Author(s): MARTINI, G., TRUDEAU, F., LEMOYNE, J., Institution: UNIVERSITE DU QUEBEC A TROIS-RIVIERES, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 2766

INTRODUCTION:
Exploration of the match physical activity of elite junior ice hockey players, using global positioning system (GPS) and inertial measurement unit (IMU), has been the subject of very few studies. The objectives of this study are two-fold: 1- Quantify the external demands of elite junior ice hockey players using wearable technologies, and 2- verify the presence of differences in regard with three contextual aspects of the game: teams, positions and match outcomes.
METHODS:
Data is drawn from 64 Canadian junior elite males (20 defense, 34 forwards; 18 ± 1.5 yrs., 82.9 ± 5.7 kg, 181.1 ± 5.2 cm), competing from four different Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) teams playing against each other, during a 4-day tournament held in an outdoor ice rink. Each athlete volunteer to participate wore a S7 Catapult GPS device in a harness. Measures included volume-based (total skating distance, relative velocity zones distances, number of accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction and total workload), intensity-based (peak skating velocity, peak acceleration and deceleration, peak workload, high force strides, force per stride), and density-based metrics (all variables expressed per minute of time on ice). Regression analyses were conducted to compare the difference between teams, playing positions, and match scoreboard.
RESULTS:
Players covered 5065 ± 1231m over the course of the four matches, in which 1187 ± 401m were achieved in the high velocity zone, produced 155 ± 42 total accelerations and decelerations, achieved a total workload (PlayerLoadTM) of 238 ± 45 u.a, a SkatingLoad of 1786 ± 441 u.a and an On-Ice Load of 139 ± 34 u.a. The average maximal skating velocity reached was 8.5 ± 0.5 m.s-1, achieved 20.7 ± 7.7 sprint efforts, and 10% of the total strides were considered high force strides. Forwards reached higher intensity and density-based metrics than defensemen (p < 0.05), while defensemen achieved greater volume-based metrics (p < 0.05). Correlations were found between the match outcome and some physical demands results (p < 0.05). Also, correlations were identified between the team in which players are competing and the some of the match activity physical data, especially intensity and density metrics (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
This was the first study to measure match physical demands of elite junior ice hockey players with GPS implementation in an outdoor ice rink context. Players had a similar high external load during games compared to other studies, with a low to moderate variation of some volume or intensity-based variables. However, density metrics showed moderate to high variability, depending on the time-on-ice calculation method. Findings emphasize the relevance of selecting the more accurate metrics and considering the positional differences as well as result outcome when evaluating on-ice performance physical activity to better give an overview of the results.