A Player Perspective on Analytics ft. Will Riedell

Corsi, Fenwick, Expected Goals, Per 60, Goals Above Replacement, etc., are all statistics and values I know and can use to understand player behavior and performance on the ice. Yet, it’s a different story for those who play the game. For the NHL, these metrics and advanced statistics are used regularly, but not quite in college level or even AHL hockey.

When I see a player’s Expected Goals, I can create value for the specific player and understand how likely they are to score a goal in particular locations, or in general, based on their average shot quality. From an outside perspective, this seems straightforward, yet the idea gets complicated when players are maybe not on their teams for the purpose of goals.

Will Riedell, a San Jose Barracuda defenseman, who previously played at the collegiate level at Lake Superior State, and The Ohio State University, shared his insight on the use of statistics in the professional realm and how he views the numbers in comparison to people like myself.

When asked if Riedell thinks advanced statistics truly show player value and if it’s fair to judge players based on numbers alone, he said, “I think it's hard to judge a player on numbers.” He explained, “You can only really tell a player and know a player by seeing them, getting to know them on an individual level, and watching them play.” Riedell continued to explain how, as a player, there are varying circumstances and that he doesn’t necessarily think that the numbers alone take those into account.

Although Riedell does not think that numbers should be the deciding factor or only metric in measuring player ability, he does believe that the use of analytics in the hockey world is growing, and expressed, “If [stats were] more available to [players,] and teams incorporated stats at the college level a little more, it might be able to help teams and players.” He said, “Some [stats] would be good for sure.” To be able to use and have easy access to.

The place where an issue arises in using statistics is accessibility. For the NHL, there are various sites where advanced statistics are available to the public, but for college teams, and AHL teams, those statistics are more challenging to access for both the public and the players.

When discussing the difference between accessibility to statistics in different levels of hockey, Riedell explained, “If you go to a big school like Ohio State, they have the advanced statistics readily available to them, whereas if you go to a smaller school, in a different conference that's not the Big ten, most of the time, teams don't spend a lot of money on statistics.”

What teams need to be aware of are the benefits of using statistics in their coaching. Riedell shared that in his experience in San Jose, they did use more advanced statistics than in college, but “[They] never looked closely, coaches might have, but as a player, [he] never look closely at shots.”

If the players used advanced statistics, such as Corsi, to look at all of their shots taken, not just on goal, it would help improve them as individual players. In addition, a metric, such as Expected Goals, could help coaches decide which of their players to put in at crucial moments or give advice for a shootout.

Hockey players not playing for the highest level are disadvantaged and unable to use advanced statistics to improve play. While I agree with Riedell’s thought that numbers aren’t everything, what they can be is an extra coach on the bench.