Scanning in junior elite ice hockey players: In-situ analysis of gaze behaviour

The visual strategies underpinning performance in the high-velocity invasion sports so far remain unexamined during live play. This study provides the first in-situ analysis of scanning and gaze behaviour in ice hockey. The participants were 16 elite junior players (Mage = 16.5 years; SDage = 0.6 years) from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The data were collected during game-representative scrimmage play with mobile eye-tracking technology. Gaze behaviour was quantified using fixation frequencies and viewing times per area of interest (AOI), scan complexity (single- and multi-fixation scans) and possession status (5-s prior to possession). Chi-Square tests were used to analyse the distribution of fixations across these variables, while Markov chain models were constructed to map the transition probabilities of gaze between AOIs. Results revealed that 58.1% of scans contained only one fixation between puck anchors. Mean fixation duration was 134.52 ms. Scans prior to puck reception were shorter and less complex than non-possession scans. Markov chain analysis indicated that the first fixations were largely directed toward space, particularly for forwards (47–53%). The findings of this study may inform training design and future research in visual perception in ice hockey and other team sports.