Relative bench-press strength and jump power are associated with distinct tracking-based in-game shares in professional ice hockey
- 1Department of Fitness and Health, IST University of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
- 2Medical and Athletic Department, Schwenninger Wild Wings, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
Abstract
Background: Ice hockey is an intermittent, high-intensity team sport, yet the transfer from preseason off-ice testing to tracking-derived in-game impact metrics remains underexplored in professional settings.
Objective: To examine associations between preseason off-ice fitness and tracking-derived 5-on-5 in-game impact in a Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) team across three seasons.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of 28 male professional skaters (N = 50 player-seasons after listwise deletion, up to three observations per player). Predictors were 30 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), relative single-leg strength (Bulgarian split squat 1RM per body mass, SLS/BM), relative upper-body strength (bench press 1RM per body mass, BP/BM), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), body fat percentage, and age. Outcomes were two team-relative share metrics derived from the league's official player-tracking system: the relative expected-goals-for percentage (xGF%Rel), defined as a player's on-ice share of expected goals minus the team's share with the player off the ice, capturing chance quality; and the relative Fenwick-for percentage (FF%Rel), the corresponding on-minus-off share of unblocked shot attempts, capturing territorial play. Ordinary least squares models included season fixed effects and player-clustered robust standard errors; multiplicity across predictors was controlled using the Holm procedure. Sensitivity models additionally adjusted for playing position.
Results: Model fit was modest (adjusted R2: 0.16 for xGF%Rel; 0.21 for FF%Rel). After Holm correction, BP/BM was positively associated with xGF%Rel (β = .021, p_Holm = .011). For FF%Rel, CMJ was positively associated (β = .018, p_Holm = .012) and estimated VO₂max negatively associated (β = −.019, p_Holm = .035). Sensitivity analyses preserved the direction and approximate magnitude of all three associations. Statistical support was uniform only for CMJ–FF%Rel, which remained significant throughout; the BP/BM association did not survive allometric scaling and the estimated-VO₂max association fell just above the adjusted threshold after author exclusion.
Conclusions: In this single-team DEL cohort, preseason off-ice fitness showed metric-specific rather than global associations with 5-on-5 relative share outcomes. Relative upper-body strength aligned with chance-quality share, while lower-limb explosiveness aligned with territorial share; the inverse VO₂max association likely reflects role and deployment context rather than detrimental effects of aerobic capacity per se. Findings are associative, not causal, and warrant validation in larger multi-team datasets with explicit usage/context adjustment.
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BibTeX
@article{spornberger2026relative,
title = {{Relative bench-press strength and jump power are associated with distinct tracking-based in-game shares in professional ice hockey}},
author = {Peter Spornberger and Hendrik Kolbert and Thimo Wiewelhove},
journal = {Frontiers in Sports and Active Living},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fspor.2026.1917193},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1917193},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Relative bench-press strength and jump power are associated with distinct tracking-based in-game shares in professional ice hockey
AU - Peter Spornberger
AU - Hendrik Kolbert
AU - Thimo Wiewelhove
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
DO - 10.3389/fspor.2026.1917193
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1917193
AB - Background: Ice hockey is an intermittent, high-intensity team sport, yet the transfer from preseason off-ice testing to tracking-derived in-game impact metrics remains underexplored in professional settings. Objective: To examine associations between preseason off-ice fitness and tracking-derived 5-on-5 in-game impact in a Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) team across three seasons. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 28 male professional skaters (N = 50 player-seasons after listwise deletion, up to three observations per player). Predictors were 30 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), relative single-leg strength (Bulgarian split squat 1RM per body mass, SLS/BM), relative upper-body strength (bench press 1RM per body mass, BP/BM), estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), body fat percentage, and age. Outcomes were two team-relative share metrics derived from the league's official player-tracking system: the relative expected-goals-for percentage (xGF%Rel), defined as a player's on-ice share of expected goals minus the team's share with the player off the ice, capturing chance quality; and the relative Fenwick-for percentage (FF%Rel), the corresponding on-minus-off share of unblocked shot attempts, capturing territorial play. Ordinary least squares models included season fixed effects and player-clustered robust standard errors; multiplicity across predictors was controlled using the Holm procedure. Sensitivity models additionally adjusted for playing position. Results: Model fit was modest (adjusted R2: 0.16 for xGF%Rel; 0.21 for FF%Rel). After Holm correction, BP/BM was positively associated with xGF%Rel (β = .021, p_Holm = .011). For FF%Rel, CMJ was positively associated (β = .018, p_Holm = .012) and estimated VO₂max negatively associated (β = −.019, p_Holm = .035). Sensitivity analyses preserved the direction and approximate magnitude of all three associations. Statistical support was uniform only for CMJ–FF%Rel, which remained significant throughout; the BP/BM association did not survive allometric scaling and the estimated-VO₂max association fell just above the adjusted threshold after author exclusion. Conclusions: In this single-team DEL cohort, preseason off-ice fitness showed metric-specific rather than global associations with 5-on-5 relative share outcomes. Relative upper-body strength aligned with chance-quality share, while lower-limb explosiveness aligned with territorial share; the inverse VO₂max association likely reflects role and deployment context rather than detrimental effects of aerobic capacity per se. Findings are associative, not causal, and warrant validation in larger multi-team datasets with explicit usage/context adjustment.
SN - 2624-9367
ER -