We talk a lot about the predictive power of shot metrics in hockey, and since we’re currently going through Fancy Stat Summer School, I figure it’s a good time to take a look at the work that Christopher Boucher is doing over at Boucher scouting. In case you aren’t familiar with it risk/reward ratings are calculated by creating a ratio of successful plays to unsuccessful ones. This can range from a simple pass to a puck battle on the boards, essentially it quantifies things that aren’t tracked anywhere else.
According to Boucher’s research, the players he’s tracked who have the highest risk/reward ratings in the offensive zone also produce the most points per minute played. Similarly, the players with the highest risk/reward ratings in the defensive zone also allowed the fewest Fenwick events against.
Other Links
John Buccigross has written the definitive story on Blake Geoffrion’s injury and subsequent retirement.
Robyn Flynn of TSN 690 wrote an impassioned article on the poor reaction of some people to women being added into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and talks about the impact of new Honouree Geraldine Heaney.
Guillaume LeFrancois of CBC Radio Canada talked to Francis Bouillon about George Parros, which Bouillon feels addressed a need. I guess that’s one more strike against Bouillon. [French]
Eric McCarthy of Journal Pioneer talked to Morgan Ellis about rookie camp, and how much time he’s spent training this summer.
TSN 690 had Habs’ first round pick Michael McCarron on for an interview. [Audio]
Eric T from Broad Street Hockey talks about how teams can get the best bang for their buck in the modern NHL.
Cam Charron of every site that has hockey articles examines the analytics work done by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Justin Bourne of The Score’s Backhand Shelf ranks the most to least desirable locations for free agents in his opinion, then people get mad at him for having an opinion.
We’ll end it with a bit of schadenfreude, as Leafs assistant coach Greg Cronin talks about how not only are the Leafs dead wrong about absolutely everything they believe in, but they’re excessively arrogant about it too and think they’re awesome. It’s going to be so much fun to watch them fail next year.
