Categories
2024 College Hockey Recruiting Girls Hockey Women's College Hockey Women's Hockey

Analyzing the Defensive Lineups: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

This is the third of 3 posts about where things stand for each position – Goalies, Forwards and Defense – for the incoming classes of 2024 and 2025.

Read Part I of this series here: Navigating the Tight Goalie Market: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

Read Part II of this series here: Forward Recruits: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

Women’s DI College Hockey Total Defensive Players & Commits by Year

as of December, 2023

With 44 DI women’s ice hockey teams now in the NCAA, having 88 first-year D is pretty much exactly what you would expect if each team carries an average of 8 defenders on their roster. While there are some puts and takes (e.g. Assumption adding 7 freshmen D and 35 5th year/grad students) the 2023-24 season seemed to be an above-average recruiting class on defense. With the large number of current players with a 5th year of eligibility still available to them, it is likely that the incoming 2024 class will be small than this year’s group of D recruits.

Our current analysis shows that the Class of 2024 already has at least 74 commits – and we are likely missing a few European players from our list. Therefore, there are likely a small handful of spots still open or become available because of the transfer portal, but pretty much it seems the recruiting door for 2024 defenders has pretty much closed.

For the Class of 2025, only ~50 spots have been filled. With Delaware announcing their new DI team starting in the 2025-26 season there should be several spots available for that team. In addition, there are certainly some openings on several other teams and certainly most of the NEWHA schools – with only 4 roster spots publicly announced across those 8 teams.

Women’s DI College Hockey Defense and Commits by School & Year

as of December, 2023

A few quick thoughts:

  • Ohio State and Bemidji State only have 6 defenders listed on their roster. Would be interesting to see how they would handle not having 1 or 2 of them for a period of time (injury, playing on national teams). Clearly a F would need to move back to help out, but that would still likely have the team at a disadvantage.
  • 11 teams have 9 or more D on their rosters. For players being recruited to schools with such large rosters, they need to seriously consider the implications of being healthy scratched if they aren’t clearly in the top 6.
  • The next post will analyze the overall rosters of DI teams – including showing how many players each school has. There is a pretty big range in roster sizes (from 20 – 33 players).
Categories
2024 College Hockey Recruiting Development Camp Girl's Showcase Girls Hockey

2024 Girls Hockey Event Calendar

2024 Girls Hockey Event Calendar

Here is a list of 2024 Girls Hockey Tournaments, Showcases, Development Camps and Summer Camps.

