The Science of Scouting: New Methods Detect Elusive (and Lucrative) Hockey IQ

From Intuition to Evidence: Exploring the Hockey IQ Phenomenon

From lightning-fast Connor McDavid and master-mind Ken Hitchcock to razor-sharp scouts like Al Murray — generational players, coaches, and scouts have built storied careers on their ability to intuit or leverage 'Hockey IQ'.

What if you could quantify and test for that ever-elusive hockey intelligence?

In a novel study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, McGill researchers have presented a more objective way to assess a player’s in-game intelligence.

Typically, spotting Hockey IQ is a highly subjective process that can be limited by human error, increasing the odds of missing out on hidden stars. While previous studies have examined methods like eye-tracking, Dr. Daniel Fortin‑Guichard and team combined multiple advanced cognitive tests with seasoned scouting insights to help reshape how athletes are evaluated.

The Science of Scouting: A Talent Identification Challenge

Traditionally, spotting hockey talent has leaned heavily on scout intuition and experience. Although the pros are unmatched in recognizing skill, it remains a system that's prone to significant bias. As a result, players who don’t fit the classic mold (perhaps in terms of size or style of play) may be overlooked despite their hockey smarts.

The researchers decided to explore alternative methods:

• The researchers evaluated 40 elite male hockey players, aged 15-16, over the course of a year using a blend of cognitive tests and regular scouting.

• Four core perceptual-cognitive tasks (memory, attention, anticipation, and VR hockey simulations) were used alongside video analysis and small-sided games.

• “Hockey IQ” was assessed by coaches and by a team of five experienced scouts, who followed player progress weekly.

The objective cognitive tests of Hockey IQ included:

• Cognitive tests: Creyos testing to assess memory, attention, and deductive reasoning.

• Eye tracking: Anticipation and eye-movement analysis using specialized video tasks.

• VR hockey tests simulated real-game decision making.

The core findings:

• Integrating objective test data with scouting reports yielded the most accurate results overall.

• Scouts were the best at predicting the coaches’ assessments of Hockey IQ

• The takeaway: data and expertise together appear to offer a more complete, fair, and unbiased picture of an athlete’s potential.

“Our goal is to help scouts move beyond informed guesswork and give all athletes a fair shot. This method could improve how we evaluate an athlete’s potential in hockey and beyond, and could help scouts make more accurate and fair decisions in high-performance settings.”

— Dr. Daniel Fortin-Guichard, McGill Researcher

Why Game Sense Matters

Clearly, hockey is fast. (So fast in fact, that Fox once automated glowing pucks into their telecasts so viewers could spot the action. A hilarious blip in hockey history that inspired this classic Molson commercial.)

Hockey players have to interpret complex, dynamic situations and make split-second decisions, all while moving at speeds up to 35 km/h. This is the crux of Hockey IQ, and what makes it so elusive, and lucrative, for players and organizations.

While the study's methods of detecting hockey IQ are promising, the researchers note that longitudinal studies will need to track players’ long-term success to confirm the predictive reliability of testing. In the meantime, organizations could consider adopting a battery of cognitive assessments to trial a more objective approach to scouting.

The Future of Scouting

By combining objective methods with depth of scouting experience, organizations may be able give all players a fair shot, regardless of background or build — marking a win-win-win for players, organizations, and fans alike.

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