The San Jose Sharks have one of the brightest futures in the NHL.
Their top-ranked prospect pool and franchise center, Macklin Celebrini, make them an attractive destination for players in the near future. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky completed his first year behind an NHL bench in 24-25. Although the record wasn’t great, improvements on the ice were seen.
That said, the entire Sharks organization appears to be trying to improve in any way possible. According to a story from Tech Informed, the San Jose Sharks are exploring how the use of AI coaching can benefit certain situations.
“There are established and accepted norms and beliefs that have dominated how strategies are employed in sports – and especially within the game of hockey,” San Jose Sharks president Jonathan Becher said. “We want to challenge these long-held beliefs, with AI being a new voice in the conversation that offers a unique perspective based on its interpretation of match data.”
Hockey and analytics have become closely intertwined. Whether it is basic statistics, like chances for and against. Or even more complex ones, like Corsi and expected goals, the use of analytics has become commonplace.
Tech Informed explains how the Sharks aim to leverage AI to their advantage.
“The Sharks are particularly interested in using AI to analyse entire sequences of play, rather than isolated moments. The aim is to better understand the patterns, referred to as “geometries in motion”, that contribute to key outcomes, and potentially rethink game strategies.”
The use of AI has yet to be explored in hockey. The Sharks appear to be the first team to consider using it.
San Jose Sharks Director of Hockey Operations and Analytics Charlie Townsend explained how AI could be utilized.
“We are trying to identify whether there are untapped, unbiased solutions by utilising technology to observe, digest, and translate data points within a game that can assist with solutions to complex hockey problems.”
It will be interesting to see if the use of AI extends beyond just the Sharks.
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