nhl-data

NHL Data

Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills nhl get_scoreboard
sports-skills nhl get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills nhl get_teams

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season year is derived from the system prompt's currentDate — never hardcoded.
• If only a team name is provided, call get_teams to resolve the team ID before using team-specific commands.

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., currentDate: 2026-02-18 → current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify: The NHL season runs October–June. If the current month is October–December, the active season year matches the current year. If January–June, the active season started the previous calendar year (use that year as the season).
• Example: Current date is February 2026 → active season started October 2025 → use season 2025.

Commands

Command	Description
get_scoreboard	Live/recent NHL scores
get_standings	Standings by conference and division
get_teams	All NHL teams
get_team_roster	Full roster for a team
get_team_schedule	Schedule for a specific team
get_game_summary	Detailed box score and scoring plays
get_leaders	NHL statistical leaders
get_news	NHL news articles
get_play_by_play	Full play-by-play for a game
get_schedule	Games on a specific date (no season filter; see get_team_schedule)
get_injuries	Injury reports across all teams
get_transactions	Recent transactions
get_futures	Futures/odds markets
get_team_stats	Team statistical profile
get_player_stats	Player statistical profile
find_nhl_player	Search the NHL's player registry by name
get_nhlstats_schedule	Games via the NHL API — team seasons to the Original Six era, NHL game ids
get_nhlstats_player_stats	Career season-by-season across leagues via NHL API
get_nhlstats_player_game_log	One player's games in a season (opponent, home/away, result, stat line) via NHL API
get_nhlstats_play_by_play	Play-by-play with on-ice x/y coordinates, zone, shot type
get_nhlstats_boxscore	Full box score (skaters + goalies) via NHL API
get_nhlstats_standings	Standings, current or any historical date (back to 1917)
get_nhlstats_leaders	Skater and goalie leaders by category

See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Using ESPN and the NHL API Together

The get_nhlstats_* commands read api-web.nhle.com — the NHL's current API.
(The retired statsapi.web.nhl.com, which most community docs still describe,
no longer resolves.) It carries the analytics layer ESPN does not: on-ice shot
coordinates, cross-league career rows, goalie leaders, and history to the
Original Six era. The two sources use unrelated id systems:

• Game ids. NHL ids are 10 digits encoding season/type/game
  (2023030417); ESPN uses 9-digit event ids (401559593). No shared column —
  join on the game date plus teams.
• Team abbreviations. Five teams differ: ESPN LA/NJ/SJ/TB/UTAH
  vs NHL LAK/NJD/SJS/TBL/UTA. Every get_nhlstats_* team filter
  accepts either spelling, and rows carry both (team_abbreviation,
  team_abbreviation_espn).
• Player ids. NHL player ids (8478402) and ESPN athlete ids are
  unrelated. Resolve names with find_nhl_player; ASCII spellings match
  accented names ("stutzle" finds "Tim Stützle").
• Career rows span leagues. get_nhlstats_player_stats returns every
  league a player appeared in, each row labelled with league and is_nhl —
  filter to is_nhl before summing career numbers. A player traded mid-season
  has one NHL row per team plus a team: "TOTAL" row (is_total: true,
  counting stats summed, rate stats omitted); skip is_total rows when summing.
• Seasons. Pass the starting year (season=2024 means 2024-25). The NHL
  form ("20242025") is also accepted.
• How a final was decided. status is the NHL's game state (OFF/FINAL
  for any final). decided_by on schedule rows and box scores is REG, OT
  or SO (null until final). Shootout scores follow the official result:
  the winner is credited one goal (a 1-1 game won in the shootout is 2-1).
• Blocked shots. In get_nhlstats_play_by_play, team_id and player on
  a blocked-shot row are the shooter's (the NHL's event owner); the box
  score's blockedShots credits the defender, given as blocking_player and
  blocking_team_id. Count blocks by blocking_team_id.

Examples

Example 1: Today's scores
User says: "What are today's NHL scores?"
Actions:

1. Call get_scoreboard()
   Result: All live and recent NHL games with scores and status

Example 2: Conference standings
User says: "Show me the Eastern Conference standings"
Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_standings(season=<derived_year>)
3. Filter results for Eastern Conference
   Result: Eastern Conference standings with W-L-OTL, points, regulation wins

Example 3: Team roster
User says: "Who's on the Maple Leafs roster?"
Actions:

1. Call get_team_roster(team_id="21")
   Result: Full Maple Leafs roster with name, position, jersey number, shoots/catches

Example 4: Game box score
User says: "Show me the full box score for last night's Bruins game"
Actions:

1. Call get_scoreboard(date="<yesterday>") to find the event_id
2. Call get_game_summary(event_id=<id>) for full box score
   Result: Complete box score with per-player stats and scoring plays

Example 5: Stanley Cup odds
User says: "What are the Stanley Cup odds?"
Actions:

1. Call get_futures(limit=10)
   Result: Top Stanley Cup contenders with odds values

Example 6: Player statistics
User says: "Show me Connor McDavid's stats"
Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_player_stats(player_id="3895074", season_year=<derived_year>)
   Result: Season stats by category with value, rank, and per-game averages

Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these

• get_odds / get_betting_odds — not available. For prediction market odds, use the polymarket or kalshi skill.
• search_teams — does not exist. Use get_teams instead.
• get_box_score — does not exist. Use get_game_summary instead.
• get_player_ratings — does not exist. Use get_player_stats instead.

If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist.

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:

1. Catch silently and try alternatives
2. If team name given instead of ID, use get_teams to find the ID first
3. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

Error: sports-skills command not found
Cause: Package not installed
Solution: Run pip install sports-skills

Error: Team not found by ID
Cause: Wrong or outdated ESPN team ID used
Solution: Call get_teams to get the current list of all NHL teams with their IDs (expansion teams like the Seattle Kraken and Utah Mammoth have non-sequential IDs)

Error: No data returned for a future game
Cause: ESPN only returns data for completed or in-progress games
Solution: Use get_schedule to see upcoming game details; get_scoreboard only covers active/recent games

Error: Offseason — scoreboard returns 0 events
Cause: No games scheduled during the offseason (July–September)
Solution: Use get_standings or get_news instead; use get_schedule to find when the season resumes