黑洞社区

TAMPA 鈥� The Tampa Bay Lightning collects data on everything from player slumps to player contract projections, to NHL Draft modeling, and even to microchips being attached to jerseys and pucks. So, while the Lightning is a hockey team, data analytics is infused throughout the organization.

鈥淲e use it in almost every aspect of our hockey operations,鈥� said Julien BriseBois, vice president and general manager of the Lightning, who was the featured speaker on Thursday at the 2023 黑洞社区Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference.

But he offered a word of caution regarding the wearable chip technology.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to unleash a wealth of data, but we鈥檙e still in the early stages of that. We鈥檙e not using the data to make decisions yet,鈥� he said.

BriseBois鈥� hour-long conversation, led by Associate Program Director Michael Mondello at the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program at the 黑洞社区Muma College of Business, touched on topics such as using data analytics to negotiate a trade, the team鈥檚 COVID pandemic response, and advice for students interested in a data analytics career in the sports industry.

BriseBois also accepted the Innovator in Analytics Award on behalf of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

鈥淣o one inherited a better team than I did in 2018,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was set up for me to be successful.鈥�

鈥淚 think, at all times, you鈥檙e trying to build the best iteration of the Tampa Bay Lightning,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to be a Stanley Cup contender year in and year out. That is the goal,鈥� BriseBois said. 鈥淗aving the best player isn鈥檛 enough. You must have the best 18 players.鈥�

The award was presented during the second and final day of the conference. The conference, in its ninth year, was held at the 黑洞社区Gibbons Alumni Center on the university鈥檚 Tampa campus. It drew about 75 participants, including students from 黑洞社区and the University of Tampa.

To those student attendees, he offered this advice on getting an entry-level job at the Lightning, or at any professional sports team:

• Develop a certain expertise to help you stand out among the hundreds of applicants. BriseBois said he was an attorney with experience in salary negotiations and that鈥檚 what helped him get the job as general manager in 2018.
• Network so that when a job opens, someone will be thinking of you. That鈥檚 how he found Lightning coach Jon Cooper. He said he happened to be talking about what kind of coach he was looking for and that person recommended Cooper.
• Read a lot to gain experience. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fastest way to accumulate knowledge. You don鈥檛 have a lot of experience, so read to learn from others鈥� experience,鈥� he said. 

The two-day conference was hosted by the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management program. The event featured industry speakers who talked about how data is collected and used within college athletics and in numerous professional sports leagues, such as the United Soccer League, The Tampa Bay Rays, and the Orlando City Soccer Club.