Are On-Ice Skating Tests Essential for Coaches Who Evaluate Hockey Players?
On-ice skating tests are often used to evaluate essential performance attributes in competitive-level hockey players, including agility and speed. A recent study provides insights for coaches, that may help them pick the best tests and exercises to assess hockey players.
Michael Bournival led a study titled: “The Science and Art of Testing in Ice Hockey: A Systematic Review of Twenty Years of Research,” at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Researchers carried out a comprehensive search on three databases: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus, adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, and then analyzed four categories of observations: the population under study, the reported on-ice test(s), outcome measures, and main findings.
Check out our guide on hockey analytics: “How to Dominate the Ice with Data!”
55 On-Ice Tests Reviewed
The review included 107 articles, resulting in 55 on-ice tests related to the on-ice assessments of four major athletic components, which included:
- Aerobic capacity (7 tests)
- Acceleration-speed (6 tests)
- Agility and change of direction (23 tests)
- Repeated skating sprint ability (19 tests)
Most of the tests were conducted on male and older cohorts (16 years and above), primarily at the competitive amateur level.
KINEXON Sports and Dartfish are partnering to provide Unparalleled Insights. Merging KINEXON’s precise player tracking with Dartfish’s advanced puck tracking provides comprehensive visibility into the game.
Tests Designed to Evaluate More Than Fitness
The selected tests were primarily designed for assessing on-ice physiological responses and fitness (38 tests), talent identification-team selection (19 tests), efficiency of interventions (17 tests), and validation purposes (16 tests).
This shows the versatility of on-ice tests and their adaptability to various needs and goals.
On-Ice Testing Considered Relevant
The review found that on-ice skating tests, which evaluate the capacity for repeated intense efforts, agility, acceleration, and speed, are directly relevant to match requirements. The variety of on-ice tests cited in literature underscores the necessity to tailor the evaluation process to the specific population, constraints, and objectives.
The study’s findings provide a versatile toolkit for coaches and researchers alike, facilitating the assessment of hockey players across various levels. It guides them in choosing procedures that align best with their specific environment and practice context.
How to Incorporate On-Ice Testing
Coaches can incorporate on-ice tests into practice drills to enhance players’ skills at a fast pace. For instance, they can start practice with an agility test that concludes with a shot. This helps players improve their agility and skills in a way that mirrors real game situations.
Another option is to use the skating sprint ability test at the end of practice. Coaches can include multiple shots during each recovery period. This helps players learn to maintain accurate shots even when they’re tired, and it makes the conditioning part of the drill more enjoyable.
For strength and conditioning coaches, it’s important to assess all four physical attributes. This helps them design tailored training programs and check the results of specific ice hockey conditioning training.
Hockey Analytics Provide Valuable Information for Coaches
Taking a data-driven hockey approach during training and games can help coaches. It provides objective measurements, targets and goals players need to hit.
To learn more about how data and hockey analytics may help your organization, contact us at any time.
Or download our case study that explains how hockey analytics and performance diagnostics are being used in the German Ice Hockey Federation.
More stories
Unlocking a New Era in Sports Performance: What’s Ahead from KINEXON Sports in 2025
In elite team sports, performance is often decided by the smallest details – how efficiently an athlete sprints, how they handle fatigue, and how well a team manages training loads throughout the season. Coaches and performance staff need more than just numbers – they need meaningful insights, in real time, to make the right calls when it matters.
KINEXON Sports App Guide: Phase Index Widget
The Phase Index Widget is a powerful new feature in the KINEXON SportsApp that provides coaches with deep insights into training drills. By displaying the normative range of key performance metrics for different drill types, it helps coaches understand typical versus high-end workload demands, compare phases across single sessions (POST) and historical data (DEVELOP), and design training sessions that optimize player development while preventing overtraining.
Revolutionizing Youth Football: Red Bull Wings Cup Meets KINEXON Sports
What if youth football wasn’t just about the score — but about the players who shape the game? That’s the bold vision behind Wings Cup 2025, hosted by RB Leipzig, and why KINEXON Sports proudly partnered with this first-of-its-kind event. From April 22 – 24, 2025, the tournament became the world’s first global youth football competition to feature live player and ball tracking — marking a new era in data-driven player development.
