#nhl player development

[benwendorf]

From 1992-93, I created a selected group of top-line forwards that had played at least 750 games in that time span and recorded 0.859 points per game or greater. That bar was set by looking at top-line forwards from 1992-93 to the present, assessed by the quartile that recorded the highest shots and assists per game. Using this group of 48, I observed their proportion of full season games played (within this era, we had changes in the number of games in a season, thus the proportion), then also observed what proportion recorded a season at each age. As a result, we get a pretty decent couple of curves looking specifically at how elite forwards age.

[benwendorf]

By request, I’m adding the peak age estimation by shift length chart in a version that uses seconds.

[benwendorf]

Using NHL’s shift length data back to 1997-98, trying to develop a development curve. Using change from one year to the next, I’ve separated the player change when going from their rookie to 2nd season, as well as player’s going from their 2nd-to-last to final season. Further, it was all player’s having consecutive seasons of 20 or more games (the point when this metric stabilizes). So, artificially, the players represented are apples to apples, at least four-year veterans of 20+ GP seasons.