Abstract
Background: Despite the exhaustive body of literature on the demands of ice hockey, less is known about the relationships between functional performance testing protocols (on ice and off ice) and performance in a game situation. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of these associations. Methods: This review aims to identify on- and off-ice testing currently used in the scientific literature and their possible transfer to game performance as well as identifying research gaps in this field. Results: The 17 selected studies showed that off-ice and on-ice fitness test results can be modestly transferred to the player’s selection as well as global and advanced performance indicators. Conclusion: This review of the literature reinforces the importance of strength and conditioning coaches administering previously validated fitness tests. Regarding the academic research, it is also proposed to use performance markers that are directly related to the players’ on-ice performance to represent more accurately the relationship between the players’ fitness level and their work output. Three research gaps were also identified in relation to targeted populations, choice of performance markers and data measurement methods.
Highlights
Subsequent to the legendary Summit Series in 1972, ice hockey was recognized as an international sport, which resulted in an invitation to professional players to compete at the Nagano Olympics in 1998
Despite the abundant scientific literature in the ice hockey domain, we have to recognize that most studies aimed at establishing physiological demands of ice hockey [2,3,4,5]
This review highlights the scarcity of research regarding on-ice and off-ice fitness tests and their associations with game performance markers
Summary
Subsequent to the legendary Summit Series in 1972, ice hockey was recognized as an international sport, which resulted in an invitation to professional players to compete at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. In 2020, over 1.6 million players took to the ice in more than 70 countries [1] Thanks to this worldwide interest, hockey federations in each nation look for ways to optimize player development, while aiming to meet the highest standards. This tendency has generated substantial scholarly interest in the last two decades. Methods: This review aims to identify on- and off-ice testing currently used in the scientific literature and their possible transfer to game performance as well as identifying research gaps in this field. Three research gaps were identified in relation to targeted populations, choice of performance markers and data measurement methods
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