The Hockey Ledger
Est. 2026 — Vol. I — Jul 28 Data Feed Active
Glossary & Icon Key
What every number, badge, and term means. For the how and why, read the Methodology.
Asset Flags
Modern Role Icons
Gravity Tiers
Gravity v3 reports three bounded, position-relative zone masses — an offensive-zone well, a neutral-zone transition-proxy well, and a defensive-zone dome. The field is a model visualization of those components, not an observed player-tracking heatmap. Reliability is a coverage/stability index rather than a probability, and missing evidence shrinks the estimate toward neutral. Signal Stability is based mainly on current-versus-baseline on-off agreement, with a legacy defenseman pair-driver adjustment; it is not a fitted portability model. The public situation label is MIXED SITUATIONS because v3 combines all-situations, 5v5, 5-on-4, 4-on-5, and regular-season EDGE aggregate inputs.
Player Valuation
How the app turns a player, contract, and role into tradeable asset value.
- X-NAV
- Extended Net Asset Value: the Ledger's skater trade-value model. Offense, defense, gravity, age curve, contract surplus, deployment, Point Shares, and role context priced into one number.
- G-NAV
- X-NAV for goalies. Built around GSAx, workload, save profile, team defensive context, age, and contract surplus.
- Prospect NAV
- Pre-NHL value comes from draft pedigree and stored NHLe production. No-signal ELC players do not receive automatic cap or age value.
- OFF / DEF
- On-ice components: offensive production and creation on one side, suppression and defensive value on the other, each judged against position.
- GRAV
- The X-NAV handoff from Gravity v3. It contains only the bounded neutral-zone transition proxy; direct offense and defensive suppression are valued elsewhere.
- Modelled Field
- The warped rink is a visualization generated from three model components. It is not an observed tracking heatmap or a map of puck trajectories.
- Signal Stability
- A v3 heuristic based mainly on current-versus-baseline on-off agreement, with a legacy defenseman pair-driver adjustment. It does not estimate portability.
- Reliability
- A 0–100 v3 sample, stability, and data-coverage index. It is not a calibrated probability.
- Data Coverage
- The share of fixed v3 zone weight backed by present inputs. Missing evidence shrinks an estimate toward neutral and lowers reliability.
- Mixed Situations
- Gravity v3 combines all-situations, 5v5, 5-on-4, 4-on-5, and regular-season EDGE aggregate inputs. It is not a single-strength model.
- CAP
- Contract component. Positive means the player is under market value; negative means the cap hit or term drags value.
- AGE / YNG
- Age-curve component: decline drag for veterans, youth projection for young NHL players with enough real signal. Not a blanket ELC bonus.
- UPS
- Upside component — development ceiling for players whose trajectory has not fully priced into production yet.
- Negative NAV
- Negative value does not mean a bad player. It means the contract is a trade liability relative to expected production, term, and market fit.
STRAND Glossary
The roster-DNA layer that describes style, usage, and development fit.
- STRAND
- Stylistic Trait & Rating Analysis for NHL Development: a team/player identity view for role fit, timeline, and roster balance.
- SCR
- Scoring pace. Points per 82 games, normalized by position so defencemen and forwards are not judged on the same raw scale.
- xG
- Expected-goals creation from shot quality and volume, not just shot count.
- TOI+
- Ice-time trust and role load. Heavy minutes imply broader usage and higher coaching trust.
- SUPP
- Expected-goals-against suppression relative to teammates. Positive means the team leaks fewer chances with that player on ice.
- QoC Index
- 0-100 even-strength deployment difficulty based on matchup and usage context.
- DZ%
- Defensive-zone start share. High usage here can indicate trusted defensive deployment.
- HD Finish
- High-danger finishing vs league expectation, from NHL EDGE shot-location data. Positive = converts quality chances above league rate.
- 20+ Bursts
- Count of 20+ mph skating bursts from NHL EDGE tracking — a direct speed-in-game signal, not a one-off top speed.
- AGE
- Development and decline curve over the life of the contract.
Modern Roles
Derived identity labels — what a player actually does, computed from tracking, deployment, and creation-mix data.
- Puck-Moving Anchor
- D — clean exits and controlled entries; play travels north on his stick, not off the glass.
- Neutral Zone Engine
- F — carries through center ice for controlled entries; the transition game runs through him.
- High-Danger Distributor
- Seeks cross-seam and low-to-high passes that create high-probability chances.
- Rush Weapon
- Counterattack specialist — top-end speed and finishing on odd-man rushes.
- Slot Hunter
- Off-puck movement into soft high-danger slot ice for quick shots and deflections.
- Net-Front Disruptor
- Screens, tips, and low-slot rebounds — goalie sightlines are never clean.
- Volume Shooter
- Drives offense by directing pucks at net relentlessly.
- Forecheck Monster
- Offensive-zone recoveries and forced turnovers sustain possession.
- Perimeter Lockdown
- D — forces rushes outside and denies clean blue-line entries.
- Complete Shutdown
- C — suppresses opponent expected goals while on the ice; the trusted matchup assignment.
- Floor Raiser
- High usage — carries a lineup through transition, minutes, and self-created offense.
- Ceiling Raiser
- Adaptable elite complement — suppression, forechecking, or off-puck play that elevates a top line.
- Workhorse Wall
- G — starter workload with saves above expected; the net is his every night.
- High-Danger Eraser
- G — elite on grade-A chances; the slot shot that beats most goalies gets erased.
- Storm Cellar
- G — positive GSAx behind a leaky defense; keeps the scoreboard respectable.
- Tandem Weapon
- G — split workload with elite efficiency per start; wins his half of the calendar.
Trade Logic
The audit layer that decides whether a deal is plausible, not just mathematically balanced.
- GM Audit
- Checks clauses, cap legality, retention, roster slots, surplus gaps, timeline alignment, and contention-window fit.
- EWA
- Estimated Wins Added: translates asset value into standings impact, adjusted by team context.
- CWI
- Contention Window Index: estimates whether a trade extends, compresses, or harms a team's competitive window.
- REQUESTED
- Formal trade request. Positive X-NAV receives a small leverage haircut.
- SHOPPED
- Available or being explored by the team. No automatic X-NAV penalty.
- UNTCH
- Untouchable availability gate. Value remains visible, but proposal logic treats the player as unavailable.
- Role Tags
- First-line, middle-six, top-pair, shutdown, starter, tandem, backup, and specialist tags summarize usage/value tier.
Data & Sources
The Hockey Ledger is only possible because these sources publish world-class hockey data. Sincere thanks to each of them.
- NHL API
- Rosters, positions, ages, game logs, current-season summary data, and NHL EDGE tracking (zone time, speed, shot location).
- MoneyPuck
- Skater and goalie analytics including xG, deployment, on/off impact, and GSAx inputs. An indispensable public resource.
- CapWages
- Contract, cap hit, term, clause, extension, and roster metadata source.
- Hockey-Reference
- Point Shares and historical context for career baselines.
- NHLe
- Non-NHL production translated to NHL point pace for prospects. It must come from stored or imported production data.
- AI Notes
- AI is used for narrative explanation only; X-NAV and Gravity calculations stay in deterministic app code.
Analytical estimates only. Player values move with injury, role, performance, contract status, source coverage, and team context.