- P.K. Subban will star in and executive produce an animated Screech Owls series
- The show launches on CBC in fall 2027, with Sarah Nurse lined up for a cameo
- Read below for Subban’s take and how the NHL is involved
P.K. Subban is getting his own cartoon. Sort of.
The former Norris Trophy winner will star in and executive produce Screech Owls, a new animated action-adventure series built on Roy MacGregor’s beloved kids’ hockey books. Deadline had the news first Tuesday morning, and the NHL made it official about an hour later.
In the show, he plays Coach P.K., the larger-than-life leader of a youth team that keeps getting pulled into jewel heists, mind-control plots and high-tech villains, then somehow makes it home in time for the next game. Check out the first look at the show:
It’s a 26-episode run at 11 minutes apiece. It launches in English on CBC in fall 2027, then in French on Radio-Canada and TFO in winter 2028. The NHL is a production partner and holds exclusive distribution rights in the United States and the Nordic countries.
Asked what drew him to the project, Subban pointed straight to his childhood bookshelf.
“A major focus of my career has been finding new ways to grow the game and reach young, diverse audiences with positive role models and Screech Owls, a series I grew up reading, does both,” Subban said. “Hockey teaches character, leadership, and teamwork. You don’t need to know what ‘offside’ means to watch Screech Owls. You just have to love globe-trotting kids solving mysteries, working together, and having a blast.”
This isn’t the first time the Owls have hit TV. Shaftesbury, which is producing the new version with Sphere Animation, also made the live-action Screech Owls show that aired on YTV in 2001. Jonathan Malen, who starred in that one, is back to voice Trevor, the team’s defenceman.
PWHL star Sarah Nurse will make a cameo as herself, and more guest stars are coming. The kids also get suits with “Power Pulse” abilities, so this version leans a lot harder into superhero territory than the books ever did.
Here’s how Deadline broke it:
NHL executive vice president David Lehanski called it a chance to “meet kids where they are” and show off hockey in a way families will enjoy. The plan goes beyond TV too, with gaming, consumer products and licensing all on the table.
Since retiring in 2022, Subban has kept busy between his ESPN work and off-ice causes like his $10 million pledge to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Now a whole generation of kids is going to know him as Coach P.K.
