Occasionally, creators of exchange traded funds are seen imitating others, and this trend is evident in the rush to introduce funds linked to indexes that track the performance of NHL teams.
Shortly after Volatility Shares revealed plans to launch funds consisting of CME-traded derivatives tied to FutureSports Performance Indexes (FSPI), Roundhill Investments followed suit.
Similar to its competitor, Roundhill submitted plans to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to introduce ETFs representing all 32 NHL teams, which will contain CME-listed futures linked to the FSPIs. FutureSports had previously announced that its indexes on college and professional athletes and teams are based on “officially reported, league-approved statistical outcomes.”
If approved by the SEC, the ETFs from Roundhill and Volatility Shares are expected to operate similarly. However, Roundhill has provided ticker symbols for its NHL futures ETFs. These tickers consist of “X” combined with a three-letter identifier associated with the teams. For example, the Roundhill Vegas Golden Knights ETF will trade under the ticker “XVGK.”
Roundhill’s Presence in Betting and Trading
Recognized for its innovative income-generating and thematic ETF offerings, Roundhill is known in betting circles as the firm behind the Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF (NYSE: BETZ), the first ETF focusing on iGaming and sports wagering equities.
The asset manager was also the first to propose ETFs that would hold bundles of political event contracts traded on prediction markets. Although competitors emerged, the SEC has not yet approved any of these unique ETF proposals due to the need for further evaluation of “novel” concepts.
Interestingly, the political ETFs are no longer listed in the “Coming Soon” section of the Roundhill website, and the proposed NHL funds have not been included there yet.
This indicates that the SEC is taking its time with the election-based ETFs and that Roundhill’s recent filing for an NHL fund is a new development.
Timing Considerations
The start of the 2026-27 NHL season is set for Sept. 29, and there is already activity in prediction markets related to this event. However, the season’s commencement date may not affect the SEC’s decision regarding the approval or rejection of these distinctive ETFs.
While the funds are still pending approval, some ETF experts humorously comment on the saturation of hockey-themed ETFs. Others are curious about the performance of the funds, if approved, during the offseason when futures activity is expected to decrease significantly.