Physical profiling in a Swedish hockey league team: positional differences and predictors of sprint performance

This study evaluates a professional ice hockey team from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) using comprehensive player profiling to examine positional differences and to identify how individual age, anthropometric, and physical characteristics predict sprint performance.

Twenty-three players from one SHL team underwent an off-ice test battery, including anthropometric and physical assessments. The anthropometric assessment included body fat percentage using dual-energy X-ray. Physical performance assessments included isometric mid-thigh pull, vertical jump, off-ice sprints over 5, 10, and 20 meters, and aerobic power. A correlation matrix was computed to examine relationships between physical characteristics. Significant correlations with age were included as predictors for regression models with sprint performance.

Age alone explained 35.7%-43.2% of variance, while fat percentage alone explained 25.9%-34.8% of variance in sprint performance. Together, these two predictors explained 42.6%, 49.1%, and 52.6% of the variance in 5 m, 10 m, and 20 m sprint performance, respectively. Comparisons between playing positions showed no statistically significant differences across all measured variables (p > 0.05).

These cohort-specific findings indicate comparable physical performance and anthropometric profiles across SHL positions, and that age and body fat percentage are independent predictors of short-distance sprint performance.