The Relative Age Effect in NHL Players: Psychological and Performance Aspects of Sports Selection

This diploma thesis addresses the phenomenon of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in the context of elite ice hockey. The thesis analyzes the inequalities arising from the administrative categorization of athletes into age groups, which often leads to the systematic advantage of biologically more mature individuals born early in the year at the expense of their younger peers. The main goal of the thesis was to investigate if and how the date of birth influences the probability of being drafted into the NHL, the draft position, the speed of transition to a professional league, and subsequent career productivity. Particular emphasis is placed on verifying the so-called underdog effect, which posits that relatively younger players who successfully navigate a tough selection process may exhibit higher performance due to more developed psychological and technical skills. The research consisted of 5095 players drafted into the NHL between 200 and 2021. The data was analyzed using logistic and linear regression and independent-samples t-tests. The results confirmed that the date of birth is a statistically significant predictor of entering the NHL, although the strength of this relationship is low. The key finding of the thesis is the confirmation of the hypothesis regarding the higher performance of...