🏆 From Hockey Ops to NIL, Building Programs at Notre Dame

Nick Siergiej is the Assistant Athletic Director for NIL at Notre Dame Athletics, where he helps lead one of the most dynamic and fast-changing areas in college sports. He has spent 17 years with the Irish, first as video coach and Director of Hockey Operations before transitioning into NIL when Notre Dame built its dedicated office. He began his career as a student manager at UW–River Falls, became an early power user and trainer of XOS (now Catapult) technology, and served as the first Director of Hockey Operations at Minnesota Duluth before moving to South Bend. At Notre Dame, he oversaw technology buildouts like Compton Family Ice Arena, worked directly with athletic directors and sport administrators, and now manages NIL operations and strategy across multiple sports while still serving as sport admin for men’s and women’s golf and secondary support for hockey.

From Hockey Ops to NIL Builder

Nick grew up in Eagle River, Wisconsin, where hockey shaped his instincts for teamwork and problem solving. At UW–River Falls, he leaned into the operations side, managing skates and office work while mastering video technology. “After my sophomore year, I got asked to learn their video software,” he says. That led to hands-on work with XOS, where he trained Division I programs and even NHL staff while still in college. The network he built there opened a door to Minnesota Duluth, where he became the program’s first Director of Hockey Operations.

Notre Dame called soon after. He took the job “sight unseen” and never looked back. Over 17 years, his role grew from video to travel, compliance, and the day-to-day machinery that keeps a top program moving. He helped specify the technology for the Compton Family Ice Arena and later served as sport administrator for hockey. “I was the point of contact for anything hockey related outside the coaches as Director of Operations,” he says.

NIL Transition

When Notre Dame formalized its NIL function, leaders tapped Nick to help build. Operations was the bridge. “NIL is literally operations on steroids,” he says. “It touches immigration, marks and logos, different businesses, and what you can and can’t do.” The job, as he puts it, is “building a plane as you’re flying it.”

In the early days, the team explored building marketplace tech in-house before partnering with MOGL to move faster. The office has since grown to four staff members and working with our lifestyle agency. “Just because you don’t see us out there doesn’t mean we’re not doing things behind the scenes,” he adds. On any given day, he might be working through LBI and caps management, rev-share agreements for non-revenue sports, or liaising with corporate partners. “You go into your day not knowing what you’re going to do… by the end of the day it is sometimes drastically different. And that’s okay.”

North Star: The Student Athlete Experience

If the rules change weekly, the compass doesn’t. “Our north star here is still about the student athlete experience,” Nick says. That shows up in how they program NIL education, manage time demands, and coordinate with coaches and sport admins. “You have to be very time management. Be organized. Do things at a high level and be mindful of their time.”

Nick’s checklist reads like a coach’s board: organization, composure, and service. “Some people can handle the volatility, some people can’t,” he says. The constant is the mission. “Keep the student athlete experience in mind,” he adds. “Do things at a high level, stay organized, and be ready to adjust.”

Carrying Forward What Matters

Nick often points back to his Division III roots, where limited resources meant everyone wore multiple hats. “You’re doing a lot of things, you’re wearing a lot of hats,” he says. “When you do get higher up… you appreciate it a little bit more.” That perspective has stayed with him through every step at Notre Dame.

He also believes “genuine relationships are what carry you forward. Continue to network… It’s not just a transactional relationship,” he explains. For him, networking means walking down the hall to talk with another coach, introducing yourself to people in different departments, or connecting with alumni across campus. “You don’t know what door it’s going to open.”

The Why

What keeps him in the rush of NIL? “Giving back,” he says. That means helping student athletes grow and paving paths for ops and video staff following behind. “I wanted to give back to the game as much as it’s given me.”