Understanding Athlete Testing
Vertical jump, broad jump, sprint times, agility, grip strength: a testing report can look like a report card, and that is exactly the wrong way to read it. These numbers are not a ranking of who is better. They are a snapshot of specific physical qualities, measured the same way every athlete's is measured, so a coach and a family can see change over time.
This guide explains what off-ice and combine-style testing actually measures, why comparisons use age-cohort percentiles rather than raw numbers, and why a single test day matters far less than the trend across several. It also draws a clear line between elite, professional-level combines like the NHL Draft Combine and the youth testing your child is more likely to encounter, which are built for very different purposes.
Whether your family is tracking progress for its own sake or preparing for a competitive tryout season, the goal of this section is the same: help you read a testing report the way a coach does, as a development tool, not a verdict.
What Is Off-Ice Testing for Youth Hockey? A Parent's Guide to the Numbers
Vertical jump, broad jump, sprint, agility, grip: what off-ice hockey testing measures, how percentiles work, and why one test day is a snapshot, not a verdict.
8 min read
Hockey Tryouts in Ontario: What AAA/AA/A Evaluators Look For and How to Prepare
Ontario tryouts run every April. Here is what AAA, AA, and A tiers mean, what evaluators actually assess, and how to prepare physically without overtraining.
8 min read