Nick Piccone
I said it in our Dave Hakstol post, but it seems like the Flyers have flown under the radar this summer. I mean, with the whole wait-and-see approach Philly fans have taken with the other sports teams in the city, it doesn’t surprise me that the Flyers seem to be the least talked about because they’re clearly the only team in the city on the upswing that could actually make a run in the playoffs.
This season will certainly be tough – the Metropolitan Division could be the hardest division to win this season, especially with the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins – but there’s plenty to be excited about heading into hockey season. Maybe so because the Flyers have hired a director of sports science over the weekend.
Ben Peterson, formerly of Catapult Sports [read more about them here], is now the new Flyers Director of Sports Science.
Excited and priviledged to be joining the @NHLFlyers family as their Director of Sports Science.
— Ben Peterson PhD (@Ben_J_Peterson) August 14, 2016
An excerpt from his LinkedIn page shows what Peterson’s duties were at Catapult Sports.
Working with the players and performance coaches of elite teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA Division I. I help teams identify and evaluate contextual analytics by measuring training volumes, (accelerations, decelerations, change of direction speeds, biomechanical and physiological load quantifications), in real time, to improve performance outcomes and reduce soft tissue injuries of athletes.
If you want to delve more into this hire, Peterson made this presentation on “how teams can effectively keep their players healthy on the ice” and even referred to himself as Catapult Sports’ “hockey specialist.”
[H/T Broad Street Hockey]