LAS VEGAS – Hockey analytics pioneer Rob Vollman was taking part in a long question-and-answer session one day in September 2016 with Scott Powers of The Athletic, and one natural question came up.



Do we have to worry about losing you to an NHL team?



Vollman said it was a possibility. Two years later, the possibility became a reality when the Kings hired Vollman to be the organization’s Senior Hockey Analyst.



The move to bring on such an influential figure and industry leader was widely applauded by the hockey analytics community Saturday. Vollman already has started working for the Kings.



“Rob is a highly regarded pioneer in the analytics industry,” Kings vice president of hockey operations and legal affairs Jeff Solomon told The Athletic on Saturday. “He’s very creative and has a broad base of experience. I expect him to enhance our analytics platforms and to greatly contribute to Hockey Ops...