HOW IS PLAYERS’ FUTURES CONSCIOUSNESS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTICIPATION IN ICE HOCKEY?

Abstract

Many ice hockey players and experts intuitively acknowledge that some players are better at in-game anticipation than others. Currently there are no explanations for the supposed differences between players with equal expertise. This may be because our understanding of anticipation in invasion team sports like ice hockey is undermined by the challenge of measuring it; as a systemic and emergent phenomenon, anticipation requires holistic approaches beyond traditional sports science. This thesis investigates the relationship between professional ice hockey players’ in-game performance metrics and anticipatory capacities, measured using the Futures Consciousness Scale (FC Scale). Forty-seven professional ice hockey players playing in the Finnish National Hockey League during the 2022/23 season were tested with the FC Scale, and several of their in-game performance metrics were gathered. Data was analysed by means of correlation analysis. Initial analysis of FC scores and in-game performance metrics revealed no significant correlations at a population level. Subgroup analysis showed distinct patterns for different player roles. Defenders with higher FC levels, especially in two of the five dimensions: Agency Beliefs and Concern for Others, performed better in all in-game metrics, including goals, assists, points, and skating distance. Conversely, forwards generally exhibited weak negative correlations between FC and their performance metrics. Further item-level analysis supported these trends. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of comprehensive approaches, integrating cognitive functions and decision-making processes, to understanding anticipation in invasion team sports. Additionally, the study highlights the necessity for specialized research methods tailored to invasion team sports to investigate players' individual anticipatory capacities. Further research is also needed to explore how player roles and other in-game dynamics impact anticipation in ice hockey and similar sports.