Former Moosehead scores big on Dragon’s Den

When former Halifax Mooseheads player Sawyer Hannay auditioned for CBC’s “Dragon’s Den” in March 2020, he didn’t expect much success. Little did he know, he would land himself a slot on prime-time TV, $150,000 and a partnership with judges Jim Treliving and Lane Merrifield. Now, with financial backing and support from “Dragon’s Den” experts, Hannay and his business are set to flourish.

Hannay, of Rexton, N.B., started his clothing brand Country Liberty as a passion project in 2015 to pay homage to his small-town roots. He was a university student coming off a career as a professional hockey player, having played for the Halifax Mooseheads, and across Europe after being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks.

“The inspiration came from just traveling around a lot — moving to different cities, countries and provinces and just being really proud of the lifestyle that I grew up within,” says Hannay. “I wanted to represent where I was from. 

Hannay began printing T-shirts in his spare time while attending St. Thomas University. “It just kind of grew legs on its own, from 12 T-shirts and 50 tank tops.” After graduating in 2017 with a degree in economics, he pursued the business full time. 

Hannay first auditioned for “Dragon’s Den” in 2017 but didn’t make it past the first audition. This March, he tried again, after seeing a post on social media about auditions in New Brunswick. “I just impulsively drove to Saint John,” says Hannay. “I went, brought a couple of samples and pitched one of the co-producers.” After being selected to pitch on the show, he hired an additional accountant to go over his numbers and doubled down on tightening his pitch.

The work paid off. He walked away from the show with a $150,000 investment from Treliving and Merrifield, in exchange for 20 per cent of his company.  

The part Hannay is most excited for isn’t the money though. “The funding wasn’t my ambition,” he says. Rather, he was motivated by the partnership and mentorship from the investors that the funding comes with. “I just turned 28. I’m young in my career. I want to surround myself with a strong, powerful group of people that have the experience and have ‘been there, and done that,’” says Hannay. “I'm really hoping to tap into them from an experience and educational standpoint.”  

Hannay says he’s excited to continue to apply the lessons he learned playing hockey to his business, and to continue to give Country Liberty his all. “I was drafted to the NHL, but I came up short,” says Hannay, who never had the chance to play a game in the league. “I was a great hockey player. I worked very hard, but I wasn’t special.”  

“He’s always husting,” says Adam Arkens, a videographer who collaborates with Hannay. He says Hannay “works in his business” — rather than just managing it — and is willing to put in the work needed to succeed.

“You have to have the ‘X Factor’ that a lot of others don't have, or you have to do things that maybe others aren't willing to do,” says Hannay. “I carry that lesson in my back pocket with everything I do.”