“Today, we optimize hockey players’ performance using data”

Meet John-John Dohmen, iconic Red Lions player, on how data collection has profoundly changed top-level hockey... A sporting world that is ultimately very similar to the business world.

© Yannick Bertrand.

With over 400 caps for the national team, John-John Dohmen is a monument of Belgian hockey. World champion, Olympic runner-up, he has seen his sport professionalize, accelerate... and become increasingly data-driven. From legendary player, he also became coach of the French national team. Two weeks before the first Gondola Foodservice Congress, where he will speak , this iconic Red Lions player explains how data collection has profoundly changed high-level hockey. Interview.

Gondola Foodservice: What role does data play in high-level hockey today?

John-John Dohmen: It's become essential. Especially on a physical level. Thanks to the GPS devices we wear on our backs, we measure our movements, our intensity, our speed. We can tell if a player is in shape, if they're progressing, if they're regressing. During a tournament, we often play five to eight matches. The data allows us to see if we're capable of reproducing the same efforts over time. And that, obviously, isn't visible to the naked eye.

And during the matches?

In real time, the fitness coach receives the data. He can tell the coach in his earpiece: "This player is at his limit" or "He's not giving enough." We can then adjust playing times or even change a strategy. We experienced this at the Euro: a player was supposed to finish the match, but the data showed he was "burned out." We put another player in his place: he provided an assist, and we won in the final seconds.

Physical data therefore allows us to anticipate, but doesn't that restrict instinct?

It's true that we have to find a balance. Data is a fantastic tool for objectification, but the coach's instinct remains fundamental. There are things we don't yet measure: mental strength, concentration. If one day we manage to capture brain waves live, we'll make a leap forward... but we're not there yet. The coach's feelings, knowledge of the player, remain irreplaceable, even if data has become a valuable tool for objectification and a decision-making aid.

Beyond the physical, do you also use strategic data?

Of course. Today, we have a video analyst who collects all the match actions. We code each mini-action. In the future, we will probably use AI and smart cameras to automate this work. Personally, I also look at statistics a lot. For example, I noticed that when you attack 10 times from the right, you have a better chance of scoring than if you attack from the left. These are micro-details, but at a high level, they make a difference.

Were you reluctant to use the data when it arrived, in the middle of your career?

Absolutely! I didn't like this idea that we analyze whether I run enough, fast enough, etc. But in reality, the data allows us to objectify our effort, to prepare better. We can say: "If we reach the right intensities today, training can last an hour instead of two." And in a tournament, that changes everything.

What if we stopped measuring data?

It would be very difficult to go back. We've managed to quantify what it takes to be at the top of our game at the right time. Without that, we'd be in the dark. You might think you're training well... when you're not reproducing the intensity of a match. Today, data allows us to aim for excellence without burning out players. It's tailor-made.