Research and knowledge transfer
A game powered by real hockey data to build analytical skills
April 15, 2026
The National Hockey League (NHL®), SAP and HEC Montréal are unveiling a free game entitled “The Hockey Analyst”. Based on real data from professional hockey, the game enables college and university students from all disciplines to develop their analytical skills.
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The game was developed by the ERPsim Lab team at HEC Montréal under the direction of Professor Pierre Majorique Léger. It offers students an immersive and intuitive learning experience designed to help them naturally acquire skills that are highly valued in professional settings, such as data interpretation and visualization, decision-making and critical thinking.
A learning environment built on real data
Thanks to the collaboration with the NHL, instructors gain access to a platform full of authentic data: nearly 1.5 million data points per game, including about 120 shot attempts, 1,000 passes and 5,000 puck touches, raw material for deep, practical analysis.
The game places students in the role of a decision-maker—for example, that of a team manager—and, using SAP Analytics Cloud, invites them to analyze data and interpret visualizations based on real business scenarios, thereby strengthening their critical thinking skills.
“Innovating in data analytics means going beyond traditional teaching methods. Here, real sports data enrich the learning experience by adding context, complexity and constraints. Students learn to determine what truly matters, justify their decisions and manage trade-offs.”
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Pierre-Majorique Léger, Full Professor and Director of the ERPsim Lab
For instructors, the platform supports large-scale active learning, assessment and monitoring of student engagement, while making courses more dynamic and aligned with real‑world professional expectations.
Innovative Teaching Solutions
This game is part of Business Builders, a free online learning platform developed by the ERPsim Lab for higher education teaching staff. The platform enables the exploration of real-world scenarios using SAP Analytics Cloud. To date, it has been used—across all levels and disciplines—by 1,250+ instructors and 25,000+ students by 600+ institutions in 85 countries.
The platform also includes a research component that has received financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with the aim of advancing knowledge in the field of learning analytics through gamification.
