Longitudinal Physiological and Fitness Evaluations in Elite Ice Hockey: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Chiarlitti, NA, Crozier, M, Insogna, JA, Reid, RER, and Delisle-Houde, P. Longitudinal physiological and fitness evaluations in elite ice hockey: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 35(10): 2963–2979, 2021—Ice hockey has greatly evolved since the last review article was published more than 25 years ago. Although players still combine anaerobic and aerobic conditioning, the pace of the game has greatly increased. Players are faster, stronger, and more agile than their predecessors; however, an important emphasis is now placed on maximizing player performance for the play-offs. For the coaching staff, strength and conditioning coaches, and players, an emphasis on mitigating fitness and physiologic losses throughout the season would be beneficial, given the intimate relationship they share with on-ice performance. This systematic review of the literature outlines the current knowledge concerning longitudinal changes in relation to fitness, body composition, and physiologic parameters across an elite hockey season. The search of 4 large scientific databases (i.e., Embase, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) yielded 4,049 items, which, after removing duplicates and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulted in 23 published scientific articles to be included in this review. The wide span of literature (1956–2020) made inferences difficult giving the degree to which the game of ice hockey has changed; however, more recent research points to an aerobic deconditioning pattern and increased fatigue throughout the season in a specific group of elite hockey players (i.e., university athletes) while showing that ice hockey can lead to many possible histological adaptations. Ultimately, tracking, identifying, and developing methods to mitigate potential negative longitudinal changes will be imperative to influencing individual and team performance in the later parts of the season.

Functional Performance Tests, On-Ice Testing and Game Performance in Elite Junior Ice Hockey Players

“…Consideration of the statistics covering a full season without taking Journal of Human Kinetics -volume 83/2022 http://www.johk.pl into account possible fluctuations in players' performance throughout the season (e.g., even in a single game) could lead to weaker correlation coefficients. A decrease in physical performance over the course of a full hockey season has been observed among junior and collegiate players in the CHL (Chiarlitti et al, 2021;Durocher et al, 2008). This phenomenon, known as athlete's deconditioning, was not considered in the present study and offers an interesting avenue for future analyses (e.g., does performance decline throughout a season?).…”

“…Roczniok et al (2012Roczniok et al ( , 2016 agree with this finding by identifying key physical attributes that are needed in order to excel. A review by Chiarlitti et al (2021) shows the scholars' growing interest towards the evolution of such variables in competition and that physical attributes tend to fluctuate according to the rigors of a hockey season, which appeals for the importance of attaining (and maintaining) high fitness standards in order to excel. Some authors also paid attention to variables such as the workload and volume over a season.…”

Cross-Sectional Study of the Anthropometric Profile and Nutrient Status of Elite Female Ice Hockey Players: Differences by Play Position

“…All the female athletes under study were classified and analyzed by positions (defender n = 3, center n = 5, winger n = 5, goalkeeper n = 2) as the objective of the study and due to their specificity of match performance [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Optimization of body composition promotes optimal performance in ice hockey players [ 4 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Additional lean body mass contributes to power generation and speed, and reduced fat mass decreases frictional resistance during skating, so it is of great importance to assess body composition with accuracy and precision [ 12 ].…”

“…Several studies have shown that female athletes are at increased risk for macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies [ 3 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. While proper nutrition is a key component of health and performance, female athletes are at an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies, eating disorders, and dietary-related health issues compared to their male counterparts.…”