This is a partial list. Feel free to submit a new event using our Feedback Form

OrganizationEventDatesLocationCityAges
College Hockey ShowcasesSpring Break ShowcaseApril 13-15, 2024Fort Meyers, FL2004-2010 Birth Years
College Hockey ShowcasesSweden Girls High Performance CampJuly 15-26, 2024Nyköpings Arenor RosvallaNyköping, Sweden2004-2011 Birth Years
College Hockey ShowcasesBoise Breakaway ShowcaseDec 13th-15th, 2024Boise, Idaho2007-2011 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsHockey Hall of Fame Future LegendsApril 25-28, 2024Toronto, ON2012 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsPIPs American DreamMay 3-5, 2024American DreamEast Rutherford, NJ2010- 2013 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsPremier Prep ProspectsMay 9-12, 2024The Edge Sports CenterBoston, MA2009-2012 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsPremier Prospects BostonMay 8-10, 2024The Edge Sports CenterBoston, MA2009-2010 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsTop ProspectsMay 17-19, 2024Jacksonville, FL2010 - 2013 Birth Year
Premier Ice ProspectsWestern Prospects CampJune 1-3, 2024Kraken Community IceplexSeattle, WA2007-2013 Birth Years
Premier Ice Prospects585 PIP ShowcaseJune 7-10, 2024Tim Horton's IceplexRochester, NY2007-2009 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsGIRLS ELITE PROSPECTS CAMPJune 23-27, 2024Tim Horton's IceplexRochester, NY2011-2013 Birth Years
Premier Ice Prospects14U PROSPECTS CAMPJune 23-27, 2024Tim Horton's IceplexRochester, NY2010 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsPROSPECTS GOALIE CAMPJune 23-27, 2024Tim Horton's IceplexRochester, NY2008-2013 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsPREMIER PROSPECTS COMBINEJuly 11-14, 2024UPMC Sports ComplexCranberry, PA2010 - 2013 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsSOUTHERN PROSPECTS CAMPJuly 18-21, 2024Community First IglooJacksonville, FL2012 - 2015 Birth Years
Premier Ice Prospects617 PIP SHOWCASE - BOSTON HARBOR STYLEJuly 1-2, 2024The Edge Sports CenterBedford, MA2025, '26. '27 Grad Years
Premier Ice ProspectsNORTHEAST PROSPECTS CAMPJuly 1-2, 2024The Edge Sports CenterBedford, MA2012 - 2015 Birth Years
Premier Ice Prospects480 SHOWCASE - DESERT STYLESummer 2024Mullett ArenaTempe, AZ2007 - 2009 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsSOUTHWEST PROSPECTSSummer 2024Mullett ArenaTempe, AZ2010- 2013 Birth Year
Premier Ice Prospects615 PIP SHOWCASE - MUSIC CITY STYLEAugust 8-11, 2024Predators' Ford Ice CenterBellevue, TN2010 - 2011 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsNIAGARA FALLS PROPSPECTS CAMPAugust 16-18, 2024Gale Centre ArenaNiagara Falls, ON2007 - 2011 Birth Years
Premier Ice ProspectsMrs. Hockey® InviteJanuary 12 - 15, 2024Ft Lauderdale, FL12U Girls - Tier 1 & Tier 2
Premier Ice ProspectsFort Laudy Daudy ShowcaseJanuary 12 - 14, 2024Ft Lauderdale, FL19U through 14U Tier 1
Premier Ice ProspectsGreat Lakes Girls FestFebruary 2-4, 2024Detroit, MI19U through 10U Tier II
Premier Ice ProspectsMotor City Girls FestFebruary 2-4, 2024Detroit, MI19U through 10U Tier I
Premier Ice ProspectsPIPs Rochester TournamentJune 21-23, 2024Tim Horton's IceplexRochester, NY2010 - 2013 Birth Years Tier I (AAA)
Premier Ice ProspectsLabor Day Girls FestAug 30 - Sept 1, 2024Pittsburgh, PA14U, 16U/17U and 19U Tier I (AAA)/Canadian AA
Premier Ice ProspectsFrieda Falcon Girls FestSeptember 6-8, 2024Slater Family Ice ArenaBowling Green, OH12U USA Tier I / CAN A
Premier Ice ProspectsCapital Cup Girls FestOctober 12-14, 2024Northern VA19U through 10U Tier II
Premier Ice ProspectsRoc City Girls FestOctober 25-27, 2024Rochester, NY19U through 10U
Premier Ice ProspectsRoc City Girls FestNovember 1-3, 2024Rochester, NY19U through 10U Tier I (AAA), Tier II (AA), Tier III (A)
Premier Ice ProspectsBurgh Thanksgiving Girls FestNovember 22-24, 2024Pittsburgh, PA19U through 10U Tier I (AAA), Tier II (AA), Tier III (A)
Premier Ice ProspectsSmashville Girls FestNovember 22-24, 2024Nashville, TN19U through 10U Tier I (AAA), Tier II (AA), Tier III (A)
Premier Ice ProspectsErie White Out WeekendDecember 6-8, 2024Erie, PA12U and 10U Tier I (AAA), Tier II (AA)
RUSH HockeyFlorida RUSHJanuary 12-15, 2024Palm Beach Skate ZoneWest Palm Beach, FLGirls Tier 1/Tier 2/ Tier 3 (12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
RUSH HockeyRush Spring Showcase (Florida)April 25-28, 2024Palm Beach Skate ZoneWest Palm Beach, FL2004-2012 Birth Years
RUSH HockeyFLORIDA BEACHSIDE SPRING CLASSICTBD April, 2024Palm Beach Skate ZoneWest Palm Beach, FL19U through 12 U Tier2 and Tier 3
RUSH HockeyConnecticut RushTBD June, 2024Northford Ice PavilionNorthford, CT2009 - 2011 Birth Years
RUSH HockeyRush College ShowcaseJune 7-10, 2024CAA Centre BramptonBrampton, ON2006 - 2009 Birth Years
RUSH HockeyRUSH RISING STARS PRE-COLLEGE SHOWCASEMay 30 – June 2, 2024CAA Centre BramptonBrampton, ON2010 and 2011 Birth Years
RUSH HockeyRUSH ATOMIC CHALLENGEMay 30 – June 2, 2024CAA Centre BramptonBrampton, ON2012 and 2013 Birth Years
RUSH HockeyRUSH Hockey High PerformanceAugust 4-6, 2024CAA Centre BramptonBrampton, ONU11 - U22 AA
RUSH HockeyBEANTOWN CLASSICJuly 19-21, 2024New England Sports CenterMarlborough, MA2009 (08) - 2014 Birth Years,
RUSH HockeyBEANTOWN CLASSICJuly 26-28, 2024New England Sports CenterMarlborough, MAU19, College / Super Series
RUSH HockeyBUFFALO RUSH HOCKEY INFERNOTBD, Nov 2024Buffalo, NYGirls Tier 1/Tier 2 (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
RUSH HockeyTEXAS RUSHTBD, Nov 2024Dallas, TXGirls Tier 1/Tier 2 (12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
RUSH HockeyNEW ENGLAND RUSHTBDBoston, NAGirls Tier 1/Tier 2 (12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
RUSH HockeyNORTH HALTON RUSHSeptember 6-8, 2024CAA Centre BramptonNorth Halton, ONU11-U18 AA/A/BB/B
RUSH HockeyTWO NATIONS COLLEGE PREP SERIESTBD, Oct 2024Brampton, ON19U through 12U Tier 1; U13-U21 AA
RUSH HockeyTWO NATIONS COLLEGE PREP SERIESTBD, Dec 2024Detroit, MI19U through 12U Tier 1; U13-U21 AA
RUSH HockeyNORTH HALTON CHRISTMAS RUSHTBD Dec, 2024CAA Centre BramptonGeorgetown, ONU11-U22 AA/A/BB/B
RUSH HockeyToronto Aeros Holiday ClassicJan 5-7, 2024Vaughn, ON
RUSH HockeyARIZONA RUSH MATT SHOTT MEMORIALTBD November, 2024Phoenix, AZ19U through 12U Tier 1 and Tier 2
Showcase Hockey2024 Minnesota Meltdown AAA TournamentApril 19-21, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 Independent ClassicMay 17-19, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 AAA Summer ShowdownJune 7-9, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 International CupAugust 2-4, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 Easton AAA Cup TournamentAugust 16-18, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 Summer FinaleAugust 23-25, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
Showcase Hockey2024 Warrior Cup AAASeptember 6-8, 2024MinnesotaGirls AAA (10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
200x85 TournamentsCCM MLK GirlsJan 14-16, 2024Massachusetts12U - 19U AAA/AA
200x85 TournamentsCCM CHI-TOWN SHUFFLEApril 19-21, 2024Chicago, ILGirls Tier 1/Tier 2 (12U, 14U, 16U, 19U)
200x85 TournamentsCCM Selects Beantown Women's ClassicJul 19-21, 2024Boston2008 - 2013
200x85 TournamentsCCM Selects Training Camp - Notre Dame (Girls)May 3-5, 2024South Bend, IN2010-2016
200x85 TournamentsCCM Girls 68 (14U)Aug 07-11, 2024Chicago, IL2010 Birth Year
The National Girls Hockey LeagueNGHL NCAA Exposure ClinicTBDNorthford, CT2005 - 2010 Birth Years
The National Girls Hockey LeagueNGHL NCAA Exposure Camp in Newington, CTTBDNewington, CT2004 - 2010 Birth Years
