Glossary
AHL
American Hockey League. It is a professional minor
league commonly used as a feeder league for NHL
clubs, and most teams are affiliated with an NHL team.
Art Ross Trophy
Award given to the player who leads the NHL in
points scoring.
Assist
An assist is attributed to one or two players on a goal.
They are awarded to the players touching the puck before
the goal-scorer, provided they contributed to the
goal-scoring play.
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Award given to the player who best exemplifies perseverance,
sportsmanship, and dedication to the game
of hockey.
Blocks/60
A rate statistic showing the number of blocked shots
a player recorded per 60 minutes of ice time.
Bottom pairing
Typically refers to the fifth- and sixth-best defensemen
on a squad. Most teams play three sets of defensemen
in a game, hence the "bottom pairing" label
for the third set. The term can be used to describe a
player's role on the team, or their talent level.
Bottom six
Typically, forwards are considered "bottom six" if
they play on the third or fourth lines. The term can be
used to describe a player's role on the team, or their
talent level.
C
An abbreviation for the center position.
Calder Trophy
Award given "to the player selected as the most proficient
in his first year of competition in the National
Hockey League." It is commonly referred to as the
Rookie of the Year award. To be eligible, a player
must be 26 years old or younger, and have played less
than 25 games in any NHL season.
Cap hit
The value of a player's contract that is recorded
against the salary cap. Regardless of salary variation
from year to year of the contract, under the current
CBA, the cap hit is calculated as the total value of the
contract divided by the term of the contract.
CBA
An abbreviation for Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Refers to the agreement between the NHL and
the players association (NHLPA) which governs the
salary cap, player contracts, discipline, etc.
Conn Smythe Trophy
Award given to the player judged most valuable to
his team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is based on
the entire postseason, not just the final game or series.
Core Age (team)
The sum of each skater's GVT multiplied by age on
a team, divided by the team GVT. It is a better measure
of the average age of a team, weighting the best
players the most.
Corsi
A statistic originally invented by Jim Corsi, who was
the goaltender coach for the Buffalo Sabres. Corsi is
essentially a plus-minus statistic that measures shot
attempts. A player receives a plus for any shot attempt
(on net, missed, or blocked) that his team directs at
the opponent's net, and a minus for any shot attempt
against his own net. A proxy for possession.
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GLOSSARY
Corsi QoC
A measure of competition quality using Corsi as
its basis. While a slight improvement on goal-based
measures, the scale can be incredibly hard to decipher
based on the quality of teams faced throughout the
year.
Corsi Rel QoC
A measure of competition quality using relative Corsi
as its basis. It is less luck-driven than QualComp
and more universal than Corsi QoC because it's based
on a relative metric. The most statistically sound quality
of competition metric currently used.
D
The abbreviation for Defenseman.
DGVT
Defensive Goals Versus Threshold. This stat measures
a player's worth, in goals, at shot suppression.
Elitserien
The proper name for what is commonly called the
Swedish Elite League (SEL) here in North America.
Commonly considered one of the two best non-NHL
leagues in the world, with the KHL of Russia being
the other one.
ESP/60
Even strength points per 60 minutes. A commonly
used statistic measuring the amount of points a player
scores per 60 minutes of even strength ice time. For
the 2010-11 season, anything over 1.62 ESP/60 was
considered to be scoring at the rate of a top-six forward,
though 1.8 ESP/60 is the common benchmark.
ESSV%
Even strength save percentage. Many analysts prefer
to measure goaltenders using only their even strength
shot-stopping since there is less year-to-year variation
and less luck involved.
ESTOI
Even strength time on ice is a measure of the ice
time a player averages per game in even strength situations.
Fenwick
Another possession metric, originally devised by
Matt Fenwick of the Battle of Alberta blog. Fenwick
follows the same concept as Corsi, but doesn't include
blocked shots. Fenwick is considered to have better
predictive value for future goal differential than Corsi.
The removal of blocked shots is also valuable since
blocked shots are a proven skill worthy of being separated.
FO%
Faceoff percentage. The ratio of faceoffs that a player
has won. Any rate better than 55% is considered
elite.
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Award given to the forward in the NHL who best
demonstrates defensive skill.
G
Commonly used abbreviation for goal, but also for
goaltender when referring to positions.
GA
Abbreviation for Goals Against. This is the total
goals given up by a team or by a goaltender.
