“Thinking about game-used hockey sticks, those cost hundreds of dollars … if you manage to buy one, it usually sits in your basement collecting dust,” Johnson said. “You can bring these cases with you wherever you go, carry them around and show your buddies.”

Johnson, 23, graduated from MSU last December with a marketing degree and grew up playing hockey.

His idea to create the cases emerged in April after graduation when he was looking for a new iPhone case and noticed friends making tables out of hockey sticks, so he put the two together.

Using the marketing skills he learned at MSU, Johnson eventually got in contact with retired auto industry engineers around Detroit to help him with the project.

“Ever since then, I’ve been working with these guys to design and turn this idea into a reality,” Johnson said.

Original Stix cases are made with hockey sticks from different games, adding more authenticity to each case, Johnson said. Each hockey stick is hand cut with to meet specifications and no two cases are he same, he said.

The cases feature used composite sticks from various players across different hockey leagues — including the NCAA and NHL. The cases also feature high-impact polycarbonate casing, documentation and a sticker.

This December, Original Stix plans to release its first batch of cases for the iPhone 5, available for purchase on the company’s website.

“We’ve got a couple prototypes, but we’re currently working on high-quality durability; something we can stand behind,” Johnson said. “We’re really taking the time to make sure these are perfect before beginning production.”

Another option is for hockey fans to send in their own hockey stick and specify what parts of the stick they want made into a case, he said.

Aside from using a unique medium, Johnson said he has concern for helping those who turned his idea into a reality. He said he plans to hire disabled war veterans to help produce the cases.

“Due to disabilities from serving in the military, most of them are unable to find a steady job,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the feedback he has received so far has been positive, but some people were confused about the concept at first.

“‘Why don’t you just print hockey logos and put them onto the case?’” he said, referring to how people reacted to the product. “Fake leather and real leather — that made them understand.”