Team Blueprints
As made clear by the release of the Line Compatibility Tool and the Roster Builder, we’ve been shifting our efforts from single player evaluation to their dynamics with others. And as we enlarge the scope more and more from individual lines to rosters, it feels natural for the next step to be entirely team-focused. With that, here’s LB-Hockey’s Team Cards visualization.
General Info & Selection
The first step when opening the team cards should be to select the team and season to view. As with the other tools on the website, the data is all post-COVID, specifically going back to the first full season after it (2021-22). The season drop-down will change based on the selected franchise, meaning that Utah will only have 2024-25 and later available while the Coyotes options end with 2023-24. The information below these primary drop-downs are fairly simply with the team logo and record-relating statistics.
For the latter, this includes (descending from top to bottom) playoff positioning, team record, points accrued at the time of the latest data update, and point pace over a full 84-game season. The text format used for playoff standing is fairly simple with the top 3 of each division being labeled as such (ex: PAC-1, MET-3), and the remaining teams’ placement in their conference’s wild card race (ex: EWC-2, WWC-5).
“With vs Without Puck” Bar Charts
The main portion of these team cards looks to evaluate how successful they are when attacking and defending in various areas of the game. On the left with the teal chart, we have different types of 5v5 offence and defence types. This includes creating chances, pouring on the pressure in the offensive zone, and more. Those offensive, or “with puck” data points, are in the lighter shade while the defensive, or “without/against puck” counterparts are in the darker tone.
Meanwhile, the right side in pink shows more stylistic metrics. These range from relatively basic attributes like team finishing vs goaltending, to how efficient they are in the neutral zone both when carrying up the puck or trying to impede the opposition’s progress.
The bars are scaled by ranking within the league, meaning the best team amongst the NHL will have its bar reaching all the way across the chart, with each next team being one tick closer and closer to the axis until we hit last place.
Stylistic Offence vs Defence Evolution
The first interactive section of this visualization is relatively simple. With its drop-down, you can select any of the 10 with-without puck pairs from the bar charts below it and plot how those have progressed over the last four years. The with-puck statistic will be in teal while the without-puck option is in pink. Similarly to the bar charts, these are scaled by team ranking in the league, so the top line equates to #1, decreasing in height until we hit last at the bottom.
Player Superlatives
And lastly, there are the team’s player superlatives. Here, you can choose from various options of prominent self-explanatory roles within the team’s season roster. These archetypes can range from dynamic transition talents, to heavy checkers, reliable defensive pieces, skilled producers, or just well-rounded skaters.
For a completed season, the eligibility requirements for each selected player is that they must be in the organization by end-of-season, and have crossed the 225+ minute threshold of 5-on-5 ice time. But when the year is ongoing, that threshold may be lower and simply requires the player to be within the org at the time of the most recent data update.
Here are all the superlatives currently available in the cards:
– Breakout Artist
– Puck Carrier
– Playmaker
– Scoring Threat
– Net-Front Presence
– Forechecker
– Rush Defender
– Defensive Forward
– Play Driver
– Complete Skater
– Versatile Piece
– Clutch Performer
– Most Improved
Matchup Engine
Now what if you wanted to compare how any two teams fare against each other? That’s where the Matchup Visualizer comes in. This tool puts emphasis on displaying one team’s offence in a given area versus the other’s defence, and vice versa.
So once you’ve selected your two teams (and season), you’ll see the same general info from the main cards within each team’s column. The primary element, however, are the middle bar charts. Team 1 (left selection), has its metrics in teal while Team 2 (right) has theirs in pink. As indicated at the top, the left side isolates for when Team 1 has the puck. This means that the light teal bars show Team 1’s offensive/with-puck prowess contrasted with Team 2’s defensive/against-puck ability through the dark pink bar attached below it. Moving to the right side, the same concept applies, but flipped: top light pink bar is Team 2’s offence while bottom dark teal bar is Team 1’s defence.
This allows you to directly juxtapose team abilities in the specialized areas, and immediately highlights relative strengths or weaknesses that either team should look to focus on with this matchup. In terms of accessing this tool, it’s at the same link as the Team Blueprints at the top of the page