Video analysis is a staple to more and more hockey programs all over the world, and it has come a long way in how it is used and how it is presented. Kelvin Cech hosted a panel at TCS Live 2024 in Ann Arbour to discuss the insights in hockey analysis at all levels of the game.

If you want to review, analyze and share game-changing insights fast, you need to bring the best end-to-end performance analysis platform to your program. That’s HUDL. Joining Kelvin was Chad Kolarik, USA Hockey National Training Development Program Assistant Coach, Jesse Hale, General Manager of Hockey Operations at Calgary Northstars, and Jeff Sweeney, Head Coach with the Sno-King Junior Thunderbirds.

Having access to video in this day and age of hockey is a critical piece of the puzzle in the development of a player. However, just as important is the manner in which coaches feed this information to their players. As a coach, it is important that video sessions are not something that players leave discouraged from. Every coach is different in their positive and negative clip ratio but having a situation where film is a negative part of their day that will impact their confidence and their play. Hard coaching can still exist, but teaching players through video in a supportive manner is the most effective way to get the most out of players. The key in teaching through video analysis is creating a level of understanding while walking players through different situations and how to improve their game moving forward. A good habit to get into as a coach with video film is to take the time to show specific video on what, as a coach, you are looking for in a play; this resonates the most with the player in applying it to their game. Gathering footage of plays that are correctly executed and not just plays that are executed incorrectly allows players to gain a greater understanding of what they need to do in different situations to be successful. It is also valuable to focus on the small details of the game, not always the flashy plays. Getting caught up with the game's best players and their abilities is not always the most effective way to walk players through situations that they cannot resonate with. Film sessions are also a great opportunity to show players why they are having success or not having success.

It is the coach’s responsibility to guide a player or team through what they are analyzing on the ice and after that it is up to the player to respond. The players who are most dedicated are the ones who are studying their video. Video is a tremendous tool available for coaches, but how video break-down is presented and communicated with players is what will result in improvement on the ice.

Noteworthy Timestamps:

• 0:45 How far video has evolved
• 3:45 Utilizing video to coach
• 9:40 Players watching video
• 12:45 Scouting with video
• 15:15 Personal stories
• 19:50 Ratio of positive to negative clips
• 22:45 Systems work
• 26:30 Using Hudl is easy