A Data Mining Project
A deliverable from my Data Mining Foundations and Practice Certificate
7/1/2026
The goal of this project was to create an algorithm that would classify NHL players into their optimal lines on a Stanley Cup winning team. I created three algorithms, with varied success, that classified players into the following categories:
First, Second, Third, and Fourth Lines
First and Second Lines and a Botton-Six
Top and Bottom Six
The algorithm was trained on a dataset made up of the rosters of the past ten Stanley Cup winning teams. This ensured that the model's standards of what a first line player vs a fourth line player matched the standards of a winning team, rather than the standards of a losing team.
To evaluate the model, datasets of players who were on the teams that lost in the finals, such as the 2025-2026 Vegas Golden Knights. A second dataset of players who changed line placements before going on to win a Cup was used as an additional evaluation metric. Both datasets saw increasing accuracy as the number of categories decreased.
This project was a great learning experience, as I was able to manipulate and search for insights in a large dataset while attempting to solve a problem. In the future, I hope to build off this project, to refine the algorithm and adapt it to specific use cases, such as trade targeting or prospect scouting.
On July 1st, NHL free agency opened. This allows teams to sign unaffiliated players to their rosters. As an avid Colorado Avalanche fan, I thought that I'd use my model to evaluate the signings made by my team. The Avs signed the following forwards as free agents:
Jaden Schwartz
Vinnie Hinostroza
Adam Beckman
In the days before free agency opened, the Avs traded for the following forwards:
Zachary L'Heureux
Fabian Lysell
Fedor Svechkov
Below are the results of my algorithm.
All three algorithms say consistent results for all of the new forward additions except for Fedor Svechkov. Svechkov is a young player with some high-end potential, but should probably be a bottom six forward on a contending team like the Colorado Avalanche.
These signings seem to mostly target the holes at the bottom of the Avs' lineup, as well as the space on the Avs' AHL affiliate team, the Colorado Eagles. Schwartz, meanwhile, seems like a potential player who could fill the hole left by the trade of Valeri Nichushkin, a solid second line winger.