Corsi, fenwick, adjusted save percentage, and THoR was the terminology introduced to a group of hockey and statistical enthusiasts during a talk given by Michael Schuckers on Nov. 14 at Carleton.
The talk represented a continuum in the wave of analytics in sports, with Schuckers explaining his work in the field of advanced hockey statistics, a field still young in its existence.
Schuckers, associate professor at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., said he made the short trip north in an attempt to inform people of the power in these analytics for decision-making in the game of hockey.
While other sports—baseball and basketball—have seen the revolution in analytics, he said hockey has lagged behind with much scrutiny for what the numbers are trying to say.
“Folks such as myself have a job to do in explaining these sorts of things, which is what I’ve tried to do here today by talking about these metrics, why they work, and why they’re influential to the game of hockey,” Schuckers said.
The source of this resistance from the hockey world lies in its nature, rooted in the history of grit and heart which, Schuckers admits, are not quantifiable.
It’s a problem Graeme Nichols, statistician at Sportsnet, said he believes needs to be balanced with the analytical approach.
“I think where problems exist is when proponents of either side believe that you can be successful with numbers or just by scouting alone,” he said. “They should exist as a series of checks and balances or as pieces of the puzzle that can blend together to give you a more complete and accurate depiction of what a player’s ability is worth.”
What the metrics explained during his lecture were topics such as the monetary value of a goal or the value in a shot from 10 feet away opposed to one from 30 feet away.
It’s this type of information that teams find interesting, Schuckers said, when making in-game decisions and evaluating player’s abilities over the course of the season.
For now, Schuckers said it’s about contextualizing what they have using examples the hockey world is currently familiar with. It’s a sentiment Travis Yost, analytics writer at TSN, echoed when stressing the importance of substantiating opinions through the use of analytics.
“I defer to the court system here too. Anyone can make any argument they desire. But it’s about proving it to a judge, an arbitrator, a mediator and a jury,” he said. “These people aren’t going to accept ‘because I said so’ as an argument in support. Hockey fans shouldn’t either.”
