Coyotes beef up analytics efforts with Chayka hire

Much of the change anticipated to infiltrate the Coyotes this summer will be visible -- the addition and potential subtraction of players in an attempt to craft a much more competitive roster than the one that debuted last season.

But the Coyotes are also planning moves behind-the-scenes to seek improvement with one of the most noteworthy so far being the hire of John Chayka as an assistant general manager overseeing hockey analytics.

"We're thrilled to have him," General Manager Don Maloney said. "I think he's going to touch all the different areas of our organization."

An analytics movement has been sweeping the NHL the last few seasons, and the Coyotes aren't unfamiliar with using specialized data to help their pursuit of success. Coach Dave Tippett has long been a proponent, and Maloney acknowledged the Coyotes have been able to capture the basics related to possession statistics.

Still, the Coyotes felt there was a need to do more and conducted 12 interviews with companies and individuals before settling on Chayka, a 25-year-old who co-founded and served as the director of hockey operations at Stathletes Inc. The hockey analytics firm tracks data through video analysis and breaks down the game to provide insight into player and team performance tendencies.

"It was mixed feelings leaving my other position the company that I built," Chayka said. "But at the same time, the goal is to win a Stanley Cup so you can't necessarily do that on the private side of things."

Chayka, an Ontario native, played junior hockey until a back injury ended his career at 19. He shifted to player development and founded Stathletes in 2009. About four years ago, his analysis started to include teams – providing not only on-ice insight but also data to size up potential trades and free-agent signings.

With the Coyotes, Chayka will rely on Stathletes to provide the data and he'll pore over it.

"There's a lot of parity in the league, and the different between being a team that misses the playoffs and makes the playoffs is very small and then making that next jump to being a Stanley Cup contender, it's a small difference statistically speaking," Chayka said. "So any time a team in the cap world can get a little advantage, whether it's two or three percent advantage, they're pursuing it very aggressively."

Chayka was hired only last week but he's already been able to offer up his voice, taking in the NHL combine with the team's staff. He also planned to move to Arizona this week.

"I think there's a necessity to think differently," he said. "I think there's a necessity to be a bit more creative, think outside the box, and it just comes down to the fact we're a budget team here. So if we just do what everyone else is doing, by definition we're going to finish well below everyone else.

"So we have to find different ways to find some deficiencies we can exploit in order to get players and eventually just win games."