Nill: Analytics is a tool

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill joined TSN 1050 on Wednesday afternoon.

When it comes to analytics, what kind of statistics do you guys look at and what can you get out of them?

“Lindy’s got a whole bunch of statistics. It’s puck possession, it’s shots, it’s scoring chances, it’s chances against. There’s a whole host of things that he can pull up. What impresses me with Lindy is after every game, him and his staff sit down and they break it all down. That’s where it starts to get interesting, because he’s using a computer program for this and he goes through it and by himself and with his staff and then they break it down. It’s always interesting to see the fluctuation to as how they see it – they have their consistency to it – and then how kind of a computer sees it. That’s where it starts to get interesting and it is a tool. It’s a new tool, I guess, that’s out there. I don’t think it’s ever going to be the thing where we say ‘Yes, these numbers say do this’ and that’s it. I think your scouting staff is still important. Your eyeball for the game. Your sense for game is going to be important. But it is one more tool that’s out there. I think the biggest thing is going to be, until we really get a history of it – it’s not something you can just jump into and say, ‘Okay, we evaluated these 10 players over the last 20 games and this is what we’re going to do.’ I think until we get a one, two, three-year history, then we can probably get a better feel for it.”

The SportVU camera system in the NBA was a big moment, which tracks every player at every moment in every game. It gives you a lot of data as a GM or coach. There’s talk it will be implemented into the NHL in short order. You’re a proponent of it?

“Yeah, I’m intrigued by it. There’s been talk at the Board of Governors meetings about it. Put it into some of the arenas. Some of our arenas are already set up with the NBA. I think once again, I think there’s challenges. It’s more players. It’s more changes. In hockey, there’s changes every 30 to 40 seconds. So it’s going to be interesting to see how it works. Like I said, it’s something new. I think every team is into the analytics, it’s just how are we going to use it and how far are you going to take it. How is the information going to be received. Like I said, I think we’re all intrigued by it.”

What percentage do you think would be what you’re eyeballing and what analytics are telling you, or can you even do that yet?

“You know what, I can’t even do that yet... I’m in the infant stages of it. I think every team is. I’d say maybe there’s a 25 percent chance that it could help you with some things, but until we get more history of it, it’s hard to really say.”

How do you get up each morning, look at the Western Conference, and say ‘We have to climb this mountain’?

“I think we’re all in this game to be the best, and to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. I think in the end, I think it’s going to be the best thing for us. It reminds me back in my Detroit days. With Detroit, we had some pretty strong teams and that’s the reason the Chicagos, and L.A.s, and these guys - San Joses - are so strong now. It’s because it became an arms race. If you wanted to be in that division, you had to keep up and these teams did. Now Chicago and L.A., they are these teams now. So I think in the end, we all want to be the best and it’s going to make us all better and that’s the way the league should be.”

What is it about the Red Wings that has allowed them to have such an impact on the game?
“I would say it’s stability at all levels. It starts with the ownership. The Ilitch family, they invest in their people. They give them the right tools to work with and they believe in them and they stick with them. There’s going to be some mistakes made here or there, but they’re going to stick with it. They’re not going to make any quick changes just because maybe something happens during that season. There’s stability there, and you move on down to Jim Devellano, Ken Holland, Scotty Bowman was there. These guys are all great hockey minds. But once again, the same thing. It’s all about stability. They hire good people, they let people do their jobs and they work as a team. That works itself on down to the coaches, to the scouts, to the minor league system. There’s a real stability within an organization. They’re always open-minded. Always open to making changes. Their expectations are high and they stick with it.”

The players buy into that Red Wings AHL incubation process. Why is that?

“I think they do it with all players. It didn’t matter where the player came from, where he was drafted from. The players know from Day One, if you’re not ready to play, to make an impact – if you’re a forward and you’re not in one of the top 12 positions – where are you better off to be? Sitting in the press box or are you better off to be in the minors and playing? That message is sent early on. It goes for defensemen, it goes for goalies. If you’re good enough to make the team, fine. But if you’re not playing full time, you need to be in the minors playing and they’ve stuck with that. It’s made players respect it. It’s made players accountable. If you talk to all of those players in the end, most players would tell you the time in the minors is some of the best times they ever have. You need to start that philosophy and you need to stick with it. And they’ve done that.”

Aaron Ekblad was hurt this week at the Canadian camp. How do you feel about letting your best assets go out into the world and compete for their nations while they’re under contract to you?

“When I look at the world juniors, I think that’s important. I think the players need to get that experience. If you’re a player on the cusp of making that world junior team, you’re a good player and the more experience you can get, the better.

“The one that is a question mark is the Olympics. It’s just the timing of it. It’s in the middle of our season, it’s an important time just before playoffs. That one is a tough one. I go back and forth with that. I was fortunate to play in the Olympics back in 1980 as an amateur. It was a great experience. It’s tough to take our best players away from our game at such a key time. It’s tough to shut our business down at such a key time. So I do struggle with that.

“But as far as world juniors, I think that’s a great experience. The more experience your players can get playing at all levels, the better your players are going to be down the road.”