The National Girls Hockey LeagueDawg Days of Summer - RedTBDNorthford, CT12U-19U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueDawg Days of Summer - FuturesTBDNewington, CT12U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueLabor Day Challenge - BlueAugust 30 - September 1, 2024Cromwell, CT12U-19U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueLabor Day Challenge - FuturesAugust 30 - September 1, 2024Cromwell, CT12U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueFall Classic - RedTBDSyracuse, NY14U-19U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueFall Classic - FuturesTBDBuffalo, NY10U & 12U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueNGHL MichiganTBDAnn Arbor, MI14U - 19U Tier 1
The National Girls Hockey LeagueMile High Invitational - BlueTBDDenver, CO12U-19U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueMLK Winter Classic - BlueJanuary 13-15, 2024 Haverhill, MA12U, 14U, 16U, and 19U
The National Girls Hockey LeagueMLK Winter Classic - RedJanuary 13-15, 2024 Philadelphia, PA14-19U Tier 1
The National Girls Hockey LeagueRed Division ChampsionshipFebruary 2-4, 2024Rockland, MA14-19U Tier 1
North American Premier Women's ShowcaseNorth American Premier Women's Showcase College DivisionJUNE 21-23TH, 2024Merrimack College Athletics ComplexNorth Andover, MABirth Years 2007-2011 (PG's also Allowed)
JWHLChallenge Cup 2024February 17-20, 2024Rockville/Arlington, VA14U, 16U, 19U
North American Female Elite ShowcaseThe Orion Top ProspectsJune 13-16, 2024Blaine, MN2007 - 2012 Birth Years
Pony Tail Tournament Pony Tail Tournament March 15-17, 2024Baltimore, MDU10, U12A, U12B, U14A, U14B, U16A, U16B, U19
The Rose SeriesCowgirl ShootoutApril 18-21 2024Nashville, TN2012 Birth Years
The Rose SeriesLow Country ClassicMay 9-12, 2024Charleston, SC2011 Birth Year
The Rose SeriesThe Battle at the BeachMay 9-12, 2024Fort Meyers, FL2010 Birth Year
The Rose SeriesBIOSTEEL WORLD INVITEJune 24-30, 2024Toronto, ON2009 Birth Year
The Rose SeriesQueens of VegasJuly 9-12, 2024Las Vegas, NV2013 Birth Year
The Rose SeriesPARK CITY SHOWDOWNJuly 11-14, 2024Park City, Utah2014 Birth Year
The Rose SeriesWar for the RosesJuly 8-13, 2024Edmonton, Alberta2011 Birth Year
USA HockeyUSA Hockey Girls 15's Player Development CampJuly 25-30, 2024Miami University Oxford, Ohio2009 Birth Year
USA HockeyUSA Hockey Girls 16/17's Player Development CampJuly 19-24, 2024Miami University Oxford, Ohio2007 & 2008 Birth Year
USA HockeyGirls National 2006 Training Camp (2006)July 19-22, 2024Miami University Oxford, Ohio2006 Birth Year
USA HockeyUSA Hockey Girls Under 18 Player Development CampAugust 4-9, 2024Miami University Oxford, Ohio2007, 2008, 2009 Birth Year
USA Hockey2024 Women's National FestivalAugust 2024TBD
OS HockeyPROSPECTS/FUTURES WEEKEND 1 CampMay 31-June 3, 2024Bloomington Ice GardensMinneapolis, MN
OS HockeyPROSPECTS/FUTURES WEEKEND 2 CampJuly 28-30, 2024Braemar ArenaMInneapolis, MN
OS Hockey2024 OS SPRING FESTIVALMarch 16th-19th, 2024Braemar ArenaMInneapolis, MN
OS Hockey2024 WHITECAPS CUP (HS)May 3-5, 2024MInneapolis, MNHigh School
OS Hockey2024 TRADITION CUPAugust 2-4, 2024Braemar ArenaMInneapolis, MNCollege Level
OS Hockey2024 OS SHOOTOUTAugust 10th-13th, 2024Bloomington Ice Garden and Braemar Ice ArenaMInneapolis, MNU8-U19
Girls Elite Hockey2024 TRADITION NITOctober 18-20, 2024Blaine, MNU16 and U19
NCD CampsGIRLS NCDC COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT CAMPAugust 5-7, 2024New England Sports CenterMarlborough, MA2025, '26, '27, '28 Grad Years
NAHANAHA COLLEGE SHOWCASEAugust 9-11, 2024Boston Sports InstituteWellesley, MA2025, '26, '27, '28 Grad Years
University of Wisconsin13 and Under CampTBDLaBahn ArenaMadison, WI13 and under
University of WisconsinHigh School Elite CampTBDLaBahn ArenaMadison, WIHigh School
Princeton UniversityGIRLS ICE HOCKEY ELITE CAMPTBDBaker RinkPrinceton, NJEntering grades 10-12
Princeton UniversityGIRLS ICE HOCKEY EXPOSURE ID CAMPTBDBaker RinkPrinceton, NJEntering grades 7-9
Merrimack CollegeMerrimack Womens Ice Hockey ClinicsTBDLawler ArenaNorth Andover, MAEntering grades 9-12
RinkSportRinkSport College Development Camp JUNE 15-20, 2024Babson CollegeBoston, MA2029 High School graduates or earlier
RinkSportSCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA Development CampJune 4-7, 2024
RinkSportBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS Development CampJune 20-22, 2024
RinkSportWASHINGTON , D. C. Development CampJune 24-27, 2024
RinkSportANCHORAGE, ALASKA Development CampJune 21-24, 2024
RinkSportLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Development CampTBD
RinkSportGRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN Development CampTBD
Pre-Prep ShowcasePre-Prep ShowcaseAUGUST 1st-4th, 2024New England Sports CenterMarlborough, MABirth Years: 2009, 2010 & 2011
Ohio State UniversityYOUTH CAMPTBDOSU Ice RinkColumbus, OHU8/U10 and U12 age level
Ohio State UniversityELITE DAY CAMPTBDOSU Ice RinkColumbus, OHGrad Years: 2026-2028
Ohio State UniversityHIGH SCHOOL ELITE CAMPSTBDOSU Ice RinkColumbus, OHGrad Years: 2026-2028
University of Maine U16/19 High School Girls' Hockey CampTBDUniversity of MaineOrono, MEGrades 8-12
University of Maine U8/U10/U12 Girls' Hockey Day CampTBDUniversity of MaineOrono, MEU8/U10/U12 Skaters
University of Maine Women's Prospect ClinicTBDUniversity of MaineOrono, MEGrades 8-12
Brown UniversityBROWN WOMEN’S HOCKEY ELITE SUMMER CAMPTBDBrown UniversityProvidence, RIHigh school students entering grades 9-12. Therefore, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 high school graduates.
Mercyhurst UniversityDIVISION I WOMEN'S HOCKEY ELITE CAMPTBDMercyhurst UniversityErie, PA2006 to 2009 birth year
Colgate University2024 COLGATE EXPOSURE CAMP | PRE-CAMP GOALIE'S ONLYTBDColgate UniversityHamilton, NYGoalies Only. All Female players born between 2005-2010
Colgate University2024 COLGATE EXPOSURE CAMP | SESSION 1TBDColgate UniversityHamilton, NYAll Female players born between 2005-2010
Colgate University2024 COLGATE EXPOSURE CAMP | SESSION 2TBDColgate UniversityHamilton, NYAll Female players born between 2005-2010
College of the Holy CrossHoly Cross Women's Ice Hockey ClinicsTBDHart CenterWorcester, MA14-19 Years Old
St Anselm CollegeTBDSullivan ArenaBedford, NH
Clarkson UniversityClarkson Golden Knight Women's Hockey Prospect Camp 2024TBDCheel Campus Center and ArenaPotsdam, NY2007-2010 Birth Years
St Cloud State UniversitySt. Cloud State Women's Hockey CampsTBDHerb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaAges 6-16
Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac Women's Ice Hockey Girls Camp TBDM&T Bank ArenaHamden, ConnAges: 6-13
Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac Women's Ice Hockey Girls Elite ClinicTBDM&T Bank ArenaHamden, ConnAges: rising 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade
University of MinnesotaMINNESOTA GIRLS HOCKEY CAMPSTBDMariucci ArenaMinneapolis, MN10U &12U Camp
University of MinnesotaMINNESOTA GIRLS HOCKEY CAMPSTBDMariucci ArenaMinneapolis, MNExposure Camp (ages 13,14)
University of MinnesotaMINNESOTA GIRLS HOCKEY CAMPSTBDMariucci ArenaMinneapolis, MN​​High School/ Varsity Camp #1 & #2
University of Minnesota DuluthMinnesota Duluth High School Elite CampTBDAmsoil ArenaDuluth, MNAny and all high school girls (grad years 2025-2028) are invited
College Development ShowcaseGirls CampJune 23-25, 2024Ice DenHooksett, NHPlayers with birth years 2005-2010
Boston CollegeMaroon and Gold Women’s CombineTBDConte ForumChestnut Hill, MA2010-2011-2012 players
National Sports CenterAll American Girls Hockey TournamentNovember 8-10, 2024NSC-Super Rink (Blaine)Blaine, MNGirls U10A,B U12A,B U15A
Youth Hockey Hub2024 DANGLEFESTTBDNSC-Super Rink (Blaine)Blaine, MNGirls U10A, U10B, U12A, U12B, U15A, & U15B
Fierce Edge AthleticsFIERCE FEMALE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT 2024June 14-16, 2024Canlan OshawaOshawa, ONU9/ U11 (Tier 1 & Tier 2)/ U13 (Tier 1,Tier 2)
Fierce Edge AthleticsFierce ID Series - SHOWCASE EVENTJune, 2024Canlan OshawaOshawa, ON2010-2011 ; 2009-2007 + 06* (GRADUATION YEAR 2025) DIVISION
RINK Hockey Academy KelownaFemale University Showcase 2024April 4-7, 2024Winfield Arena & RINK Kelowna Training Centre Kelowna, BC2005-2009 YOB
Categories
College Hockey Recruiting Girls Hockey Women's College Hockey Women's Hockey

