{"id":3296,"date":"2026-04-15T14:52:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/canada\/?p=3296"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:52:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:52:39","slug":"how-real-nhl-game-data-is-helping-students-build-analytical-skills-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.sap.com\/canada\/2026\/04\/how-real-nhl-game-data-is-helping-students-build-analytical-skills-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"How Real NHL\u00ae Game Data Is Helping Students Build Analytical Skills for the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Today, educators across disciplines face a common challenge: preparing students with the analytical skills employers increasingly demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Economic Forum\u2019s Future of Jobs Report, analytical thinking ranks as the top sought-after skill in the job market. Yet traditional teaching often struggles to connect theory with practice in a way that truly engages students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not a shortage of content or tools; rather, it is a gap in relevance and inspiration that leaves students disengaged from the very skills that could define their careers. Learning needs to be anchored in real-world data, meaningful contexts, and hands-on experience that sparks curiosity and excitement. The best learning doesn\u2019t come from memorizing concepts, it comes from doing, especially when theory is tied to a topic that learners care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where Business Builders<\/a>, in collaboration with the NHL, comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have created a new Business Builders game that brings hockey into the classroom\u2014not just as a sport, but as a rich, real-world data environment for teaching analytics and critical thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this latest edition of games under the Business Builders umbrella, students take on the role of a hockey analyst responsible for identifying the factors that drive goal scoring using real NHL Game data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHockey is fast, dynamic, and full of rich data, a perfect environment for teaching critical thinking,\u201d said Brant Berglund, senior director of Coaching and GM Technology at the NHL. \u201cLeveraging a strategic partnership with NHL, 麻豆原创, and HEC Montr\u00e9al, we\u2019ve created a pathway for universities to access approved NHL.com data for academic initiatives, without compromising the integrity of the League\u2018s data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through our collaboration with the NHL, we provide a learning platform for educators that is full of authentic data students can relate to. The NHL generates just under 1.5 million data points per game, including about 120 shot attempts, 1,000 passes, and 5,000 puck touches\u2014raw material for deep, practical analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Builders can ignite an interest in STEM and help students build real data skills. The hockey-focused game was developed by the team at ERPsim Lab at HEC Montr\u00e9al led by Prof. Pierre-Majorique L\u00e9ger, as well as the support of academics from other universities. This reinforces a core principle of Business Builders: It is created by educators, for educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the question feels meaningful, learners lean in, stay focused, and keep pushing forward,\u201d L\u00e9ger explained. \u201cFor students in sport management or business management, real sport data can also elevate the learning experience. It adds context, complexity, and constraints that traditional teaching methods cannot provide. Students learn to judge what truly matters, justify their decisions, and manage trade-offs. This develops professional judgment, confidence in analytics, and the ability to communicate strategy and decisions clearly. These skills translate directly to real careers in sport management and business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students explore questions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n