GAA
Goals Against Average is a commonly used statistic
to measure the average number of goals a goaltender
gives up per game. It is similar to ERA in baseball
and just as poor at representing goaltender talent since
it's extremely dependent on the team in front of the
goalie. Most analysts consider this statistic obsolete
and of little use.
GD
Abbreviation for Goal Differential. It represents the
difference between the number of goals a team scores
minus the number of goals conceded. Goal differential
is commonly used as a better measure of team talent
than win-loss record in the absence of possession
metrics. Equal to overall GVT for teams.
GF
Abbreviation for Goals For. This is the total goals
scored by a team, commonly paired with Goals
Against to show a team's Goal Differential.
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GLOSSARY
Giveaway
A form of turnover in which the player makes an
unforced error that results in giving the puck up to
the opposition. They can be unreliable as a statistic
since the definition is subjective and individual rink
scorers show significant differences in the way they
record them.
GP
Abbreviation for Games Played.
GVT (Individual)
Goals Versus Threshold. Developed by Tom Awad
of Hockey Prospectus, GVT measures a player's
worth in comparison to a typical fringe NHL player.
GVT has two major advantages over most metrics: it's
measured in goals, which are easily equated to wins,
and it is capable of comparing players across multiple
positions and multiple eras. GVT is the summation of
OGVT, GGVT, DGVT, and SGVT.
GVT (Team)
Goals Versus Threshold for a team is equal to the
team's goal differential. By definition Team GVT
= sum of Player GVT - Replacement Level (which
GVT defines as 1.5 goals per game or 123 goals per
season).
Hart Memorial Trophy
Award given to the NHL player judged to be most
valuable to their team during the NHL's regular season.
Heavy lifting
Refers to difficult roles that certain players are
placed in, with significantly tougher quality of competition
and zone starts.
Hits/60
A rate statistic showing the number of hits a player
delivers per 60 minutes of ice time. While interesting,
it has very little predictive value on goals scored or
goals prevented.
Jack Adams Trophy
Award given to the NHL coach judged to have contributed
most to his team's success.
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Award given to the defenseman who shows the best
all-around ability in the NHL.
Junior
Players aged 15-20 are commonly referred to as "Junior"
players given that they are eligible to play Junior
hockey in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
KHL
The Kontinental Hockey League was formed in
2008 as the main source of professional hockey in
Russia. The league also contains teams from Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Slovakia. The NHL and
KHL have an agreement to honor the contracts from
the other league in order to avoid poaching of players
under contract.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Award given to the NHL player who best exhibited
sportsmanship and gentlemanly play combined with a
high standard of playing ability.
LD
Abbreviation for Left Defenseman, merely indicating
the side of the ice the player generally occupies.
NHL players are typically listed as Defensemen, without
identifying which side they generally play on, but
several European leagues make the distinction.
Lockout (of 2004-05)
When the owners and the players association reached
an impasse during negotiations after the 2003-04 season,
the owners locked the players out. An entire season
was lost, but the NHL emerged as a salary cap
league which has helped smaller market clubs achieve
financial stability in most of the leagues locales.
LW
The abbreviation for the Left Wing position.
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Award given to the NHL player who scores the most
goals during the regular season.
GLOSSARY
Net Penalties/60
The difference between the penalties a players draws
and the penalties a player takes. This difference is recorded
as a rate per 60 minutes of ice time. Net Penalties
per 60 gives insight into which players are giving
their teams extra power play opportunities. Net Penalties/
60 tends to be higher for forwards and lower for
defensemen, given their roles on the ice.
OGVT
Offensive Goals Versus Threshold is the portion of
GVT measuring a player's ability to generate goals.
OGVT measures a player's contribution to goal creation.
OHL
The Ontario Hockey League is part of the CHL,
which comprises all three of Canada's top-tier junior
hockey leagues.
On-ice save percentage
The save percentage of the team when a particular
player is on the ice. It is used to help determine whether
a player has had poor luck.
On-ice shooting percentage
The shooting percentage of the entire team when a
particular player is on the ice. This metric can be used
to look for underlying reasons why a player's assist
totals have moved considerably or to determine the
general amount of luck a player has had relative to his
career average.
PDO
Created by Vic Ferrari, PDO is the sum of a player's
on-ice save percentage and on-ice shooting percentage.
