As data analysis becomes increasingly integrated into sports, tools like the Convex Hull have become popular for analyzing team cohesion and formation. This method is used in other sports to analyze a team’s “shape,” and the same technique can be applied to hockey.
A Convex Hull is defined as the smallest possible envelope that encloses all players on a team — think of a rubber band stretched around the outermost players. It’s commonly used to measure compactness, width, and depth during different phases of play.
In hockey, we can use this same principle to visualize how a team holds its structure during forechecks, backchecks, or during power plays and penalty kills. A compact Convex Hull indicates a tight-knit unit working together, while a large and irregular shape can reveal poor structure.
Hockeylytics makes it easy to generate Convex Hulls over time and analyze how formations shift during play. Combined with actual in-game situations, you can assess how well different units are staying connected — and pinpoint when the team is “losing the ice” or losing control.
By comparing the Convex Hull area before and after a turnover, or between different formations, you can gain insights into team reaction speed and defensive shape. It’s not just analytical insight — it’s a concrete coaching tool.
Want to see how your team holds together on the ice? Use Convex Hull analysis in Hockeylytics to gain a visual understanding of how structure impacts gameplay!