Analytics Approach: Logan Stankoven

In this edition of FCHockey’s Analytics Approach, I tracked the puck possession metrics for center Logan Stankoven, playing for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

I tracked four recent games by Stankoven and totalled up his metrics to see what patterns developed as I watched him play.  The games tracked are noted below and all metrics are tabulated at 5-on-5 even strength:

• April 3rd, 2021 against Victoria
• April 5th, 2021 against Vancouver
• April 11th, 2021 against Victoria
• May 6th, 2021 against Russia (U18 Worlds)

Player:  Logan Stankoven (#11)
Team:  Kamloops (WHL)
FCHockey Rank:  20
Season Stats:  6 GP | 10 PTS (7 Goals, 3 Assists)
Position:  Center
Shoots:  Right
D.O.B.:  02/26/2003
Height / Weight:  5’8” / 170 lbs

Stankoven has been a joy to scout as he is very involved in the play at both ends of the ice and creates chances for himself and others. He plays a very well rounded game that comes with a mix of high end offensive skills and excellent compete level. For someone who stands only 5-foot-8, Stankoven plays a fairly physical game and does an excellent job to leverage his body against larger opponents.

As evidenced in this play below, he moves towards the puck in his own corner and immediately gains body position to get possession of the puck. This type of play was something Stankoven does frequently and is a key part of his game.

The way Stankoven is able to angle his body and physically move larger opponents make him a great defensive support in his own end. Not only does Stankoven take control of the puck, he quickly gets it up ice for a breakout of the zone.

In the offensive zone, Stankoven takes great angles to the puck carrier when defending and frequently breaks up zone exit attempts by the opponent.

These are simple plays that are executed to perfection which helps Stankoven’s team regain possession in the offensive zone. What sets him apart from others in this draft regarding these types of plays is the consistency with which he makes them.

Below is a glossary of terms used for this tracking effort which should look familiar to those with some experience in analytics. The focus in this article is on puck possession and the shot attempts associated with them to better understand how impactful a player is on shot attempts for and against.

Glossary:

SA For – Shot Attempts For
SA Against – Shot Attempts Against
CF% – Percentage of Shot Attempts For (Team and Opponent)
SC For – Scoring Chances For
SC Against – Scoring Chances Against
SCF% – Percentage of Scoring Chances For (Team and Opponent)
Primary Shot Assist – Pass that leads to a Shot Attempt

Puck Possession Metrics:

Controlled Entries	17	Controlled Exit	12
Dump-Ins	2	Uncontrolled Exit	3
Failed Entries	3	Failed Exit	0
Entry Rate (%)	77.3%	Exit Rate (%)	80%

Make no mistake, Stankoven is going to keep the puck on his stick as long as possible. He does an excellent job of carrying the puck out of his end, through the neutral zone, and into opponents territory when afforded the chance.

Both the play above and play below are almost identical as Stankoven takes the puck out of his end and carries it into the offensive zone. There’s no hesitation to move up ice with speed and gain entry, nor is there any indication that Stankoven would prefer to dump it in.

What’s important about Stankoven’s controlled zone entries is what he does with the puck upon entry. He does a great job of drawing attention to himself such that he can dish the puck off to a teammate who has space.

In the clip above, Stankoven shows off his speed and good skating technique which force the defenders back. The mentality to get up ice as soon as he gets the puck is an excellent trait to have and something Stankoven shows quite often.

Team Shot Attempt Metrics:

SA For	65
SA Against	34
CF %	65.7%
SC For	17
SC Against	7
SCF %	70.8%

In general, Stankoven’s team was dominant at 5-on-5 play. A majority of his ice time is spent in the offensive zone and the shot attempt results back up how good they were at getting the puck towards the net. From a scoring chance perspective, Stankoven’s team did an excellent job at getting into high danger areas in front of the net. He was a key part in either setting up these chances or taking them himself.

Individual Shot Attempt Metrics:

Primary Shot Assists	10
Individual Shot Attempts	15
Individual Shots on Goal	12
Player Isolated Contribution to CF	38.5%

Impressively, Stankoven contributed to 38.5 percent of his team’s shot attempts with a slight edge to attempts he took himself. While he can be very creative and has play making ability, Stankoven has a shot first mindset that is evident from watching him.

To give a better view of where Stankoven is taking his shots from, Instat Hockey has a shot map for this season to date. All shot attempts in the map below are at 5 on 5 and include shots on goal as well as shot attempts that missed the net or were blocked.

 

Looking at the ‘Home Plate’ area of the chart, it’s clear where Stankoven spends a lot of his time in the offensive zone. Fifty-six percent of his shot attempts came within this area and 39 percent of them found their way to the net unblocked, with seven of them resulting in a goal. Stankoven has a good release on his shot that is accurate. What is nice about his shot is that he seems to be good at aiming them anywhere and doesn’t necessarily have a tendency to shoot in the same location on net.

The goal below is one of my favorites this entire year and exemplifies so many of the traits that Staknoven possesses. The zone exit and carry through the neutral zone turns into a zone entry that forces him to curl back. 

Many players would dish it off at this point or dump it into the corner which is why Stankoven is such a great possession player. It’s at this point that HE sees a lane to the slot and uses his agility and acceleration to get there before releasing a quick shot for the game winner. 

After an abbreviated WHL season, Stankoven made a huge impact for Canada’s gold medal entry at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, having picked up eight points (four goals, four assists) in seven games. He even added a nice goal during the gold medal game against Russia.

On this play, Stankoven used the defender as a screen and used his quick release to get it past the goaltender.

Stankoven is being viewed as at FCHockey as a first-round talent and, were it not for his height, he would likely be universally thought of in that position. Size simply isn’t everything.

He has a compete level along with excellent possession metrics that are likely to transition to the NHL level. Any size concerns should be diminished by how well he has shown he can play against larger players. Stankoven is a two-way player who may find more success in the NHL as a winger though he has all of the tools to be an impact player at that level.