Forward Recruits: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

This is the second of 3 posts about where things stand for each position – Goalies, Forwards and Defense – for the incoming classes of 2024 and 2025.

Read Part I of this series here: Navigating the Tight Goalie Market: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

Women’s DI College Hockey Total Forward Players & Commits by Year

as of November, 2023

At first glance things seemed to have returned to normal for forwards with respect to the DI women’s college hockey recruiting class of 2023. There are 157 first-year players across all the Division I rosters this season. However, 18 of those spots are freshmen players at either Assumption or Robert Morris (“new” programs for both these schools), so the number is a little inflated compared to the 152 sophomore players playing DI hockey.

For the incoming Class of 2024, it seems almost all schools have finalized their rosters by now. Most schools have been announcing on social media their inbound players after the signing day earlier this month. Other than a few spots at NEWHA schools and maybe the odd player at other schools filling in a final roster spot, there are likely only a handful of opportunities remaining for forwards. Even though the number of F commits in our 2024 analysis only has 97 players, there are likely many European and other commits who haven’t been publicly announced.

In addition, without knowing the plans for individual players, it is unclear how many of the 105 Seniors (granted an extra year of eligibility due to Covid) will decide to return for a 5th year either at their current school or find another school for their grad year. If all of them continue to play for the 2024-25 season then there may not be any spots open to 2024 high school graduates.

As for the incoming Class of 2025, there are certainly many spots still open. While most of the Top 10 schools have snagged the best players in the country, there are openings at many other programs. Until recently, many of the NEWHA schools have been focused on filling their 2024 rosters, so they will likely only shift their attention over the next month or two for their 2025 forwards.

Women’s DI College Hockey Forwards and Commits by School & Year

as of November, 2023

Categories
College Hockey Recruiting Girls Hockey Women's College Hockey Women's Hockey

Navigating the Tight Goalie Market: The Current State of Division I Women’s College Hockey Recruiting for the Class of 2024 & 2025

This is the first of 3 posts about where things stand for each position – Goalies, Forwards and Defense – for the incoming classes of 2024 and 2025.

The last couple of years have been tough for high level goalies looking for a spot to play Division I women’s college hockey.  With the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility for current seniors and grad students, it was anticipated that there were less openings available for the upcoming classes. In a typical year there should be 33 freshman goalies (3 goalies per team x 44 teams  ÷ 4 years of eligibility).   However, with the two new teams that started in 2023 (Assumptions and Robert Morris) and 10 teams carrying 4 goalies, it was surprising to see that there were 39 first-year goalies on DI teams this year – significantly more than in previous years.

Women’s DI College Hockey Total Goalie Player & Commits by Year

as of November, 2023

This is in addition to the transfer portal, which was very active for goaltenders this past off-season with 22 goalies looking for new teams.  Of note, only 7 of them found new DI teams, made up mostly of experienced goaltenders with only 1 or 2 years of eligibility left.

