Relationship Between Physiological Profiles and On-Ice Performance of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Hockey Team

Abstract

Ice hockey is a game that relies heavily on both aerobic and anaerobic energy production systems as players perform in various game situations. However, we found no studies evaluating the relationship between a player's physical condition and individual success in games throughout a competitive hockey season. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between a player's aerobic fitness (VO(2)max), blood lactate, and percent body fat to his total minutes played during a season (Tmin) and net scoring chances (SCn). Players' (N = 29) preseason VO(2)max, lactate at the fourth stage of an incremental treadmill test (Lac 4), and percent body fat values from the 1999- 2001 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I hockey seasons were archived and retrieved for this study. The players' Tmin and SCn were used as the on-ice performance variables and were compared with their fitness measures. Lactate at 4th treadmill stage (r = 0.41, p < 0.03) and percent body fat (r = 0.39, p < 0.03) but not VO(2)max (r = 0.20, p < 0.24) were significantly related to Tmin. Both Lac 4 and percent body fat were entered into a stepwise regression model that accounted for 25% of the variance in Tmin among players (p < 0.02). Both VO(2)max (r = 0.41, p < 0.03) and Lac 4 (r = 0.33, p < 0.05) were significantly related to the players' SCn, but percent body fat was not (r = 0.10, p < 0.57). Only VO(2)max significantly predicted the players' SCn, accounting for 17% of the variance. These findings suggest a relationship between a player's conditioning level and on-ice performance. Our results support the value of implementing seasonal physiological testing, which will help strength and conditioning coaches make individualized modifications to a player's fitness regimens in an effort to improve specific physiological attributes.

Morphological, Physiological and Skating Performance Profiles of Male Age-Group Elite Ice Hockey Players

“…As meaning, scouts often tend to recommend the selection of the most massive players. In our study, TSAS, BMI, and PBF tended to drop during the hockey season (Table 1) and were similar to values for elite hockey players presented elsewhere (Green et al, 2006; Potteiger et al, 2010). …”

“…It is therefore quite legitimate that hockey specialists are trying to optimize training and assessment strategies that enhance, as much as possible, these fundamental competencies inherent to the hockey game. In this regard, several tests and training methods have been proposed with the aim to either assess (Burr et al, 2008; Potteiger et al, 2010; Vescovi et al, 2006) or possibly enhance (Bracko and George, 2001; Ebben et al, 2004; Falinger and Fowles, 2008; Green et al, 2006) skating potential of the players via off-ice interventions. However, the interest created by obtaining the results of such tests is mixed as their value in terms of predicting sporting success is controversial (Burr et al, 2008; Nightingale et al, 2013; Vescovi et al, 2006).…”

Physical characteristics of elite adolescent female basketball players and their relationship to match performance

“…Furthermore, it is unclear whether the outcomes of physical fitness tests can predict successful performance during the season. There is limited, equivocal data from other team sports such as ice-hockey that demonstrate a correlation between ice hockey game-related statistics and physical fitness capacities including aerobic capacity (Green et al, 2006), as well as strength, power and repeated sprint ability (Burr et al, 2008; Peyer et al, 2011). Conversely, Vescovi et al (2006) did not find any correlation between physical tests and match performance in professional ice hockey players.…”

Laboratory- and field-based testing as predictors of skating performance in competitive-level female ice hockey

“…Thus, while skating is considered the most important skill in ice hockey,8 factors that might best explain key performance characteristics of skating in competitive-level female ice hockey remains largely unknown. Consequently, it is also currently unknown whether laboratory- or field-based tests are best suited for assessing key performance characteristics of skating in competitive-level female ice hockey 4,9,10…”