Prevalence, Patterns, and Factors Influencing Decision to Sport Specialize During High School in Current Division-I and Sport Club Ice Hockey Athletes

Authors

Emily C. Srygler, University of Wisconsin-MadisonFollow
Eric A. Caloud, University of UtahFollow
Laura A. Zdziarski-Horodyski, University of UtahFollow
Masaru Teramoto, University of UtahFollow
Madison N. Renner, University of Wisconsin-MadisonFollow
Stephanie N. Adler, University of Wisconsin - MadisonFollow
David R. Bell, University of Wisconsin - MadisonFollow

Abstract

Purpose: Young athletes are continuing to choose high levels of sport specialization despite growing evidence of associations with chronic injury. Perceptions of specialization leading to greater athletic success have been found to be a motivator for these athletes and their parents, but little is known about its prevalence in ice hockey. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence, patterns, and factors influencing sport specialization during high school in current Division-I and sport club ice hockey athletes. This information can assist in filling in the knowledge gap in high school sport specialization in ice hockey athletes, specifically between levels of participation (sport club vs. Division-I). Methods: A total of 111 (46 female, 65 male) ice hockey players currently on an NCAA Division-I or university sport club team completed a survey asking about their sport participation patterns and factors influencing their sport participation decisions. Results: Overall, prevalence of highly specialized athletes increased from 9th grade (35.1%) to 12th grade (50.5%) in both sport club and Division-I hockey players. There was no difference in prevalence of specialization between sport club and Division-I hockey players. Additionally, most participants in this study did not specialize until later in high school with only 35.1% being highly specialized in 9^th grade and 40.5% in 10th. The most cited reason for specializing was liking this sport the most (80.7%), followed by having the best chance to play in college (45.5%). Conclusions: There were no significant differences in prevalence of highly specialized athletes between the Division-I and sport club ice hockey athletes. The majority of collegiate ice hockey athletes were not specialized in early high school and only specialized later in high school. This study illustrates to young ice hockey athletes and their parents that being a highly specialized athlete, especially early in high school, is not the only route to participating in collegiate ice hockey.

Author Bio(s)

Emily Srygler MA, LAT, ATC is a certified athletic trainer and PhD student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. Her research focuses on youth sport specialization and the ways that youth athletes experience sport participation.

Eric Caloud PA-C, LAT, ATC is a certified physician's assistant at the South Carolina Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. He received his MS in Sports Medicine from the University of Utah.

Laura Zdziarski Horodyski PhD is the Clinical Outreach and Development Coordinator in the Orthopaedics/Sports Medicine Department and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Orthopaedic Surgery Department at the University of Utah.

Masaru Teramoto PhD, MPH, PStat is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. His research focuses on sports/exercise epidemiology and sports analytics.

Madison Renner MS, LAT, ATC is a certified athletic trainer and a PhD Candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on promoting safe youth sport participation by ensuring all athletes have equitable access to immediate medical care in the secondary school and club sport setting.

Stephanie Adler MS, LAT, ATC is a Kinesiology PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include developing resources and strategies for athletic trainers to mitigate barriers associated with social determinants of health in their athletes to improve health outcomes.

David Bell PhD, LAT, ATC, FNATA is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and operates the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. His research focuses on sport specialization and the youth sport experience.

Recommended Citation

Srygler EC, Caloud EA, Zdziarski-Horodyski LA, Teramoto M, Renner MN, Adler SN, et al. Prevalence, Patterns, and Factors Influencing Decision to Sport Specialize During High School in Current Division-I and Sport Club Ice Hockey Athletes. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2025 Oct 15;23(4), Article 16.