For hiring teams
You need someone rare in hockey.
Tell us about the role, the team you're building, and what's been missing from previous shortlists. We'll come back with how we can help.
AI & Data in the NHL
AI and Data Recruitment for the NHL.
Specialist hiring for hockey analytics, player development and SportsTech vendors building the next layer of NHL data work. Hockey-literate technical people, hired through the network that already knows them.
The state of play
Hockey Analytics Caught Up - and Is Moving Fast.
Hockey analytics took longer than basketball or football to land at the front office, but it's there now. Every NHL club has an analytics function. Player tracking data has reset what's measurable on the ice.
The candidate pool is thin and the people worth hiring are largely embedded - building xG models, microstats pipelines or in-game decision tools - and not on the market in a way most recruiters can see.
That's the gap we fill. Sport-literate technical recruiting, focused on people who understand both the game and the model.
The work
NHL-Specific Hiring, End-to-End.
Every NHL search is run by Kev personally. Twenty years hiring data and AI talent, four of them now exclusively in sport.
NHL roles we hire
- Hockey Analytics Analyst
- Sports Data Scientist (NHL / hockey)
- Computer Vision Engineer (puck & player tracking)
- AI / ML Engineer (hockey applications)
- Data Engineer (tracking + microstats pipelines)
- Director of Hockey Analytics
- Head of Hockey Research
Who we work with in the NHL
- NHL franchises - front offices, performance, player development
- League-level analytics groups
- AHL clubs investing in feeder analytics
- SportsTech vendors - tracking, scouting, video tooling
- Broadcasters and rights-holders integrating AI into live production
The process
Brief, Scout, Shortlist and Sign.
Most recruiters work the funnel. We work like a scouting department - a small number of genuinely qualified candidates, presented with full context, after we've already had the difficult conversations.
- 01
The brief
A proper conversation about the role, the technical stack, who already sits in the NHL data team and the wider strategic context. Job specs come out of this - not the other way round.
- 02
The scout
Targeted outreach across our NHL network and adjacent industries. We're already in the conversations the people you want are having. We don't post and pray.
- 03
The shortlist
A small number of qualified candidates, each with a written summary covering technical fit, NHL literacy, motivation and honest reservations. Full picture, not the pitch.
- 04
The signing
We support the offer process, manage counter-offer conversations and stay in the loop through onboarding and beyond.
Next step
Hiring Inside the NHL?
For candidates
You work in hockey data.
If you're an analyst, data scientist or ML engineer in hockey - or thinking about a move into it - get in touch. No pressure, no spam.
© 2026 Animo Group. All rights reserved.Want a website like this? foxlane.ai