Analytics with Alison: Resources for Your Online Analytics Toolbox

When it comes to understanding the game from an analytical perspective, we always want to hear the topics or questions that matter to YOU, and there's one question I get more than any other and it's always a variation of "what sites do you use?" or "where should I go to learn about a metric or concept?"

So, with that in mind, here are the online resources that are always up and running on my computer (presented in alphabetical order) and a quick (but not all inclusive) look at what is so helpful about each!
Let's dig in.
NOTE: Creators' names included where applicable. Names presented as requested. Asterisks mark resources that may include subscriber-only content.
All Three Zones
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Sznajder was one of the first to provide public-facing content on passing, transitional play, and shot assists. His site presents this data both in raw form and through visuals. Most impressive? All of this information comes from Corey's manual tracking of every single NHL game played.

Cap Friendly
Jamie Davis, Dominik
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A go-to for pretty much everything you need - player, team and game information, trends, charts, and player comparisons - Evolving Hockey isn't just a place to look up data. The Younggren twins provide fantasy and contract projections; they also host their Goals Above Replacement (GAR) and Wins Above Replacement (WAR) models here to give a quick one-number look at a player's performance. And just as important as the data on the site is how robust the
glossary
is. If you're looking for explanations on anything you see, the on-site reference will help you out.
Hockey Stat Cards
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Analytics are often about understanding what a player or team truly is outside of just one game or one play. But there is value in looking at individual game performances, too! That's where Game Score comes in. Originally developed by Dom Luszczyszyn, Game Score combines traditional "box score" stats with some more advanced measures to see how every player in a game contributes. Palmer has turned that metric into easy-to-understand visuals that let you quickly evaluate individual games by player, within a team, or across the league.

Hockey Graphs
While not a data resource specifically, Hockey Graphs represents one of the most impressive repositories of public cutting-edge hockey research. This team of writers (including guest contributors) digs in deep from both a hockey and mathematical perspective to find what is relevant to on-ice performance. Current editor-in-chief Asmae Tuomi has also expanded the site's impact by building out a mentorship program. If there's a question you have about the game, it's likely been explored here.
Hockey Viz
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The name of the site says it all. McCurdy endeavors to present how teams and players perform almost completely through visualization. There is analysis at game, season, and career levels. Additionally, you can easily navigate each type of performance year to year which helps get a comprehensive view of the evolution of a team, goaltender, skater, or even coach. Bonus: every visualization includes a link to an "explainer" and all of McCurdy's model writeups are published here, too.
Meta Hockey
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The library of congress when it comes to hockey analysis, Meta Hockey indexes every article, video, conference, site, and coding resource related to the game of hockey. Easily searchable, if you want to know if anyone ever looked into that topic that's totally been on your mind, this is the place to start. Bonus? Just like Hockey Graphs, Meta Hockey includes work on all hockey - not just the NHL.
Money Puck
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Money Puck brings you player and game analysis with a bit more of a wagering feel including updates on starting goaltenders for games, winning probabilities (including the infamous "Deserve to Win O'Meter" and playoff odds wheel) as well as player news. All of this analysis is grounded in Tanner's
unique expected goals model
that includes adjustments for shot flurries and rink bias.
Natural Stat Trick
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True story, if I am watching NHL hockey, or want to check scores, this is the site I go to. A home page that lists all running matchups as well as clickable links to more detail runs lean and fast to give you a solid read on every game being played (including line combinations). Want more? Dig into the skater, team, and goalie historical stats with easy-to-use filters. My secret joy? Using the player tool to look at one individual through a variety of different lenses.

In addition to these excellent resources, there's a ton of great information that's out there to use. If you want to play around and see what other information might be the most useful to you, don't wait for more of my recommendations, Meta Hockey has you covered with
a list full of links to different sites
to check out.
Have a question you want to see answered in an Analytics with Alison mailbag? Email Alison at [email protected]