Rankings Powered by Data
The same family of algorithms used by chess, esports, and competitive gaming — adapted for youth hockey with margin of victory, playoff weighting, and strength of schedule.
How a Rating Changes
After every game, your team's rating adjusts based on five factors multiplied together
Win, loss, or tie
Log-capped score diff
Their rating strength
Newer games matter more
Playoff multiplier
What Goes Into the Rating
Six factors that make our rankings more accurate than win/loss records alone
Margin of Victory
A 7-1 win tells us more than a 2-1 squeaker. Score difference is log-capped so blowouts have diminishing returns — no gaming the system.
Strength of Schedule
Beating a top-10 team is worth way more than beating an unranked one. Every opponent's rating directly impacts your rating change.
Playoff Weighting
Postseason games carry extra weight. District playoffs 1.5x, Regions 1.75x, State Tournament 2.0x. Win when it matters most.
Recency Bias
A hot streak heading into playoffs counts more than a September loss. Games are weighted by how recently they were played.
Confidence Rating
Teams with 30+ games have rock-solid ratings. A team with 4 games? Their rating is provisional and ranked conservatively until they prove it.
Anti-Gaming Protection
Log margin caps, weak-opponent penalties, and conservative ranking ensure teams can't inflate ratings by running up scores or padding schedules.
Game Phase Weights
Not all games are equal — playoff games carry more weight
Two Ways to Rank
Different questions, different answers — both are valuable
Season Rating
Pure algorithmic — our best estimate of each team's true strength based on all game data. Answers: "How good is this team?"
Playoff Standings
Structural — based on how far each team went in the postseason. State champion is always #1. Answers: "How far did they go?"
When they disagree, that's where the interesting debates happen.
Why This Is Better
vs Win/Loss Rankings
We consider how you win, who you beat, and when you played — not just the final score.
vs Volunteer Rankings
Data is collected automatically after every game. No weekly updates, no human bias, no politics.
Proven Algorithm
Glicko-2 powers chess ratings, esports platforms, and competitive gaming worldwide. Battle-tested at scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my team’s rating drop after a win?
If you barely beat a much weaker team, the algorithm expected a bigger margin. A 2-1 win against the last-place team signals you may not be as strong as your rating suggests.
What do the confidence bars mean?
They show how reliable a team’s rating is based on games played. 5 bars = very confident (30+ games). 1 bar = provisional (under 8 games). Teams with fewer games are ranked conservatively.
How often do rankings update?
After every crawl cycle. Game data is automatically collected from GameSheet — no volunteers, no delays, no human bias.
What’s Strength of Schedule (SOS)?
The average rating of all opponents a team has faced. A team with 1650 SOS played much tougher competition than one with 1400 SOS, even if their records are similar.
Do tournament games count the same as district games?
No. District games are the standard at 1.0x weight. Tournament games are 0.7x because they're often mixed skill levels with back-to-back games. Scrimmages are 0.3x.
Season Rating vs Playoff Standings — what’s the difference?
Season Rating is purely algorithmic — our best estimate of team strength. Playoff Standings are structural — State champ is always #1. When they disagree, that’s where the debates get interesting.