Neutral Zone Puck Possession & Transition Secrets
It has long been the belief that Puck Possession and Transition (From Defense to Offense) is an essential concept to winning hockey teams. The teams that hold the puck longer and can create turnovers to move quicker than their opponent from defense to offense, are winning teams.
Recent studies have created data to support this hypothesis.
Study 1 (taken from 2016 season)
The Flyers’ fourth line (Couturier-Talbot-Rinaldo) averaged 0.29 shots per time they dumped or deflected the puck in, while the top line (Giroux-Jagr-Hartnell) averaged 0.28. The fourth line averaged 0.56 shots per time they carried or passed the puck in, while the top line averaged 0.53.
The reason Giroux has a better shot differential than Rinaldo isn’t that he does more with each entry; it’s that he wins the neutral zone more often (more total entries) and does so more decisively (gaining the zone with possession).
If it’s true that the less-skilled players are being coached to just dump the puck in—and I suspect it is—then the coach might be doing more to limit their offense than their own lack of skill is. This is the kind of inefficiency that can be identified, fixed, and exploited to gain an advantage over the rest of the league. Info provided by- Eric T. of Broad Street Hockey and NHL Numbers
Study 2
The conclusions drawn from this study may have some people questioning the deployment of players in zone specific roles. But remember from above that a substantial amount (>50%) of offensive production comes after an offensive or neutral zone (faceoff) win, obviously having a huge impact on game outcomes. Simply put, neutral zone performance predicts future wins, offensive and defensive zone performance determines wins. I don't think this data really changes anything for zone starts. Coaches who deploy their players in zones best suited to their talent are efficiently utilizing the resources on their roster. If given an option for a player who performs equally well in the offensive and neutral zone, then perhaps, choosing the neutral zone above the offensive zone may be a better choice. Info provided by- http://www.fearthefin.com/2012/8/12/3224106/1st-shift-corsi-by-zone-the-impact-of-neutral-zone-performance-on
Here is a great video on Puck Possession, covering great concepts such as Offensive Zone entry, cycling, puck support and good passing angles...