2 Chaminade students go virtual with animated NHL 'Hockeyverse' show

'Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week' is a first-of-its-kind animated series on NHL Network, and its co-hosts are Chaminade High School juniors Mike Saville and Thomas Gamba. NewsdayTV's Carissa Kellman reports. Credit: Jonathan Singh

By Carissa Kellmancarissa.kellman@newsday.com @CarissaKellmanUpdated May 2, 2025

Their school days start in homeroom at 8 a.m. But one afternoon a week, they leave school early, take the train into Manhattan's Penn Station, head over to NHL headquarters on 9th Avenue and morph into animated avatars skating through a virtual hockey arena, breaking down NHL matchups in a world made entirely of pucks and pixels.

Chaminade High School juniors Mike Saville and Thomas Gamba host a 30-minute weekly series called "Hockeyverse Matchup of the Week," the NHL's first animated show.

“No 17-year-old does any sort of TV show like this,” Saville said.

"Hockeyverse" merges real-life hockey with the world of virtual reality. NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking technology allow chips in players jerseys and sticks to turn an NHL matchup from the prior week into a cartoon-like revisualization.

Meta Quest headsets track the co-hosts' movements from the blink of an eye to the point of a finger.

“We put on virtual reality headsets and all of a sudden, we’re animated,” Gamba said. “I just think that’s incredibly cool. It makes you focus a lot more on your non-verbal skills.”

Mike Saville, left, and Thomas Gamba, in the real-world studio at the NHL offices in Manhattan. Credit: Jonathan Singh

Mike Saville, left, and Thomas Gamba in the metaverse world of NHL Network's "Hockeyverse." Credit: Jonathan Singh

The co-hosts call the action in a fun, entertaining and casual tone, inserting their own research and fun facts between action calls. You’ll hear just as much about the players’ pets, favorite ice cream flavor and if they’re a "Swiftie" as you will about goal scoring.

“We could be explaining what icing is before telling our viewers he’s a huge Swiftie,” said Gamba, who lives in Garden City. “We’re trying to target the 8-year-old kid who’s watching on a Saturday morning and wants to learn the game, so I feel like that stuff's really important because it connects to the younger fans.”

Gamba also was behind the mic last August as a part of the KidsCast for the MLB Little League Classic as the Yankees and Detroit Tigers met at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, during the Little League World Series.

Before the pair called games from the Hockeyverse, Saville and Gamba honed their skills from the Chaminade hardwood for the school’s broadcast program.

“We gained that experience as freshmen and have called basketball games together every year since,” said Saville, who lives in Floral Park. “Our chemistry has blossomed since then. What makes it so awesome is he’s one of my best friends.”

The co-hosts further developed their on-air chemistry at Bruce Beck’s Sports Broadcasting Camp over the summer, where the NBC 4 New York lead sports anchor recognized their talent and recommended them for the NHL role.

“Michael and Thomas have outstanding chemistry together,” Beck said. “Thomas is an incredibly gifted young broadcaster who can seize the moment and has great mechanics. Mike is very smooth and isn’t intimidated by the big stage. Above all, they're both great teammates and treat everyone with respect. It sounded like a great combination to me.”

The studio may be bigger and the audience may be wider, but the mentality remains the same for the young broadcasters.

“I just think of it like it’s a Chaminade game and prepare the same way,” Gamba said. “If I prepare with the same hard work, I know I’ll succeed.”

The series airs Saturdays on NHL Network at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Eastern from January to April as well as on the NHL's YouTube channel.