From my analysis it looks like there may only be 2 or 3 spots left for the class of 2024.  And those schools might intentionally be waiting to see who becomes available via the transfer portal.

As for the incoming class of 2025, it appears as there still me be many spots open – possibly as many as 10-15 slots still available. However, there may be schools that have already filled spots with commits that haven’t been publicly announced or tracked.  In addition, with 2023 having an above average number of first year goalies (8 teams having 2 freshmen) and 10 teams carrying 4 goalies, the outgoing college class of 2024 goalies may not all be replaced.  But on the positive side, there has only been one 2025 goalie publicly announced commit amongst all 8 of the NEWHA teams – so there are likely still some openings on several of those teams.

Women’s DI College Hockey Goalies and Commits by School & Year

as of November, 2023

One last thought to keep in mind.  Some schools might be happy to carry 4 goalies – this helps with practices and in case of injury to a goalie or two. I have had several coaches tell me that recently they have had serious injuries to at least one goalie, so having depth can be very helpful. Therefore, if you want agree to be a 4th goalie you may be able to be rostered and practice on a team but you probably won’t be guaranteed playing time – almost surely will not see any scholarship money unless you move up in the depth chart.  If the school is more important to you than playing time, this could be an option.

Categories
College Hockey Recruiting Girl's Showcase Girls Hockey hockey USA Hockey Nationals Women's College Hockey

Recruiting Insights from the 2023 Tradition NIT Girls Hockey Tournament: Coaches, Coaches, Coaches!

This past weekend I was in Minnesota for the fabulous 2023 Tradition NIT Girls Hockey Tournament organized by Winny Brodt Brown. In total, there were 93 teams participating for the 16U and 19U age groups.  Almost every top US club team was in attendance plus many of the top western Canadian girl’s teams.

Over the course of the 3-day event, I had multiple conversations with several DI & DIII coaches and I thought I would share my observations as they relate to the recruiting process:

1. Competition Matters for Getting Seen

As heard many times on the Champs App podcast, coaches want to see players playing at the highest level, against top players to properly evaluate them.  With as many as 8 games going on simultaneously across the two rink locations, coaches can’t watch every game. Many times I would see a coach watch 2 overlapping games by switching back and forth during ice cuts.  Thus coaches need to be selective in which games they scout. Coaches were mostly watching games with the largest number of  talented players.  Thus, it appeared as though games with the highest ranking teams got the highest DI coach attendance.  However, it did seem that DIII and ACHA coaches were more flexible in watching lower ranked teams. But if you want to play DI hockey, my sense is that you want to put yourself in the best position to be seen. This would imply playing on a team that plays against the other top teams in the country. The reality is that if your team is ranked in 30’s and below on MyHockeyRankings, then you probably won’t get noticed as much, even if you are a DI caliber player.

2. Connections Help

I saw this firsthand this weekend.  If you can get a positive reference to a college coach through an advisor, current or former coach, friend or some other trusted hockey-related relationship, it can make a difference in getting scouted.  It won’t get you an offer, but it can certainly get a coach from a specific school to come watch you play and start the process.

3. Lines Not Dots

I had a great conversation with a coach from a Top 5 DI school and asked why they scouted at so many events. In reality, given their school’s reputation, they could just focus on the handful of top players at the US or Canadian national camps and simply cherry pick those players.  But the coach revealed to me that they watch the elite-of-the-elite players over the course of several years and track their development and progression over an extended period of time. This way they can see what the player’s trajectory looks like and if it continues to trend in a positive direction. The coach and I discussed a specific player and how the coaches have been monitoring how the hockey IQ of that player has been improving over the previous 2 years. Thus coaches at high-end teams look for the trendlines of players – not just the individual play at a single event.

4. Experience Matters in Evaluating Players

It was fun talking to several coaches and hearing their “off-the-record” thoughts about certain players. The folks I talked to ranged from longtime head coaches to junior assistant coaches to a former DI coach.  What I gleaned across all the convos was the more experience you had coaching,  the less amount of time it took to get a pretty accurate assessment of a player.  I was surprised how accurately the seasoned coaches figured out a player’s strengths and weaknesses. While for some of the junior coaches it sounded like they needed to watch more games to get a good sense for a player.

5. Lots of Coaches

For this year, the NCAA approved DI teams to have three assistant coaches (instead of just two).  As a result, almost every (non-NEWHA) DI team had a least one coach present for the entire weekend while their school played regular season conference games “back home” on Friday and Saturday.  Several coaches clearly also got on planes or in a car right after their games were done on Saturday and headed to Blaine, MN.  On Sunday morning, 7 of the 8 head coaches from the WCHA teams were in attendance, with all eight schools having multiple assistant coaches there as well.

Categories
2023 Development Camp Girls Hockey Player Development Women's Hockey

The USA Hockey 2023 Girls 16/17 Camp Feedback Process – Part II

My Recommendations

Read Part I Here

Feedback is a gift.
Giving feedback is hard.

Having led performance feedback to dozens (if not hundreds) of people I’ve managed in business, I recognize it is one of the most challenging interactions to conduct in my career.  At the same time, I was taught how to take it seriously and learned many of the best practices to ensure a positive outcome from the process for both parties.  

It is pretty clear from the parent meeting at the 16/17 Girls camp (and the letter that accompanied the feedback/rating letter) that USA Hockey  wants to make no doubt that they are providing a variety of different levels of feedback for each player at the national camps. The details of this feedback were clearly explained in Part I on this topic.

And it is important to recognize that they really do care about giving feedback – because they have dedicated time and resources to the process.  I also wanted to also acknowledge that is takes a non-trivial amount of effort to provide detailed feedback to about 400 players across 4 major camps each summer.

At the same time, I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about this topic trying to figure out why almost everyone I have spoken with is disappointed with the USA Hockey Girls National Camp selection and feedback process. And here is what I came up with…

At the end of the day, the current process does not solve the unmet need of the players – which is to have actionable direction on their highest priority development areas. This is because the robustness of the feedback is not commensurate with the level of commitment and investment the players put into making, preparing and attending the camp.

And my reason for this is the following:

The feedback is too generic. For almost all the players, it’s just too simplistic/superficial without personalized examples and not actionable enough.

