Analytics with Alison: Possessing the Puck

When we talk about possession in hockey, we most often mean how many shot attempts occurred for or against a team or a player. Doing so is a way to measure who creates an offensive advantage for themselves and their team and that ties to likelihood to win games. But there's another type of possession we can track and that's actual time a player is in true possession of the puck.

If you're in Climate Pledge Arena for a Kraken game, "possession time by player" is a stat you might see displayed from time to time as the Stat of the Game. But what does it mean, what's a "good" amount of possession time and who leads in this category for the Kraken?
Let's dig in.
Right now, player possession time is not a publicly available stat. But we do have access to this information courtesy of Sportlogiq. For our purposes, possession counts from the time a player receives a pass or retrieves a loose puck to the time when possession is lost or a successful pass is completed.
To take this one step further, we can not only look at possession time by player but also by zone. So, let's look at time when a team is most likely on the attack. If we segment out possession time in the offensive zone, in terms of NHL forwards, an average amount of possession time is :27.
Who leads the Kraken?
With an average of 43 seconds per game, it's Alexander Wennberg.
"I feel like that's part of my game," Wennberg said. "I feel like when I have the puck, I can make plays and I feel like that's the best part of my game. So, if I can keep holding on to it, protect it and be strong on it, it helps me to improve in my game."
Wennberg, who also has the second most assists on the team (11), says part of his strategy is to not just use his stick to shield opponents away from the puck but also his skates. He paid attention to how much this frustrated him when other players did it and incorporated it into how he plays.
But what about that "strong on the puck" reference? "Strong on the puck" or "hard on the puck" are common descriptors we hear in hockey. But it's more than being the biggest or strongest player.
Right on Wennberg's heels in terms of offensive zone possession time is Yanni Gourde (:40 per game). We asked him about being hard on the puck. For Gourde it's not just about maintaining possession, it's about getting possession in the first place.

"Hard on the puck means skating hard," Gourde said. "You also have a good stick. Always knowing where you want the puck to go and getting a good stick on the puck all of the time. (That) creates a lot of turnovers and leads to offense."
What else goes into possession? When asked, Gourde thinks of his teammate Jaden Schwartz and it's a great reference point. Schwartz is third overall on the Seattle roster in terms of offensive zone possession time (:39 per game). Gourde praised Schwartz's ability to skate to where the puck is going to be and then using his body to angle in and create a positioning advantage to then gain possession of the puck.
Wennberg also notes that possession time isn't the end all be all. "Sometimes there's times to leave the puck, and there's some times to hold on it, you just have to know that fine line." But the top possession players know how to read situations and use all the tools available to them - stick, skates, and positioning, to hold onto the puck and create offensive opportunity.
Be sure to watch for player possession times on The Twins during Kraken games at Climate Pledge Arena