Jaroslav Bezdek
I graduated in statistics in 2018 and have been working in data analytics ever since, across a variety of roles. I am currently the Head of Sport Sciences at GRAET, a company building a platform to help aspiring ice hockey players develop their potential. Alongside this, I work as a part-time data analyst for one of the major Czech ice hockey clubs. My work combines a passion for sports with a love of data. Outside of work, I enjoy playing the drums, riding my bike, and debating whether pineapple belongs on pizza — though as a fan of pizza Hawaii, I’m firmly in the “yes” camp.
Session
How can data science help young athletes navigate their careers? In this talk, I’ll share my experience building a career path planner for aspiring ice hockey players. The project combines player performance data, career path patterns, and predictive modeling to suggest possible development paths and milestones. