The NHL has extended its in-game video analytics program, iBench, allowing coaches and players the opportunity to review video on the bench.
Catapult Sports, the parent company of XOS Digital, announced the deal that runs through the 2020-2021 season. The XOS ThunderCloud iBench first became available in the NHL during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs before a full league-wide rollout during the 2017-18 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the ’17 Cup, are known to be leading practitioners of iBench.
All 31 teams are supplied with up to three iPads for game use. Catapult said 25 NHL teams are clients of XOS’ video platform outside of competition, and 11 teams use Catapult wearables to track training and practice. The Australian sports technology company recently unveiled a new video app called Vision that, among other features, syncs video and tracking data.
“Catapult Sports is a trusted technology partner of the NHL, and we’re looking forward to extending our partnership and collaborating on future innovations to enhance our game,” said David Lehanksi, NHL SVP of business development and global partnerships, in a statement. “The technology advancements they’ve delivered to date have provided our coaches with greater flexibility when interfacing with in-game video on the bench.”
The NHL and Catapult have worked together to improve the system for this season, although details of the exact enhancements were not disclosed.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with the NHL,” added Matt Bairos, Catapult’s CEO of the Americas. “Our ability to have great access to elite coaches and their staff has enabled XOS to remain at the forefront of sports technology trends for nearly two decades.”
SportTechie Takeaway
The league is at an inflection point with its data and analytics, as the NHL prepares to install an optical tracking system in every arena by the 2019-20 season. Who the tech provider will be and what access the players and teams might have in games is yet to be determined, but the successful adoption of the iBench platform shows the demand for more information. And this particular product will be around at least three more seasons.