Comparison of selected performance-associated parameters after off-season and two-month training preparation in professional Czech ice hockey players

Objective: The main aim of this study was to describe changes in selected morphological and physiological parameters, intended to be relevant for a complex ice hockey performance, after two months of pre-season training preparation following one month of an off-season period.

Methods: The sample consisted of 22 adult male players aged 18-39 years from a top Czech ice hockey league team. Two laboratory testing procedures performed at the end of the off-season and after two months of the pre-season conditioning consisted of basic anthropometry and body composition measurements, countermovement jump (CMJ), and maximal incremental test focused on the assessment of various parameters, including maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max), maximal power output during the test (Pmax) or estimation of anaerobic threshold intensity (ANT).

Results: After the pre-season, we found a significant decrease in body fat (13.7 vs. 11.4%, p < .001) and an increase in fat-free mass (74.2 vs. 76.6 kg, p < .001), V̇O2max (relative 48.8 vs. 52.6 ml.kg-1.min-1 p = .001; absolute 4.20 vs. 4.54 L.min-1, p < .001), Pmax (5.26 vs. 5.44 W.kg-1, p = .011), power output at ANT (4.07 vs. 4.35 W.kg-1, p < .001), and CMJ (44.9 vs. 47.1 cm, p = .002).

Conclusions: Based on our results, two months of the pre-season training program led to a significant improvement in body composition and physical performance levels in professional Czech ice hockey players.