Bouchard, Dobson, Byfield, Luukkonen and DeBrincat.
Arbitration cases: No recent heard arbitration case verified from the cited public sources.
Europe transfers: Not publicly counted in a complete audit; the agency’s European network is documented through ACME, Momentum and KO Sports expansion.
Aggregate client market value: Hockey market value is not standardized; use active NHL contract value above.

Compliance & Accreditation

NHLPA certification status: THE·TEAM publicly lists Daren Hermiston, Ryan Ballard and Chris Lepkowski as NHLPA Certified Agents; PuckPedia also records active NHL contracts under Judd Moldaver, Kurt Overhardt, David Gagner, Markus Lehto, Rich Evans, Olivier Fortier, Pete Rutili, Shawn Hunwick, Simo Niiranen and others.
National federation registrations: Not publicly disclosed in the cited sources.
Professional liability insurance: Not publicly stated.
Ethics/compliance notes: TSN reported in 2023 that multiple agents raised concerns to the NHLPA about Kyle Dubas and Auston Matthews being represented by the same agency; no public NHLPA sanction is cited in the sources reviewed.

Testimonials

• THE·TEAM – company statement – “unifying power of sports, music and entertainment.”

• Connor McDavid – player – “Our journey here continues.”

• Stan Bowman – Oilers GM – said McDavid’s commitment was focused on bringing a Stanley Cup back to Edmonton fans.

Press, Awards & Recognition

• 2020 – Sports Business Journal Best Talent Representation of the Year – Wasserman.

• 2022 – Sports Business Journal Best Talent Representation of the Year – Wasserman.

• 2023 – Sports Business Journal Best Talent Representation of the Year recognition listed on THE·TEAM/Wasserman sports pages.

• 2025 – Hockey group expands with KO Sports alliance.

• 2026 – Wasserman rebrands as THE·TEAM.