## 1 Introduction  
Ice hockey is a demanding team sport that is characterized by various athletic and technical components (e.g., linear speed, change of direction (COD), aerobic and anaerobic capacity, strength). The intensive body contact with the opponent is typical for ice hockey, comparable to rugby or football, and underlines the importance of core stability for ice hockey players.  
In relation to the entire match duration (3 \(\times\) 20 min), the player's effective operational time is 15-25 min [1, 2]. The players perform in intervals determined by 30-60 s stints on ice, with different recovery phases between these intensive intermittent actions [3,4]. The number of high-intensity actions (95-100% maximum heart rate) is 25% [5]. In relation to the maximal oxygen uptake from 55 and 60 mL\({}^{*}\)kg\({}^{-1*}\)min\({}^{-1}\)[6], it is obvious that aerobic capacity is a very important precondition for professional ice hockey players. [PERSON] et al. [7] reported position-specific differences in demand and load. Defenders, for example, spent significantly more time skating backwards than forwards (19% vs. 5-6%).  
Unfortunately, the complexity of ice hockey is not adequately reflected in performance diagnostics (particularly on ice). Most studies preferred isolated measurements of physical performance parameters [8, 9, 10, 11] or the sole use of off-ice testing. This implicates a major limitation because off-ice testing does not allow for replication of specific biomechanical aspects of on-ice skating [12]. Consequently, on-ice testing is indispensable for a valid evaluation of players, especially in a complex manner. [PERSON] et al. [11] described the effects of body composition on on-ice performance in male and female players. They used parkours, consisting of sprints, CODs and linear skating, arranged in a complex way (total distance: 148 m). Regrettably, data regarding puck handling or shot performance were not reported in this study, so relations to the body composition could not be quantified.  
Numerous other authors [4, 6, 12] also pointed out the need for on-ice skating tests in order to assess important factors such as speed, agility, and repeated sprint ability as crucial preconditions for a successful match performance. In line with recommendations from [PERSON] et al. [12] and [PERSON] et al. [13], the IHCT also implemented the above-mentioned relevant skills and actions (e.g., sprinting and shooting performance, COD). In accordance with [PERSON] et al. [4], the authors referred to the importance of \"specific\" ice hockey skills such as shooting and stick handling. [PERSON] et al. [4] explicitly pointed out the contradiction between the complexity of the sport and the one-dimensionality of performance testing (e.g., straight skating speed as an indicator of overall skating performance). At this point, they also emphasized the relation between test and match performance. [PERSON] et al. [14, 15] considered this aspect and already proved the validity of IHCT using match performance.  
Position-based training is able to provide a competitive advantage that coaches can exploit in a demanding team sport with specific requirements for different positions. However, underlying reference data for the respective player positions is necessary to exploit this. Such reference data can then be used to identify any deficits during the preparation phase and to adapt the training to the individual requirements from an athletic point of view.  
[PERSON] et al. [16] already provided reference data for the IHCT [17, 18] based on a first sample of 104 third-league professional ice hockey field players.  
The first aim of the study was to significantly extend the reference data to enhance their meaningfulness by player position. The second aim was to provide a valid, practical, and self-explanatory analysis matrix for coaches to enable easier data handling. We hypothesized that the standard deviation of all parameters would decrease. That would be advantageous for the significance of all results and derived findings.