Examining Jets players time on ice

One of the joys of following a professional team closely, is scrutinizing each and every statistic. A particular number I like to examine is the time on ice as it gives insight on who Coach Noel is favouring on certain nights.  Additionally it may give rise to certain trends, who is playing the most ice in wins, or losses.

Obviously, not each game is equal because the number of powerplays, penalty kills, or overtime, may increase or decrease a players’ minutes. However, it is worth comparing who is getting the bulk of the icetime on the team.

Player Notes:

• In Ron Hainsey’s absence vs. Toronto, Mark Stuart’s icetime went up to 19:02. His previous high was 17:44 vs. Chicago. His lowest amount of icetime was 15:33 vs. Montreal.
• Alex Burmistrov received the most icetime of the season in the win vs. Pittsburgh (20:57), where he was the best player on the ice. In that game and in the Oct. 15 game @ PHX, he received the most icetime of all forwards. That is about five minutes more than game one vs. Montreal where he received 15:56. The most recent game vs. Toronto was his second highest of the season 18:32
• Evander Kane’s icetime has been between 10:34 (game 1 vs. MTL) and 14:43 (game 2 @ CHI) this season, his time on ice per game, ranks seventh among forwards. His average time on ice this season is 12:56, last season it was 17:52. With his level of talent, I would expect his icetime to increase in the future.
• After receiving only 12:37 in game 1 vs. MTL Kyle Wellwood has received an average 16 minutes per game since.
• In the Oct. 15 game @ PHX, the line of Andrew Ladd (16:52), Bryan Little (14:32) and Blake Wheeler (15:51) each received their lowest amount of icetime this season. The most recent game @ TOR was each their highest total, (overtime).
• Dustin Byfuglien’s icetime has steadily risen throughout the season, peaking at 29:26 @ TOR
• Tobias Enstrom played the most minutes in a game of any Jet this season Oct 19 @ TOR.

Game by Game Notes:

Oct 9 vs. MTL

Defense:
Most Ice: Tobias Enstrom (25:23)
Least Ice: Mark Stuart (15:33)

Forward:
Most Ice Fwd: Andrew Ladd (19:57)
Least Ice: Jim Slater (10:02)

Oct 13 @ CHI

Defense:
Most Ice: Ron Hainsey (22:50)
Least Ice : Mark Stuart (17:44)

Forwards:
Most Ice :  Andrew Ladd (20:02)
Least Ice: Tanner Glass (08:08)

Oct 15 @ PHX

Defense:
Most Ice: Dustin Byfuglien (23:24)
Least Ice: Randy Jones (14:54)

Forward:
Most Ice: Alex Burmistrov (17:46)
Least Ice: Chris Thorburn (09:58)

Oct 17 vs. PIT

Defense:
Most Ice: Tobias Enstrom (26:33)
Least Ice: Ron Hainsey (08:11) (left with injury)

Forwards:
Most Ice: Alex Burmistrov (20:57)
Least Ice: Tim Stapleton (04:17)

Oct 19 vs. TOR

Defense
Most Ice: Tobias Enstrom (31:05)
Least Ice: Derek Meech (12:39)

Forwards
Most Ice: Andrew Ladd (22:27)
Least Ice: Brett MacLean (09:32)

If there’s anything that stands out to you in the table above, or if you think someone is getting too much/not enough icetime please share your thoughts in the comments.