Performance testing is used in most sports settings to provide coaching staff and scouts information on the physical capabilities of players. In ice hockey, key off-ice performance metrics have been correlated to an increase in on-ice game performance, especially anaerobic power. However, limited baseline descriptive data exists and as has previously focused on NCAA Division I players. A lack of studies directed at lower levels of collegiate play has left a data gap for coaches to compare their athletes against peers in American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) leagues. The Wingate 30-second Anaerobic Threshold test (WAnT) is commonly used to determine a player’s anaerobic power. Given the interval nature of an ice hockey shift, a novel Wingate test was conducted for the first time at the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, NY. This novel Wingate anaerobic test, the NHL 45s Wingate, has been proposed as a valid and reliable replacement for the more traditionally used 30s Wingate test to assess ice hockey players due to the interval-based structure of the 45s test, which more closely replicates a typical ice hockey shift. The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive satistics on key performance metrics and American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) ice hockey players to explore the validity and reliability of the NHL 45s Wingate protocols.
