Comparison Between Power Off-Ice Test and Performance On-Ice Anaerobic Testing.

ABSTRACT

Boucher, VG, Parent, AA, Miron, FSJ, Leone, M, and Comtois, AS. Comparison between power off-ice test and performance on-ice anaerobic testing. J Strength Cond Res 34(12) 3498-3505, 2020-The importance of specific testing has been shown in ice hockey performance, and the understanding and connection between them may lead to adapting training and follow-up in elite athletes. The aim of this study was to compare 2 off-ice power tests with performances on ice with National Hockey League (NHL) players. The vertical jump and broad jump tests were used for the off-ice evaluations, whereas a modified SAS-40 and a repeated-sprint skate (RSSm) test were used on-ice as performance variables. Thirty-one players (3 goalkeepers, 10 defense players, and 18 forward players) from the NHL performed before preseason training camp. Four evaluation sessions were performed with 48-hour time intervals between them. The results show that the 2 jump types were correlated (r = 0.45 p < 0.01), and there was a significant correlation between the vertical jump and the best SAS-40 time trial for defense players, but not for forward players (r = 0.76 p = 0.02; r = 0.21 p = 0.16, respectively). By contrast, there was a significant correlation between broad jump and best SAS-40 time trial for forward players but not for defensive players (r = 0.75 p < 0.01; r = 0.19 p = 0.28, respectively). In conclusion, results show that specific player ability needs to be taken into consideration when choosing off-ice tests.