NEW YORK — ICEBERG co-founder Vlad Martynov leaned forward in his chair on the suite level at Madison Square Garden to make his point about the New York Islanders using his hockey analytics system.
Yes, it’s a positive sign for the startup that according to Martynov, the Islanders this season have used and traveled around with ICEBERG’s three-camera system that utilizes advanced computer vision technology to track players on the ice for the purpose of big data analysis.
But to Martynov, the Islanders signing on with Moscow-based ICEBERG is just the tip of the emerging hockey analytics market. ICEBERG wants to create an intellectual revolution in the sport.
“I think it’s not important just to focus on the NHL,” said Martynov, the former CEO of Russian mobile company Yota Devices and creator of YotaPhone. “The ice hockey is a popular game all across the globe.
“There is a clear trend all across the globe in different countries and across different leagues — professional leagues, college leagues — that people want to use technology and products like ICEBERG to increase chances to win the game, to be more efficient, also to optimize the budget as well as to do the right scouting and play selection.”
ICEBERG has created an automated and intelligent system for data collection and analysis of the hockey players and fast-paced pucks moving around on the ice so that teams can gain insights on how to achieve optimal performance.
ICEBERG’s three-camera system provides a panoramic view and tracks moving objects on the ice every tenth of a second, measuring speed and acceleration. The cameras are portable, can be easily set up in an arena, and don’t require operation during the video tracking. All of the hockey movement data is instantaneously updated to secure cloud computing platform Microsoft Azure that is available on a subscription basis per season. No wearable devices are needed.
More than a million data points per game are tracked, enabling the analysis of passing efficiency, goal probability, the number of seconds into his shift when a player starts losing pace, best line matchups, whose body checks are the most effective, where a player makes the most shots, and what types of shots a goalie has difficulty handling.
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
Russian programmers developed their own algorithms for ICEBERG to process the data, turning video into raw numbers that are aggregated and place it all on an easy-to-understand dashboard platform. The company at this time is focused on helping coaching staff members and management visualize what all this data means, as it goes far beyond simply the number of shots on goal.
The goal for ICEBERG is to have teams be able to pick the right combination of players and tactics to increase efficiency and the chances of winning based upon objective evidence. Teams can also use the data to not only make contract decisions, but also to motivate their own players.
“I would say the most advanced (teams that use ICEBERG), they use the data and they share it with players,” ICEBERG co-founder Nikolay Koshkin said.
“For one team, the coach told me they had this conversation with a player: “OK, you can go and talk to the camera.”
Explained Martynov: “Now there is no stipulation or subjective opinion. Now there is a printout saying look here is where you are in terms of these parameters compared to other players.”
ICEBERG has announced that the cloud service will be available worldwide, and besides the Islanders, teams around the world have signed up to use it. Clients include Hockey Club Sochi of the KHL, the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish, Red Bull junior academy in Salzburg, Austria, and others that are undisclosed.
“In the nearest future, use of information technologies and analytic platforms will significantly affect the competitions results,” Vyacheslav Bykov, the former Russian national team and SKA Saint Petersburg coach, said in a statement. “During several years, each hockey club will use such platforms. Those who will not will be out-of-bounds. Being a trainer, I have always lacked such instrument which now is provided by ICEBERG analytics.”
Martynov hopes that the data will help youth players have their talent noticed at a young age, providing encouragement for those who don’t pass the eye test.
In the future, ICEBERG plans to provide data that will be available for other sports, broadcasters and the gaming industry. For now, the company plans to grow with teams and believes hockey analytics is emerging.
“I’ll tell you, in a couple years, it will be everywhere,” Martynov said.