“This is a two-part question. First, what software do the LA Kings use to compile analytic data on players? Second, is the data used to educate the player on how to focus his strengths…or does the team use the data from a big picture point of view to alter coaching philosophy in various situations?”

It’s no secret that athlete data analysis has become a major trend in professional sports and it is something that we pay close attention to at CKM Sport Management. For Clients that have chosen to utilize our Analytic Performance Reports, CKM Agents/Advisors will track the individual throughout contests to evaluate a number of categories, which include but are not limited to: Total ice time, avg. shift length, shooting % from various locations, target shooting %, faceoff win % – forehand and backhand, touches, blocked shots, turnovers, dumps, standard statistics and more.

When completed, the CKM provides a report that indicates strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, and improvement suggestions. In doing so, our Clients have consistently shown noticeable progress, in some instances output has increased by as much as .5 points per game. The reports serve not only as an accelerated development resource for players, but they also provide indisputable, objective data that can be passed along by hockey advisors to scouts, recruiters, coaches and general managers. Throughout this process, CKM Sports has developed reliable thresholds which signal when an athlete is ready for the next level. Innovative by nature, we continually strive to enhance our current analytic offerings and will work to provide our Clients with what will one day be the standard of individual hockey intelligence.

Sabermetrics is the empirical analysis of baseball and was made popular with the release of the movie Money Ball in 2011. Since that time, the media has pushed the analytics agenda on major sports teams everywhere and it’s no longer a secret (Sr. VP of Player Personnel, L.A. Kings, 2015, Business of Hockey Seminar). It’s impossible to say how long different teams and leagues have used empirical data to influence the final product on the playing surface, but it is evident in baseball and has been openly acknowledged by franchises in other sports (Gretz of CBS on hockey analytics). CKM Sports is specifically interested in how analytics will be used to shape the future of hockey development.

I am not a mathematician, nor claim to be, but I can tell you that the sport of baseball is more measurable than the game of hockey, therefore easier to quantify. Baseball is stand-still and measured situationally, pitch-by-pitch. Hockey is free flowing, low scoring, players glide and skate in flowing patterns, change shifts without stoppage, and there are but a handful of traditional stat categories. Therein lies the problem. How is game context best translated into numbers? For example, how does one best measure the number of wins that a big, shutdown defensmen adds to a hockey team if he does not score often but is the backbone of the team? There are numerous camps that have been at work for quite some time to produce mathematical equations and algorithms in order to be the recognized solution for answering various questions of this nature (dCorsi, THoR, FenClose & PDO, War on Ice, many more).

I recently attended the L.A. Kings Business of Hockey: Big Data Seminar on January 10, 2015 at the L.A. Live Regal Cinema to find out what would be shared. Given the event was attended by fans and those looking to break into the sports industry, I was able to ask the Kings brass the following, “This is a two-part question. First, what software do the LA Kings use to compile analytic data on players? Second, is the data used to educate the player on how to focus his strengths…or does the team use the data from a big picture point of view to alter coaching philosophy in various situations?”

The answer I received can best be described as politically correct and close to the vest. Jeff Solomon, Kings Sr. VP of Player Personnel, noted that the team is continually exploring it’s options, is open to working with outside analysts, but that analytics is just a small part of what they do. He went on to say that the former players and coaches on the staff who’ve played at a high level understand the subtle nuances of the game that others likely miss. He stated, “When you get farther away from division/multiplication of traditional stats, and into complex algorithms with numbers massaged to provide context, you begin to lose the interest of those with extensive hockey backgrounds. The eye test holds a lot of weight.” Lee Callans, Kings Scouting Coordinator and Assistant to the GM, went on to say, “What we look for in players is how much the game means to them, the level of compete they have inside of them.” It’s the old saying that heart can’t be measured in numbers…well, to a degree anyway (Biometrics).

I certainly understand the answers, they make a lot of sense. Solomon was reluctant to give anything away on what and how the information is used. Although I didn’t get a direct answer, I did learn something. The analytics being used in major hockey today provide quality information, enough of it to implement into player personnel decisions, but it’s not good enough.

Personally, I believe that the NHL is far from full-scale realization of how analytics can increase team results. Are people looking at it from the wrong angle? Think about the possibility of warehousing a season’s worth of data that tracks every aspect of what is happening on the ice (both teams), and then using that information to create real-time predictive analysis reports based on situational offensive and defensive strategies. What will the future bring? Stay tuned.

Nick Stromberg

CKM Sports Management

Agent & Advisor | Southern California

nick@ckmsports.com

Twitter: @NickCKM

Interested in educating your game through analytic performance reports? Contact CKM Sports Management: contact@ckmsports.com