Optimizing Offseason Training: How the Ragin’ Cajuns Prep for the Football Season
The Ragin’ Cajuns football performance staff enters the heart of the offseason following spring camp, facing player performance and conditioning challenges common to other American Football programs nationwide. Their approach: optimized practice schedules designed to help players reach performance goals, backed by data.
Trust, Autonomy, and the Art of Performance Management in the WNBA
In the high-performance landscape of professional basketball, the pursuit of championships is a given. Yet, true impact often stems from a deeper purpose — one that prioritizes sustained athlete development, both physically and mentally. This perspective underscores a broader definition of success: positively influencing performance on a day-to-day basis, beyond wins and losses.
From Court to Code: The Analytics Behind Athletic Success
In the high-stakes world of competitive basketball, small margins make the difference between winning and losing. This is where optimization becomes the cornerstone of athletic performance. The focus is not just on finding a magic formula, but on creating the conditions for athletes to consistently operate at their best.
Increasing Shooting Efficiency With Data-Informed Insights
As basketball training evolves, teams are embracing data-informed insights to augment shooting efficiency. With every shot carrying potential season-changing weight in competition, refining practice intensity and replicating in-game pressure are key to gaining a competitive edge.
Maximizing Performance During March Madness: Key Strategies & Load Metrics for Coaches
March Madness is one of the most intense and physically demanding periods in collegiate basketball. The congested schedule, high-pressure stakes, and minimal time for recovery require an evidence-based approach to reach and maintain peak performance while mitigating injury risk throughout the tournament.
Optimizing Performance and Reducing Injuries in Professional Basketball
The landscape of professional basketball is evolving rapidly, with teams placing a greater emphasis on performance optimization and injury prevention. In a highly competitive environment like the EuroLeague, where the ultimate goal is to win games and championships, maintaining peak player performance while minimizing injuries is a fundamental challenge.
The Perfect Training Week: How KINEXON Sports Supports Smarter Coaching Decisions
Every coach knows the feeling – standing on the sidelines before a game, confident that the team is fully prepared. The training week went well, the players were engaged, and everything felt right. And when the final whistle confirms the win, the inevitable question arises:
What made this week so effective? How can we replicate it?
How Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Used Data to Prevent Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are a major concern in women’s basketball, with ACL injuries accounting for a significant portion of these issues. Managing player workload is key to injury prevention, but achieving the right balance between training and recovery is challenging. The Texas A&M Women’s Basketball team faced this dilemma and turned to a data-driven approach to optimize player health and performance.
KINEXON Tracking Technologies Earn Top Marks in FIFA EPTS Performance Tests
When it comes to tracking technology in sports, precision is everything. And once again, KINEXON has proven why it’s a leader in the field. Our cutting-edge KINEXON PERFORM GPS Elite, GPS Pro, and LPS tracking systems recently underwent FIFA’s 2024 Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS) performance tests — and the results were nothing short of outstanding.
Transforming Sports in 2025: Insights from KINEXON Sports for Coaches, Fans, and Referees
As sports technology evolves, 2025 promises to be a landmark year with KINEXON Sports at the forefront. Renowned for its innovations in real-time tracking and analytics, KINEXON Sports is revolutionizing the way athletes, coaches, fans, and referees experience the game.
From delivering game-changing insights to enhancing fan engagement and officiating precision, here’s what to expect from KINEXON Sports in 2025.
How Jump Count Analytics Drive Arizona State Volleyball’s Training and Match Success
Adjusting practice schedules is a fine line for coaches to walk to maximize player performance. Arizona State’s Jake Garrity, the Assistant Head Coach of Sports Performance/Sports Science for women’s volleyball, focuses on live jump count performance analytics to lay the foundation for when the coaching staff adjusts practice intensity.
5 Facts That (Probably) Nobody Knew About KINEXON Sports Teams
Ten years ago, KINEXON Sports embarked on a journey to revolutionize the game. What began as a bold idea in Munich’s iconic Allianz Arena has evolved into a global success story, empowering over 500 elite sports teams worldwide.
As we reflect on this incredible decade, here are five surprising facts about KINEXON Sports that showcase how far we’ve come — and where we’re headed next.