Blackhawks Using Newest Technology To Win Oldest Trophy

In an effort to get back into contention for Lord Stanley, the oldest trophy in North American professional sports, the Blackhawks are turning to innovative technology to try to gain an edge.

With Chicago attempting to build its roster from the ground up, they’ll heavily employ their strong prospect pool. These young players will come through the ranks, eventually making their presence felt at the NHL level while hopefully playing on cheap deals, allowing the Blackhawks to lengthen their potential championship window for the duration of many of these players’ careers.

For such a plan to work, however, a highly touted prospect pool is essential. The Blackhawks have one of the best groups in the entire league, with the likes of Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Lukas Reichel headlining the bunch as names that are on their way to the NHL sooner rather than later. While GM Kyle Davidson has done a great job of amassing draft picks to spend on his prospects, he and his staff still need an edge wherever they can find it.

The Edge

The need for an edge prompted the Blackhawks’ front office to introduce “Madhouse”, an internal app designed to incorporate advanced analytics into their decision-making. Thanks to an article by Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, fans are able to get a basic idea of the power the app has, and its usefulness to decision-makers like Davidson.

Hockey isn’t as straightforward statistically as a sport like baseball, where spreadsheet masters like Peter Brand in “Moneyball” can gain a huge advantage over other teams. There’s simply too many nuances to the game, and it’s more dynamic from situation to situation. However, advanced metrics can still offer the brass in Chicago an advantage.

Uses

For example, Blackhawks prospect Gavin Hayes has mentioned to Chicago writer Tab Bamford in the past that the team has used tracking technology to make him a better skater, and more efficient on plays in transition. If such tech is used on all Blackhawks prospects, and maybe even some potential trade targets, it could significantly improve the Hawks’ decision-making process in the front office.

The app is designed so that when decision makers like Davidson have questions about a certain prospect, they can simply look them up on the app, and practically every conceivable metric will be right there in front of them. According to the above Daily Faceoff article, pretty much every shift a player has ever played will be included, and it can even feature tidbits like a player’s hobbies and personality.

The idea didn’t come from nowhere, as the Cubs had a similar system around a decade ago, called “Ivy”. Associate GM Jeff Greenberg was the assistant GM of the Cubs while the system was being used before he came to the Blackhawks with Davidson, so the system is clearly at least partially his brainchild.

While other NHL teams have a system of evaluating players, the new Madhouse app may be able to provide Chicago with a competitive advantage. Time will tell if the new app will make a difference, but an overdose of information never hurt anyone.