Jakub Mikulik's passion for hockey is shown both through his enthusiasm and career since graduating from the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program in the Muma College of Business in 2018. Mikulik is the executive director at Hockey Club Frýdek-Místek in the eastern Czech Republic city of Frýdek-Místek.
Mikulik comes from a big hockey town in the Czech Republic. “I played hockey since I was 3-years-old,” said Mikulik, who started his career as a coach. “Sports is what I love, and it is what I want to do.
Mikulik first came to Florida as a golfer to attend IMG Sports Academy in Bradenton, an internationally known training center for young athletes where he found “everything necessary to train as a student-athlete is on campus.” “Being surrounded by talented athletes and coaches pushed me to continuously improve and strive for excellence both on and off the course.” Mikulik also notes his time at IMG Sports Academy ultimately led to his decision to return to Florida to continue his education at USF.
“After being in the environment, I thought: ‘Alright, how cool would it be to be a part of putting together the events and taking care of the athletes,’” Mikulik said. “I knew I needed to find a university program that would help me to achieve this dream to work within the industry.”
This dream led Mikulik to USF.
During his first year, Mikulik was determined to make his dream of working in hockey management a reality. “I asked if there was something that I could do for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They were looking for a mascot assistant,” Mikulik says. “I said I would do it. No problem.”
He assisted mascot Thunder Bug on game days and coordinated with game producers. Mikulik approached his work with enthusiasm, and it paid off. “Thanks to this job, they picked me as a game producer for the World Cup,” Mikulik says. “So even assisting a mascot can help you down the line massively.”
During his fellowship at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Mikulik was tasked to organize group events at hockey games to encourage connection with the community. He created Czech and Slovak Heritage Night, which brought 250 people from across Florida to enjoy a Tampa Bay Lightning game. “Walking around the Amalie Arena and hearing Czech and Slovakian languages everywhere was incredible,” Mikulik said. “This experience showed that sports can unite people from different backgrounds.”
(The connection between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Frýdek-Místek through former Lightning star Ondrej Palat, a family friend of Mikulik, was later profiled by the New York Times’ The Athletic.)
A class assignment to create a campaign for Fox Sports Florida and the Florida Panthers, brought Mikulik and classmates together in a team to create the campaign "Follow the Hunt". The project was so successful the team and the network adopted it, and when Mikulik finished his studies at USF, one of the offers that he received was from the Florida Panthers, although home in the Czech Republic beckoned.
“I’m really happy here,” Mikulik says. “It’s a great organization. We just received club of the year in Europe.”
The job at a smaller team requires Mikulik to wear a lot of hats. “Maybe one day I
will drive the Zamboni too if all our guys that do the ice are sick or something,”
he said. “I ran the Jumbotron before, so I won’t be surprised if I have to run the
Zamboni.”
“Being able to experience the work in the sports industry and then get a job in the
field that I lived and grew up in, that’s unbelievable,” Mikulik said. “USF and the
program helped me achieve that.”
He especially credits the professors in the program for their support of students. “They guided me through personal development, which I’ve never experienced before in school,” he said.