Three hockey skills tests as predictors of hockey playing ability.

The purpose of this study was to compare the test result times of 3 different hockey skills with the individual player ratings of coaches. By making these comparisons to the control rating, each test was evaluated as a predictor of hockey ability. The hockey players were all between the ages of 12 and 20 years of age and all 90 players were competitive team players. The three hockey skills tests were: the Illinois Agility Skate, the Finnish Skills Test, and the Hermiston Hockey Ability Test. Each player was allowed 3 trials and the best times were recorded in all cases. The preliminary results indicate that the Hermiston Hockey Ability Test was the best predictor (r = .7) with the results of the other two tests showing a coefficient of correlation of approximately 0.5. It was therefore concluded that in a competitive team of hockey, players' ability can best be assessed by using the Hermiston Hockey Ability Test. The two other tests were not as successful in their prediction of ability when compared to the criterion variable of coaches' ratings.