Talent Identification in Elite Adolescent Ice Hockey Players: The Discriminant Capacity of Fitness Tests, Skating Performance and Psychological Characteristics

Abstract

Background: The process of talent identification in ice hockey occurs during middle adolescence when players are selected to participate in “off-season” evaluation camps, where coaches observe their fitness levels and status of development. Recently, the Quebec ice hockey federation opted for a holistic approach by evaluating players based on three criteria: (1) fitness, (2) skating abilities and (3) personality traits and psychological assets. This study aimed to analyze the discriminant validity of a multi-dimensional talent identification testing protocol in competitive ice hockey. Method: Data were collected from 160 adolescent hockey players who took part in Team Quebec summer evaluation camps. Off-ice fitness, skating abilities and psychological variables were measured on two consecutive days. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons (gender, positions) and discriminant analyses (selected versus non-selected) were performed. Results: No differences were observed among males in which selected players were similar to non-selected. Results from discriminant analyses also showed no discriminant function for male players. For females, selected players displayed higher fitness, on-ice agility and psychological characteristics. Nine performance markers were significantly discriminant. Conclusions: A holistic evaluation protocol allows for the discrimination of selected and non-selected players in elite ice hockey. Developing more discriminant tests is a promising avenue of research in male ice hockey. Knowing the factors that are associated with team selection in competitive ice hockey allow to focus on the specific attributes to work with young promising players.

Elite Adolescent Ice Hockey Players: Analyzing Associations between Anthropometry, Fitness, and On-Ice Performance

“…On the other hand, some authors have shown that height or body mass may influence the selection process during detection camps for youth hockey players [ 12 ]. Results indicate that anthropometric characteristics, such as body mass, could negatively affect ice hockey performance in female athletes [ 50 ], a hypothesis recently confirmed by Lemoyne and colleagues [ 14 ].…”

“…Consequently, fewer differences could be observed as the overall level became more homogenous. The role of anthropometry (especially body mass) for on-ice performance has already been examined by Lemoyne et al [ 14 ], with their anthropometric model which was non-significant unlike the skating performance model. Unlike previous studies and our previous results, when data were analyzed with a sub-group classification, we observed that being taller and heavier were advantageous for on-ice performance for the female group in Camp 2.…”

“…They showed that heavier players tend to spend more time on the ice during shifts and shot more on the net. In this regard, a more holistic approach seems to have emerged, suggesting the importance of evaluating a combination of physical, technical, psychological, and match performance components in the talent identification process [ 14 ].…”

“…The project was approved by the ethics board of the researchers’ institution (CER-21-278-07.09). The full protocol has been published in a previous article (see Lemoyne et al [ 14 ]). The testing procedure was completed on three separate days.…”

“…Through the developmental model for sports such as ice hockey, organizations and coaches are interested in knowing more about the determinants of performance contributing to success, to propose adapted content [ 12 ]. With this long-term developmental approach in mind, talent identification processes have been developed [ 13 , 14 ], based on the assessment of anthropometric characteristics (e.g., body mass, height, body mass index); body composition (i.e., body fat percentage, lean mass rate) [ 15 , 16 ]; as well as performance, specifically, power–strength–velocity performances in jumping, sprinting and/or skating, and throwing/throwing [ 17 , 18 ]. Therefore, the stakeholders involved in team selection (and player evaluation) processes rely on all or on part of these precise, comprehensive, and complex evaluation methods [ 19 , 20 ], while considering the modern evolution of the sport and the associated standards [ 5 ].…”