A fresh set of goalie masks is showing up across the NHL this season, and many of them were created in a surprisingly modern way yet again: on an iPad Pro.
Several goalies are working directly with mask artists to sketch, revise, and finalize their designs using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro. The tablet setup lets artists draw directly on a 3D model of the mask, making it easier for goalies to give feedback before the final paint job hits the ice.
This digital workflow has grown in popularity over the last few years, replacing the older process of hand-drawn concepts and back-and-forth printouts. Now, goalies can tweak colours, logos, and details instantly, and artists can deliver more accurate mockups.
Some of the new masks made with this approach include:
The designs will appear throughout the season as goalies debut their updated, digitally crafted gear.
Over the past few years, NHL goalie mask art has quietly shifted onto the iPad. Around 2020, artists such as Bourgeault started sketching mask concepts in Procreate instead of drawing everything by hand. By 2021, his iPad-made biomechanical skull design for Carey Price showed how quickly the tech was taking hold.
Apple made it official in October 2024 with its first Made on iPad x NHL campaign, featuring seven masks created on iPad Pro for goalies like Joseph Woll, Thatcher Demko, Jacob Markstrom, Samuel Montembeault, Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark, and Stuart Skinner. Those same designs later landed in EA Sports NHL 25 in February 2025.
Apple kept the push going this March by spotlighting Ullmark’s Viking-themed Ottawa Senators mask. This month’s second wave of the campaign rolled out, showing six new iPad-designed masks for Anthony Stolarz, Demko, Dustin Wolf, Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, and Montembeault.
Check out the video below where Apple has highlighted these new mask designs made on an iPad Pro:
Besides the iPad Pro being used for mask designs, NHL referees are also wearing Apple Watches this season to monitor games and make officiating better.
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