NHL COACHING
INSIGHTS
TRANSFORMING IOT data into actionable coaching STRATEGY
Overview
An NHL, SAP and Apple partnership, the NHL Coaching Insights App for iPad delivers real-time player and puck analytics directly to coaches on the bench—transforming how teams access and act on live performance data during games.
Role
Product Designer
SAP America
2018-2022
Challenge
Replace paper-based reports with instant, visual insights by designing a fast, reliable, and intuitive tool that fits seamlessly into the high-pressure, on-bench coaching workflow.
Approach
I led design across five seasonal releases—guiding research, prototyping, and collaboration with coaches to merge traditional strategy with modern, IoT-powered data analysis.
PREGAME
Mapping the full game-day journey revealed that the experience should start with preparation, not puck drop.
To replace an empty pregame state, I designed a dedicated Pregame screen that helps coaches orient days before the game—providing direct access to Scouting Reports, Previous Game Data, Settings, and Live Game Entry.
A game specific arena backdrop sets the tone while maintaining functional clarity, creating a personalized launchpad that bridges the emotional anticipation of game night with the analytical mindset of modern coaching.
IN-GAME OVERVIEW
The In-Game Summary Screen is the coach’s central hub during live play, designed to surface key stats—Time on Ice, Faceoff Rankings, and core KPIs—at a glance for rapid decision-making.
Interactive player avatars reveal contextual data with a tap, while conditional formatting and iconography alert coaches when tracked players hit preset TOI thresholds.
A carousel structure enables quick browsing through over 50 team vs team metrics, supporting personalization and future scalability.
Anchored by clear navigation aligned to coaching workflows, the screen keeps critical information visible without breaking game focus.
ICE VIEW
The Ice View feature converts in-game stats into spatial insights, allowing coaches to plot any metric directly onto a live rink map. Conceived with coaches as a 1:1 tactical tool, it visualizes shooting and goaltending patterns from an overhead perspective.
A shared game header and KPI carousel maintain consistency across the app, letting coaches tap any stat to map its location.
Color-coded event markers enhance recognition under pressure, while pinch-zoom, panning, and filtering refine analysis by team, player, or period. The result is a fast, visual layer for real-time tactical decision-making.
VIRTUAL REPLAY
Building on the Ice View, the Virtual Replay feature animates player and puck movement from an overhead perspective—turning tracking data into a dynamic film-analysis tool.
Coaches can replay sequences, slow action to half-speed, or skip between periods to study key moments. An enhanced scrubber bar visualizes the entire game timeline with event markers for goals, shots, and faceoffs, plus color bands for power plays, penalties and tv timeouts.
By merging real-time tracking, intuitive playback, and analytical visualization, the Virtual Replay gives coaches a fast, interactive way to review how plays unfold and communicate strategy in the flow of the game.
HEAD TO HEAD FACEOFFS
The Head-to-Head Faceoffs feature gives coaches rapid, data-driven insight into one of hockey’s most tactical moments.
With just 5–8 seconds to choose a center, speed and clarity were critical. I mapped the decision window through persona work and live-game analysis, then designed a dual-pane interface with team and opponent rankings split by an interactive rink diagram.
Coaches can filter by player, zone, situation or opponent to reveal win rates and matchup strengths. A minimalist visual system emphasizes conditional color and quick row expansions for live vs. seasonal context, enabling coaches to evaluate and relay strategy in just a few taps.
PLAYER SPEED
The Player Speed feature translates real-time tracking data into insights on endurance and performance. While time on ice shows duration, speed trends reveal how players sustain effort across each shift.
Coaches can filter by Average, 75th, 90th percentile, or max speed to identify peaks and fatigue patterns over 10-second intervals. Color-coded bars highlight bursts and drop-offs, while time filters by game or period allow broader or granular analysis.
Designed for quick comprehension, the feature helps coaches tailor ice time and optimize line rotations using clear, data-driven visual cues.
IMPACT
The NHL Coaching Insights App quickly became a transformative tool across the league—modernizing how coaches interact with real-time performance data.
Photos property of the NHL
Within its first two seasons, adoption grew rapidly as every NHL team incorporated the app into their game-day operations, with consistent usage from both bench and video-room coaching staff. Feedback from early forums and in-season surveys confirmed the app’s value in providing fast, actionable insights during live play.
Coaches described it as “a regular resource during games and intermissions,” highlighting the impact of having instant access to faceoff stats, time on ice, and shot tracking—all previously handled through paper reports.
4x
Increase in adoption since launch
138%
2021 Annual growth in
daily logins
148
Avg. monthly usage per club in 2021
21
Avg. minutes used by clubs during the 2021 Playoffs
Photo property of the NHL
APPLE PARTNERSHIP
“Game changer! iPad Pro helping NHL coaches make faster decisions with real-time stats”
TIM COOK
Apple CEO
Twitter • Jan. 2019
Photo property of SAP
Apple CEO Tim Cook, discussing the success of the NHL Coaching Insights App
onstage with SAP CEO Bill McDermott at SAP SAPPHIRE 2019.
Tweet from Apple CEO Tim Cook, declaring the NHL Coaching Insights App
a “Game changer!” for coaches.
Twitter • Jan. 2019
“Chris did an exceptional job of understanding the unique needs of our end users (in this case, NHL Coaches, often on bench in game) and crafting a great experience and environment for them. He is a great person to collaborate with and a pleasure to work with.”
Brant Berglund
Sr. Director Coaching & General Manager
Tech/Platforms National Hockey League
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
The NHL Coaching Insights App earned a Bronze Clio Sports Award (2021), was recognized by Fast Company’s Innovation By Design Awards (App Design, Data Visualization, User Experience), and earned an SAP Innovation Award (2019), The app received press coverage from Forbes and ESPN.
Disclosure
Quotes, media references, and imagery presented above are sourced from publicly available press releases and news coverage related to the NHL SAP Coaching Insights App for iPad.
All trademarks, logos, product imagery, and interface mockups remain the intellectual property of the NHL, SAP, Apple and their respective owners, and are shown here solely for illustrative and informational purposes. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.