“Perfection is Not Attainable. But if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”—Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi
“[T]here is a lot of interest in measuring the contribution of each [ice hockey] player to goal scoring, which is not easy given the continuity of play, frequent line changes, and the infrequency of goals.”—“Measuring Player Contributions in Hockey,” Chance (a publication of the American Statistical Association).
Individual perfection in sports—particularly team sports—is rare. And the ability to compare players of different ages and geographies is particularly challenging.
Even in this day of advanced analytics, baseball (beyond pitchers), basketball, football, soccer and ice hockey don’t have an official statistic for perfection—because, truly, there’s no way to measure it.
There have been some notable performances that illustrated a kind of perfection (i.e. Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens stopping 59 shots in a shutout of San Jose, the most saves in a regular-season game in the expansion era)—but nothing approaching true perfection.
That said, most sports have created ways to measure athletes during scouting combines—yet, this is a combination of “stopwatch” timing of players through drills and the “eyeball test.” There is no set score representing overall perfection—and thus, the measurement becomes subjective, with the potential for individual biases.
At HockeyTech, we have changed that.
Measuring the (Previously) Immeasurable: Coupling Skills Testing, Sensors and Statistics
We’ve pioneered a solution for measuring individual skating skills—the HockeyTech Testing Index (HTI), based on our standardized, scientifically-based testing service designed to evaluate a player’s skating abilities.
Using a scientifically-based testing protocol of 14 digitally-measured drills, our testers can ensure an absolute consistent measurement of skating skill–not just speed:
(1) Forward Skating
(2) Backward Skating
(3) Puck Control
(4) Reaction
The measure isn’t just speed, otherwise we could do this with a stopwatch. Speed is an important element, but of equal importance is how the player skates with the puck.
This information is collected and used in our proprietary algorithm. Based on aggregate data collected from thousands of tests, the HTI provides an exact index, measurement, and comparison of each player’s skating ability—and one that can easily compare players across geography, age groups and time.
Approaching Perfection
In the SAT college prep exam, a perfect score is 2400—a goal reached by the top .03 percent in the most recent data collected. Think of the HTI as “ice hockey’s SAT.” For the HTI, the perfect score is 1,000. This number has never been attained.
But we do have two players who have come close …
Near-Perfection: The “800 Club”
The highest HTI score? 800. Total number of “800 club” members: two.
Jalen Chatfield: Currently with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, this defenceman was the first member of the 800 club, hitting that target when he was 19. According to HockeyTech’s scouting division, ISS Hockey, “Chatfield is a smart two-way defenseman. His offensive skill is still evolving. Skating is his strength, his vision and passing is on point, especially on his power play.” He was a Detroit Red Wings camp invite.
Greg Meireles: Was the next to score an 800, and it was done at age 17, his draft year. Currently with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, he was a highly-touted prospect heading into the 2015 OHL draft. Scouting reports breathlessly stated chestnuts like “If there is something Greg Meireles does well, it’s everything.” And apparently, that includes setting the bar for the HTI.
Is a perfect 1,000 impossible to attain?
Only time will tell. The quote “Records are made to be broken,” has been attributed to many—but it’s meaning is unquestionable. Perhaps perfection is unattainable, but the pursuit will continue.
Written by Kevin Christmas – Player Testing and ISS Hockey Coordinator, HockeyTech