Here are my recommendations:

  1. Standardize a More Robust Process – The coaches should go through a training session on how the process works and what the expectations are from the coach on the process, content & delivery. All players should receive player-specific information using a common format, but with player-specific examples in the review. While the coaches should have flexibility to adapt the process to their style, each performance review (in addition to the attribute ratings mentioned in Part I) would require the feedback to include each of the following….
  2. Include Player-Specific Key Statistics (e.g. pass completion rates or turnover rates). Nothing is more powerful than data. Being able to show a player how they compared on key attributes compared to their peers makes things much clearer. This became quite evident to me in my analysis of the 16/17 Camp forwards and defenders.
  3. Support with Player-Specific Video Clips  –  showing a player exactly what they do well and how/when they make mistakes provides “hard-to-argue” credibility to the stats and the coach’s feedback. This would likely use a video analytics system like Instat/Hudl so each player’s shifts could be coded.
  4. Prioritize Key Areas to Focus OnDarryl Belfry consistently talks about High Frequency – Low Success Rate Situations.  Video and statistical analysis will surface these situations. Then a coach should be using them to focus on a limited number of these game patterns to prioritize (3-5) situations/skills for a player to work on.

These four recommendations would require a significantly greater amount of time and resources than the current effort being done at the USA Hockey girls camps. There may not be time to aggregate everything during that week.  But the feedback session does not need to occur at the camp. It can be done a week or two after the camp via a video-call.  What matters most is that the players are getting their needs met as to where to focus and improve as a player.  Ideally, there would be someone in leadership who was solely responsible for player development and not directly associated with the selections for the U18 camp or team. I know it can be done, because I have seen first-hand more robust feedback processes on the boys side at both the USA Hockey and junior hockey levels.

Final Thoughts

The best organizations focus relentlessly on their customers. One of the biggest ways to ensure these organizations are meeting the needs of their customers is to ask them for feedback. Specifically their overall satisfaction with a question like “Would you recommend [product/service] to a friend or colleague?” followed by “Why?”. In my few years interacting with USA Hockey both as a coach and a parent, I have never been asked for my feedback on the programs I’ve been been engaged with. In essence, USA Hockey has a monopoly on the national team programs so it is understandable that they may not need to be as customer-centric as an Amazon or an Apple. But, if leadership for USA Hockey female national camps wants to continuously improve their program, just like their players do, it would be great if they solicited their own feedback on areas they can improve as an organization. Who knows…maybe getting the gift of feedback on themselves may translate to improved performance on the ice?

Feel free to send feedback on our posts or Champs App to feedback@champs.app

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2023 Coaching Girls Hockey Player Development Women's Hockey

The USA Hockey 2023 Girls 16/17 Camp Feedback Process – Part I

I have a lot of passion about feedback when it comes to hockey player development, because I think it is probably the most important factor to improve player performance.  Darryl Belfry, who is regarded as one of the best player development coaches in the world, uses actual game analysis as the primary way to provide feedback on improvement areas for players.

As the governing body of hockey in the U.S., USA Hockey understands the importance of player feedback. At the USA Hockey 16/17 Girls Camp which took place in Oxford, OH this past June, feedback was highlighted in the parent meeting as a key component of the camp.  In Part I of this post about the USA Hockey Girls Camp feedback, I wanted to focus on understanding the three levels of feedback  utilized during and after the camp.  Part II of this topic will discuss my thoughts on how effective the feedback process has been.

1. On-Ice Feedback  – During Practice and Games

Just like with their regular teams, coaches were quite consistent in talking to players individually and in groups during practices to share their thoughts on specific, tactical ways to improve a drill or situation.  Same for a player coming to the bench during one of the games after a shift – coaches would lean over to players and give advice on what adjustments could be made to improve a player effectives.  These situations are quite comfortable for all the coaches at an event like this since most were DI coaches or previous DI players.  As I mentioned in my previous post about player feedback, in-game comments are the easiest for a coach to communicate.

2. One-on-One Feedback with one of the Team Coaches

All teams had two head coaches.  On about the fourth day of week-long camp, each player had a 10-15 minute conversation with one of their coaches.  It is my understanding that most players were asked to do a self-review in anticipation of the meeting.  From talking to several parents, the coach-player conversation was then highly dependent on the coach. Some coaches were well-prepared and had video clips to show players as a way to communicate their feedback, some coaches had simple basic priorities for players to focus on while others relied on the player’s self-evaluation as the primary source of the feedback conversation.  Given the variance in feedback methods, I suspect the feedback meeting process was not highly structured by the camp organizers.

3. Letter Grade and Player Development Performance Criteria

About four weeks after the end of the 16/17 Girls Camp, my daughter received by snail mail a form letter which included an evaluation which is supposed to serve as a benchmark for a player’s performance at the camp.  This entails a letter grade and a rubric on the “Player Development Performance Criteria”.  Here are the details.

At the top of the player evaluation sheet, the players was provided a rating of A, B or C with the following explanation

“A” grade = Excellent – ranks in the top 1/3 of players at camp

“B” grade = Good – ranks in the middle 1/3 of players at camp

“C” grade = Below average – ranks in the bottom 1/3 of players at camp.

The Player Development Performance Criteria had 5 possible selections (from best to worst):

  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor

Each skater then had attributes selected within two categories.  General and position-specific attributes with a selection in one of those five boxes (“X” for each attribute).  Here are those attributes:

General:

  • Makes Possession Plays (i.e. keep team on offense; limited turnovers)
  • Angling: pressure to take away time/space; dictate play with body/stick
  • Stick Positioning
  • Deception
  • Quick Transitions
  • Off-Puck Habits & Puck Support
  • Scoring Ability
  • Physicality
  • Athleticism
  • 200-Ft Player
  • Skating Ability (north/south; agility; speed)

Defenders:

  • DZone Execution First
  • Puck Retrievals
  • Good First Pass or Exit
  • Win Race Back to D-Side of Play/Net
  • Wine Board Battles
  • Deter Offensive Opportunities
  • Scan to Make Exit Play; Fast Transition to Breakout
  • Work Well with D-Partner
  • Gap Control: (North/South & East/West)

Forwards:

  • Puck Retrievals & Ability to Stay Off the Wall
  • Ability to Leave Perimeter and Gain Inside Ice
  • Owning Space with Puck
  • Scanning/Awareness of Teammates & Opponents
  • Use Teammates to Make Plays
  • Zone Entry: Ability to create depth/layers/lanes
  • Create & Maintain Offense

I don’t know the process that was used to aggregate the evaluators feedback, but am assuming they collected a populated rubric from all the evaluators for a position and then aggregated the data to take an average of the selections.  (I hope they used some online tool to aggregate this all, because there are lots of ways to simplify collecting this information).  Then I suppose this compiled data was used as the rating for each player’s Development Performance Criteria. I would then assume the average across all Development Performance Criteria was calculated and the each player was force ranked into one of the three tiers to give the letter rating of A,B or B based on which third they ranked.

