Former Poker Pro Looks To Improve Results In Second Year As Analytics Director For NHL TeamSunny Mehta Entering Second Season With New Jersey Devils |
|
As NHL training camps opened this past weekend, former poker pro Sunny Mehta is looking for big improvements in his second year as the New Jersey Devils’ analytics director, according to a story late last week from The New York Times.
The Devils are projected to be one of the league’s worst teams this year. The team was 32-36-14 last year and missed the playoffs for a third straight season.
Mehta, who once played poker for a living in Las Vegas and has authored two books on the game, was hired last summer for a role that reportedly was the first of its kind in the league. He beat out around 500 other people for the job.
The bulk of his time is spent compiling data to help the Devils make decisions about player acquisitions and usage, the report said.
The move to hire Mehta, who also previously worked in options trading, has caused other teams in the league to launch full-time analytics departments. The idea is to take statistics to greater heights, and Mehta reportedly will have more influence this year than last year.
A general manager change earlier this year has put him in a better spot to assist in decision making. Mehta, 37, told The New York Times that he currently has his “dream job.”
Mehta’s success with using skills developed from poker in another high-profile industry are reminiscent of political predictions guru Nate Silver, who once used online poker as a source of income before becoming famous for his statistical work on elections.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
