Naperville Central graduate, now Wisconsin hockey star, to appear in Super Bowl commercial

“Take a look at this.

For those watching Super Bowl Sunday, the Old National Bank commercial planned before, during and after the big game will feature a familiar face: University of Wisconsin hockey star Owen Lindmark, a 2019 Naperville Central High School graduate.

Without giving too much away about what the 30-second ad is about, it focuses on a nice mix of the term check, as in the type of check made in hockey with a bank checking account.

The commercial will air on CBS 2 Chicago at 5 p.m. before the Super Bowl begins; 21:45 after the Super Bowl break; and at 11:33 p.m., during a special edition of “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert following the game.

The TV spot, titled “Protect Yourself,” reinforces Old National Bank’s position as the Official Bank of the Big Ten and its National Image Likeness agreement with Lindmark, according to a report from creative agency Schafer Condon Carter. As an extension of Old National Bank’s “Grow Older” campaign, the new ad aims to promote checking account enrollment by offering a $450 cash bonus to customers who open a Preferred or Casual checking account.

The ad will air in Chicago and Minneapolis on Super Bowl Sunday. It will also be shown in Milwaukee and Indianapolis from now on, the agency said.

Lindmark, a 22-year-old forward, went to high school in Naperville but grew up in many different areas because his father was an Air Force officer whose job required frequent moves. Quad Cities, Oklahoma and St. Louis, among other places. He lived in St. Louis.

Lindmark was a fifth-round pick by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NFL draft, but chose to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison instead. Once he completes his undergraduate degree and begins working on his master’s degree, this will be his graduation year on the Badgers roster and then he could be picked up by the NHL.

In his first 24 games this year, Lindmark had 11 goals and 10 assists on a team with a strong 21-6-2 record. He scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 36 matches last season.

Before college, he played in the US National Team Development Program and scored 11 goals and 25 points in 56 games with the under-18 team in the 2018-19 season. This schedule allowed him to play in Sweden, Finland and Russia.

This won’t be the first time Lindmark has been seen on television.

In September, he did a live interview with the NBC affiliate in Madison during a shooting contest in which Badgers students shot free throws at goals to win free tickets to games.

While he was answering questions, his teammates threw pucks at his ankles as a joke.

Announcer Mike Jaques called Lindmark “one of my favorite Badgers of all time.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.