Other than the rating and the rubric box selection – no other personalized information was included in the feedback. No short paragraph summary (like you would see in a student report card) from the coach or evaluators to provide additional context was provided.  

It is important to note that the ratings are based on the criteria described above.  If different criteria were used (which will be discussed in the next post), then a player’s rating might be different if those criteria were closer or further away from the capabilities of a player.

In Part II on this topic I will share my perspective on the good, the bad and the ugly of this feedback process.

Read Part II Here

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2023 Development Camp Girls Hockey Player Development Women's College Hockey Women's Hockey

Analyzing the USA Hockey Girls 16/17 Camp Forward Selections for the U18 Camp

USA-Hockey

The is the second analysis I have done about the selections for the USA Hockey Girls U18 Camp which took place last week. The first was about the defenders picked to go to the U18 Camp. Now that the selections of the forwards from U18 Camp to go to the Women’s Festival were announced a few days ago, it makes this analysis even more interesting because none of the top 3 point-getters from either the Girls 16/17 Camp nor the U18 Camp were selected to advance to the next stage in the process.

WHAT?

Similar to the previous post, rather than engage in a subjective discussion on who was selected, I thought it might be helpful to collect some analytical data and metrics to understand how top players performed at the 16/17 camp and compare them to a couple of the players who weren’t selected.

WHY?

When you don’t select the top 3 point-getters from either Girls 16/17 Camp or the U18 Camp, there are bound to be a lot of folks who wonder what the selection criteria is for making it to the next stage of USA Hockey. I don’t know the answer to that question. But I can analyze the video of each shift for several of the top players picked and not picked to see if there is an obvious difference between the two segments. The purpose of this post is not to say who did or did not deserve to be selected to the U18 Camp. Instead, it is to help provide perspective and context to other players and parents the types of metrics that demonstrate the level of play needed to be selected.  And ideally, individual players do their own self-analysis to see how they compare.

HOW?

I watched and coded specific attributes for every shift in all 4 games for every player in this analysis using the USA Hockey TV footage. I collected more metrics than are listed below, but I feel that the attributes shown, provide the right amount and level of data to gain an understanding of the level of play for this position. Note: Sometimes the live stream footage didn’t always focus on the area of the ice where the play was taking place, so it is very likely the odd play may have not been accounted for.

WHO?

Here is the list of the 13 players selected to go to the 18’s camp

Since I only had the time to watch 5 players – I watched 3 selected forwards plus 2 top players who weren’t selected. Those 3 forwards represented a mix of the forward selections.  I am not identifying the names of any players because singling out any individual player is not my objective.  For full transparency, in this analysis I do know the parents of one of the players.

SO WHAT?

Do I think the 5 selected were in the Top 10 forwards at the camp, almost certainly. Do I think there are 3-5 other players that could easily have been selected instead – also, almost certainly. There is no algorithm to calculate and rank the top players. I don’t know the selection criteria, so whatever they may be (whether well-structured or not) at the end of the day what matters is results. As stated in the parents meeting, the results of the last two U18 World Championships was not the result USA Hockey wanted – so we will see if the current process yields better results.

THE ANALYSIS

2023 USA Hockey Girls 16-17 Camp Analytics for Forwards Selected to Advance to the U18 Girls Camp

Note: Players 1-3 were selected to go to the U18 Girls Camp – Players 4 & 5 were not selected

Some notes on the tracked attributes:

  • Takeaways = a one-on-one situation where the player gains control of the puck from directly challenging the other player
  • Giveaways = full change of possession to the other team (e.g. a missed pass, dump in/out, rim or redirected puck)
  • OZone entries = skating across the blue line with full possession of the puck
  • Team Shots For/Against do not include shot attempts that did not reach the net. Only SOGs were included.
  • I am not including the point stats or PIMs for any player since they can already be found on the USA Hockey website
  • There were additional attributes I tracked like “faceoffs won” but they indirectly show up in other higher-order key metrics. Since not all the forwards played center, I didn’t include the faceoff attribute.  But I did want to note, that one player was very good at faceoffs while another was not.  The one that won most of their faceoffs did see that reflected in other measurement areas since many faceoff wins led to greater possession time.

OTHER THOUGHTS

  • From all the players and games I’ve watched, it seems (and it’s only natural) that really good plays are rewarded disproportionately more than their equivalent poor plays are punished (e.g. creating a “wow” scoring chance vs. causing a “wow” scoring chance for the other team). Forwards tend not to surrender many negative scoring chances unless they are somewhat negligent defensively.  So, it seems likely that creating offense is highly disproportionately weighted in player evaluation.
  • Not all players gave the same defensive effort throughout a game, whether it is being tired or laziness.  But over the course of four games, it was pretty clear who consistently tried to play a 200-foot game (vs. cheating a little defensively or taking some shortcuts).
  • Scouting and evaluating is not an exact science.  In my humble opinion, most of the scouts/coaches don’t watch any player enough to really get the full picture.  It is sampling data – and while it is directionally correct, when there are many players within a close band it is hard to discern who is absolutely the “best” player. And who you pick may vary when you are building a team for a short tournament and need different types of players. 
  • After watching over 20 hours of individual game footage, this process is somewhat exhausting. It takes a lot of work to watch and tag each type of play. I can’t imagine being a scout and trying to watch 10 skaters live on the ice throughout an entire game.  At the same time, the insights are quite valuable.  I hope that college scouts leverage Instat to watch players individual shifts (if a club/prep team uses Instat) to evaluate the full body of their work rather than just sampling one or two periods of a game during a tournament or showcase weekend. To me, it is hard to watch multiple players in a game rather than on just one player at a time.
  • Note: We are still waiting to on the written feedback and letter rating that we were told all players would receive.  If you are a player or parent from 16/17 Camp who has a received this feedback, please reach out and let me know. Update: We did receive the USA Hockey Feedback on July 27th – I will be writing up my thoughts on the feedback process in a upcoming post.
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2023 College Hockey Recruiting Development Camp Girls Hockey Women's College Hockey