PDO is an excellent way to measure "puck luck"
or good fortune as it regresses heavily to the mean of
100 (sometimes shown as 1000). For example, a player
with a PDO of 103.4 is likely to see his luck drop
next year, affecting his plus-minus or point totals. A
player with a PDO of 97.1 will likely have a "bounceback"
year purely by getting a few more bounces go
his way.
PIM
Abbreviation for penalty minutes. Not a particularly
useful statistic in measuring discipline, because
it doesn't differentiate between penalties that put the
other team on the power play and offsetting penalties
like fighting majors.
Plus-minus
A traditional hockey statistic used to show the
team's goal differential when a particular player is on
the ice. The theory seems to makes sense, but in reality
it is heavily driven by luck, quality of teammates,
and other situational factors. Commonly misused as a
defensive statistic.
Possession
A term used to describe how well a team directs play
at the opposition net. At the moment, the best measures
of possession are Corsi and Fenwick. Possession
is important to hockey analysts because it has a very
high correlation with winning and predicting future
performance of a team.
PPP/60
A rate stat that measures the number of points a player
records per 60 minutes of power play time. Even
strength and power play rates are split out to give
better insight into which situations a player excels at.
Much more liable to fluctuate than ESP/60 based on
much less playing time involved, so it's better to observe
a player's PPP/60 over several seasons.
PPSV%
Power play save percentage is the save rate a goaltender
records with the man advantage.
PPTOI
The average time on ice a player spends per game in
man advantage situations.
President's Trophy
Award given to the team who finishes the regular
season with the most points.
Primary assist
Since up to two assists can be assigned per goal in
the NHL, the primary assist (A1) is awarded to the
player who touched the puck directly before the goal-
scorer. Primary assists are considered to be less luck-
driven than secondary assists.
GLOSSARY
QualComp
A measure of competition quality using relative
plus-minus as it's basis. A number higher than 0 indicates
a higher than average level of competition. One
drawback to QualComp is that it is goal-based, incorporating
more puck luck than Corsi-based methods.
QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is part of
the CHL, which comprises all three of Canada's top-
tier junior hockey leagues.
QS
A Quality Start is a measure of whether a goaltender
"gave his team a chance to win". In order to record a
quality start, the goalie must have a save percentage
over .912 or a save percentage between .885 and .912
while allowing less than three goals. The reason Quality
Starts are so important is that teams win 77.5%
of the games in which their goalie records a Quality
Start.
QS%
Quality Start Percentage shows the ratio of a goaltender's
games in which they recorded a quality start.
A quality start rate of 60% is considered elite, while
anything below 40% is quite poor.
Regression to the mean
A statistical term that refers to the phenomena of
statistical measures returning to their average value
over time. For example, if Player A's career shooting
percentage is 8.5% and he shot 11.3% last season, he
will likely regress closer to 8.5% the following year.
RD
Abbreviation for Right Defenseman, merely indicating
the side of the ice the player generally occupies.
NHL players are typically listed as Defensemen, without
identifying which side they generally play on, but
several European leagues make the distinction.
Relative Corsi
A player's Corsi value in comparison to his teammates.
Relative Corsi is expressed as the player's
Corsi minus the team Corsi rate. A positive value indicates
a player who is better than the team average and
a negative number is a player who is worse than the
team average.
Replacement level
The level of performance of an easily obtainable
player, such as an AHL call-up. Replacement level is
considered the minimum performance that teams can
achieve, therefore many statistics (such as GVT) express
the value of players as value over replacement
level.
R^2
A statistical term showing the degree of correlation
between two variables. It is typically expressed in a
percentage, indicating the amount of variation in Variable
A that can be explained by Variable B.
RW
The abbreviation for the Right Wing position.
Salary cap
The maximum amount a team can spend on player
salaries each year. The values for each player's contract
include their annual salary and their signing
bonus, split over the number of years the contract is
signed for. Governed by the CBA. For the 2011-12
season, it is $64.3 million.
Salary floor
The minimum amount a team must spend on player
salaries each year. The values for each player's contract
include their annual salary and their signing
bonus, split over the number of years the contract is
signed for. Governed by the CBA. Set at $16 million
below the salary cap. For the 2011-12 season, it is
$48.3 million.
Save percentage
The percentage of shots on goal that a goalie prevents
from going in the net.
