So Pretty Cara Cotter announces NHL deal to make team-themed jewelry

So Pretty Cara Cotter is an Edmonton-area jewelry business. 20 years ago, Cara Cotter started making jewelry in her home.

She built her business slowly, raising a family while pursuing her passion, and last week, she announced her brand as an official NHL licensee.

“Samantha from the NHL, who’s been with them for over 20 years, and is the head of retail for all their hard goods, she has been a customer for about five years. So followed along our journey. And she reached out to us in November when she thought we were ready to do a project of this size, and asked us if we would be interested, and pitched an idea to us. And we absolutely, 100 per cent, without even taking a beat, said yes, yes, yes,” Cotter explained.

Cotter has designed a full line of jewelry for four NHL teams to kick off the partnership — including her home team, the Oilers. The licensee agreement covers the entire NHL, and fans across North America could soon be wearing so pretty to cheer on their team.

“It is a dream for us. I have been part of the community, I grew up in Sturgeon County, my kids go to school in St. Albert, we have a business here, the hockey community in St. Albert and in Edmonton,” said Cotter.

“We’re so passionate, we love it, it’s part of our culture. So to have an Edmonton brand that gets to be on a stage of this size, I feel so honoured and really just excited for what the future holds.”

Cotter says that while the NHL is very specific with what they approve, the designs will still reflect her brand. So Pretty has a sterling reputation with their customers, and Cotter is excited to now share it with primarily female sports fans.

“What we want is anybody to be able to celebrate. We started sponsoring a Raiders hockey team in St. Albert, a female one, even though I have two boys that play hockey. We really believe in supporting the female sporting community. We see that on the rise also, and we also see female fans being really excited and wanting to be a part of all this fandom,” said Cotter.

After 20 years of sticking with her plan and working hard to make it a reality, Cotter says she’s just so grateful.

“I think the important thing is just to keep at it, and never give up, and stay clear, stay true to your vision and who you are, and try to be different. But I did. I always had a bigger vision of what I wanted for the brand, and the sky’s the limit.”

While So Pretty’s NHL licensee agreement has been announced as the Oilers make their push for the Stanley Cup, the collections won’t be made available until the start of a new NHL season. Expect to see the Edmonton Oilers and three other mystery teams represented in the collection curated by Cotter in the fall of 2025.