Insights on the Class of 2025 Recruiting Efforts of a DI Head Coach

During my time in Oxford, Ohio at the USA Hockey Girls 16/17 Camp I had the opportunity to ask a non-Top 10 DI Head Coach a bunch of Class of 2025 recruiting questions.  Specifically, I wanted to better understand the specifics of how the coaching staff actually went about securing commitments for the incoming class of 2025.  Here is a summary of what I learned about that school’s recruiting efforts…

  • Over a the first few days that coaches were allowed to talk to the Class of 2025 (beginning on June 15th) the coaching staff reached out to ~15-18 players and offered them spots on the team.
  • These players would be considered the highest rated players for 2025 according to the coach. 
  • The coach explained that the top players are likely getting multiple offers on June 15th (or thereabouts) and in order for many schools to be competitive with these in-demand players, the teams need to make offers immediately.
  • The coach told me that most of the players had never contacted their school – so the school was being proactive in reaching out to the players without knowing if the players had any interest in their school.
  • In addition to the players that received immediate offers, the coaching staff reached out to another set of 15-18 players to express an interest in those players and to understand if the players interest reciprocated. 
  • During the weeks following June 15th, the staff is continuing to have conversations with this second tier of potential recruits.  Based on how many commits the school receives from the top tier players, then conversations and visits are likely to progress deeper with the next level of recruits
  • Once again, the way I understood it, a large number of the next level of recruits that were contacted had not necessarily reached out to the school directly prior to June 15th.
  • The coach then explained that their recruiting efforts are likely to progress into the fall and winter. If there were spots still open after working through the first two levels in the funnel of potential recruits, then again, they will continue to scout and reach out/respond to individual players that might meet the requirements for the remaining roles on the team. This might be by position or specific type of players (e.g. goal scorer vs. puck-moving D).
  • The coach also reinforced that the coaching staff was recruiting heavily in both Canada and the U.S. and that one of the challenges was being able to calibrate players between the two countries.  This is likely because there are only a few events that in-season teams from both side of the border compete against each other (e.g. Stoney Creek, PIP Labor Day Fest and USA-Canada Cup).
  • Note: To-date I have not heard of any 2025 players publicly announce committing to the school in question

A Few Thoughts After the First Two Days of the 2023 USA Hockey Girls 16/17 Development Camp

More Thoughts on the 2023 USA Hockey 16/17 Girls Development Camp

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2023 Development Camp Girls Hockey Player Development

Analyzing the USA Hockey Girls 16/17 Camp Defense Selections for the U18 Camp

As I mentioned in my previous post about USA Hockey Girls 16/17 Camp, there was a a mix of perspectives on the selections for 18’s camp.

WHAT?

Rather than engage in a subjective discussion on who was selected, I thought it might be helpful to collect some analytical data and metrics to understand how top players performed at the camp.

WHY?

The purpose of this post is not to say who did or did not deserve to be selected to the U18 Camp. Instead, it is to help provide perspective and context to other players and parents the types of metrics that demonstrate the level of play needed to be selected.  And ideally, individual players do their own self-analysis to see how they compare.

HOW?

I watched and coded specific attributes for every shift in all 4 games for every player in this analysis using the USA Hockey TV footage. I collected more metrics than are listed below, but I feel that the attributes shown, provide the right amount and level of data to gain an understanding of the level of play for this position. Note: Sometimes the live stream footage didn’t always focus on the area of the ice where the play was taking place, so it is very likely the odd play may have not been accounted for.

WHO?

Here is the list of the 13 players selected to go to the 18’s camp

For D analysis, I included the 3 players selected plus another ‘top D’ player who was not selected. I am not identifying the names of any players because singling out any individual player is not my objective.  However, I can say, that I personally do not know any of the players or their parents that were included in this analysis.

SO WHAT?

Based on my analysis, I don’t have any issues with the D selections since measuring defense is not an exact science.  I am sure there were other players for whom there is an argument they could have been selected instead – but the differences are hard to discern in just 4 games and I don’t expect the selection committee to be perfect in only picking players based on their game performance.

All selected players made several really good plays (both offensively and defensively) in their four games – many of which were ‘highlight worthy’.  At the same time, these same players made multiple, significant turnovers/mistakes which resulted in high scoring chances for the other team. This goes to show you that none of the D were anywhere close to being perfect. But overall their consistency over 4 games is what you can see in the metrics.

THE ANALYSIS

Note: Players 1-3 were selected to go to the U18 Girls Camp – Player 4 was not selected

Some notes on the tracked attributes:

  • Offensive Shot Attempts does not mean the shot made it to the net – as mentioned in my previous post, I estimate almost 80% of all point shots were blocked or missed the net.
  • Turnover = full change of possession to the other team (e.g. a missed pass, dump in/out, rim or redirected puck)
  • I am not including the point stats or PIMs for any player since they can already be found on the USA Hockey website
  • Note: With only 4.1 goals per game combined between both teams, all the top players played strong defensively and were not on the ice for many goals.  This can be seen in their “On-ice goals for/goals against ratio” (this is different from the traditional +/- stat). 
  • There were additional attributes I tracked like offensive zone entries and good defensive plays. In addition metrics like pass attempts or turnovers could be segmented further by situation – however, given the outcome based of the measurements presented here, I feel they are a good representation of how each player played.

Finally, yes, I did a similar analysis for my daughter’s games (for her eyes only). And we are using the results to prioritize her summer development plan.

NEXT ANALYSIS

I have already started working analyzing the Forwards who were picked for the U18 Camp. This is a little more complicated since there were 5 forwards selected. I will not be doing goalies, because I don’t feel qualified to do so – and as mentioned previously, from what I’ve been told by goalie experts, there is a huge weight given to one-on-one time spent with an evaluator to judge goalies.