Win a Fantasy Hockey Championship with Free Analytics Data

How to Easily Access Fantasy Hockey Data for Analytics Projects

Fantasy hockey is a data-rich sport, and analytics play a crucial role in gaining an edge over competitors. In this guide, we’ll show you how to retrieve fantasy hockey data using R packages like hockeyR and ffhockey, allowing you to create your own projections, analyze player performance, and even connect to private leagues to run simulations.

Step 1: Utilizing R Packages for Fantasy Hockey Data

Several R packages are available to help you access and analyze fantasy hockey data. Here are some of the most valuable ones:

• hockeyR: Provides tools to access public NHL data from sources like Hockey Reference, NHL API, and Stathead, making it a valuable tool for analyzing player performance in fantasy hockey.

Example: Installing hockeyR

install.packages("hockeyR")

Example: Retrieving NHL Data for Fantasy Hockey

library(hockeyR)

# Get player data for the 2023 NHL season
player_data <- nhl_player_stats(season = 2023)
head(player_data)

This retrieves detailed player data, such as goals, assists, and ice time, which are useful for fantasy hockey analysis.

• ffhockey: Similar to ffverse for fantasy football, ffhockey allows you to connect to private fantasy hockey leagues from platforms like ESPN, Yahoo, and Sleeper.

Example: Connecting to a Private Yahoo Fantasy Hockey League

library(ffhockey)

# Connect to Yahoo Fantasy Hockey league
yahoo_connection <- yahoo_connect(
  season = 2023,
  league_key = "nhl.l.12345",  # Replace with your Yahoo league key
  token = "YOUR_OAUTH_TOKEN"  # Replace with your OAuth token
)

# Retrieve league standings
standings <- yahoo_standings(conn = yahoo_connection)
head(standings)

This connects to your Yahoo Fantasy Hockey league and retrieves standings, player stats, and more.

• ffpros: Fetches expert rankings, projections, and ADP (Average Draft Position) data for fantasy hockey from FantasyPros.

Example: Installing ffpros

install.packages("ffpros")

Example: Fetching FantasyPros ADP Data

library(ffpros)

# Retrieve FantasyPros ADP data for 2023
adp_data <- ffpros_adp(sport = "nhl")
head(adp_data)

This retrieves ADP data from FantasyPros, which you can use to analyze draft trends and player popularity.

Step 2: How to Connect to Private ESPN Fantasy Hockey Leagues

To connect to an ESPN fantasy hockey league, you’ll need the SWID and ESPN_S2 tokens, similar to fantasy football.

Finding Your ESPN SWID and ESPN_S2 Tokens

1. Log in to ESPN: Open your browser and log in to your ESPN Fantasy Hockey account.
2. Inspect the Website: Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect or press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) or Cmd+Option+I (Mac).
3. Find the Cookies: Go to the Application tab and look for SWID and ESPN_S2 under the https://www.espn.com domain.
4. Copy the Values: Save these tokens for your R connection.

Example: Connecting to ESPN Fantasy Hockey with ffhockey

library(ffhockey)

# Connect to ESPN fantasy hockey league
espn_connection <- espn_connect(
  season = 2023,
  league_id = 123456,  # Replace with your league ID
  espn_s2 = "YOUR_ESPN_S2",  # Replace with your ESPN_S2 token
  swid = "YOUR_SWID"  # Replace with your SWID token
)

# Get standings or player stats
standings <- espn_standings(conn = espn_connection)
print(standings)

Step 3: Running League Simulations for Fantasy Hockey

Simulating league outcomes helps you project player performance and potential wins. Using packages like ffsimulator, you can simulate thousands of league outcomes based on player stats and settings.

Example: Running League Simulations with ffsimulator

library(ffsimulator)

# Run 5000 simulations for the connected league
simulation_results <- ff_simulate(conn = espn_connection, n_seasons = 5000)

# Visualize the simulation results
plot(simulation_results)

This simulates your fantasy hockey league’s schedule and projects win probabilities based on historical data.

Step 4: Projecting Player Performance with ffanalytics

The ffanalytics package allows you to project player performance across multiple seasons. It aggregates expert projections from various sources and can help you project player stats for upcoming games or seasons.

Example: Projecting Player Stats with ffanalytics

library(ffanalytics)

# Project player stats for 2023
projections <- run_projections(sport = "nhl", season = 2023, sources = c("ESPN", "FantasyPros", "NHL"))
head(projections)

This example projects player stats for the 2023 NHL season, helping you plan your fantasy hockey strategy.

Step 5: Analyze Draft Data with ffpros

Analyzing draft trends is critical to dominating your fantasy hockey league. Using ffpros, you can retrieve ADP data and expert rankings to gain insights into draft strategy.

Example: Fetching ADP Data for Fantasy Hockey

library(ffpros)

# Fetch FantasyPros ADP for fantasy hockey
adp_data <- ffpros_adp(sport = "nhl")
head(adp_data)

This retrieves ADP data for NHL players, helping you prepare for your draft by understanding where players are typically selected.

Step 6: Explore Public Fantasy Hockey Data Sources

In addition to R packages, several public sources offer valuable fantasy hockey data:

• FantasyPros: Provides expert rankings, projections, and ADP data for fantasy hockey platforms.
• ESPN Fantasy Hockey: Offers player stats, projections, and league data for ESPN fantasy hockey leagues.
• Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Offers detailed stats, league data, and projections.
• NHL.com: Provides advanced player statistics such as goals, assists, shots on goal, and more.
• Hockey Reference: Offers historical player data, advanced stats, and projections.

Step 7: Apply Your Data Skills to Fantasy Hockey Analytics Projects

Now that you know how to access and analyze fantasy hockey data, it’s time to apply your skills to real-world projects. Whether you’re analyzing player projections, simulating league schedules, or strategizing for your draft, tools like hockeyR and ffhockey will give you a competitive edge.

Explore our Hockey Analytics Courses to learn more about data analysis techniques, custom models, and statistical approaches that will help you dominate your fantasy league.

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