Scoring chance
Scoring Chances are generally defined as shots taken
from within the arc that extends from the crease,
through the faceoff dots and to the top of the circles.
Second assist
Since up to two assists can be assigned per goal in
the NHL, the secondary assist (A2) is awarded to the
player who touched the puck two players before the
goal-scorer. Secondary assists are considered to be
more luck-driven than primary assists.
GLOSSARY
SGVT
Shootout Goals Versus Threshold is a measure of
a skater's or goaltender's value in the shootout. It is
based on the player's ability to score or prevent goals
in the shootout versus a league average player in the
same situation.
Sheltered minutes
A term referring to the type of ice time a player is
given by the coach. Players given "sheltered minutes"
are generally matched up against easy competition
and/or given a very high zone start ratio.
Shooting percentage
The percentage of shots on goal (by a team or player)
that go in the net.
SHSV%
Short-handed save percentage is merely the save
percentage of a team or player while in a short-handed
situation. Save percentages when short-handed are
generally much lower than those at even strength.
SHSV% is considered quite volatile from year-to-year
due to small sample size.
SHTOI
The time on ice per game that a player spends in
short-handed situations.
Shutdown
An elite defensive player or duo who's good at shutting
down opposition scoring-as in shutdown defenseman,
a shutdown pairing, or a shutdown forward.
SM-Liiga
The top professional hockey league in Finland. Occasionally
referred to as the Finnish Elite League, SM-
Liiga translates to "Finnish Championship League".
Snepsts System
A projection system based on searching historical
data for players the same age with similar era-adjusted
statistics as a player's past few seasons, and averaging
their future performance. Also useful for establishing
minimum and maximum scoring expectations based
on historical precedent.
SOG
Abbreviation for Shots On Goal.
Takeaway
A form of turnover in which the player takes the
puck from the opposition, rather than gaining possession
through opposition error. It can be unreliable as
a statistic since the definition is subjective and individual
rink scorers show significant differences in the
way they record them.
TOI
Abbreviation for time on ice. Typically represented
in minutes per game.
Top four
Typically refers to a squad's best four defensemen.
On most teams, the top four defensemen shoulder the
majority of the ice time among defensemen. The term
can be used to describe a player's role on the team, or
their talent level.
Top six
Typically refers to a squad's first two lines of forwards.
These lines are usually counted on to provide
the bulk of the scoring for most teams. The term can
be used to describe a player's role on the team, or their
talent level.
Top nine
Typically refers to a squad's first three lines of forwards.
The top nine forwards generally play the bulk
of the minutes on most teams. The term can be used
to describe a player's role on the team, or their talent
level.
Top pairing
Refers to the top two defensemen on a team. These
two players are typically relied on to play against the
opposition's best offensive players. The term can be
used to describe a player's role on the team, or their
talent level.
Translations
Converting a player's scoring data from other
leagues to an NHL equivalent, using scoring changes
of those who made the move previously as a basis. For
example, an AHL translation would be what a player
would score in the NHL, based on what happened to
previous AHL players with similar statistics when
they went to the NHL.
GLOSSARY
UFO%
An advanced faceoff metric, Ultimate Faceoff Percentage
is calculated from even strength, non-empty
net situation, road faceoffs only, and adjusted for
strength of competition.
Vezina Trophy
Award given to the goaltender judged to be the best
in the NHL.
VUKOTA
Hockey Prospectus' proprietary projection system,
based on the GVT metric and created by Tom Awad.
WHL
The Western Hockey League is part of the CHL,
which comprises all three of Canada's top-tier junior
hockey leagues.
World Junior Hockey Championship
Officially, the IIHF World Under 20 Championship,
it's the annual international Under-20 ice hockey tournament
held in late December and early January. It
usually showcases the best junior-aged prospects in
the world as well as potential top picks for the upcoming
draft.
WOWY
With or Without You is a style of analysis used to
determine which players benefit the most from their
linemates and which players are driving play.
Zone Start%
A ratio showing the percentage of a player's non-
neutral-zone shifts that were started in the offensive
zone. Zone starts use faceoffs as a proxy for all shifts.
Players with a ZS% higher than 54% could be considered
sheltered or deployed offensively while players
with ZS% south of 46% can be considered to be deployed
defensively or doing the "heavy lifting".
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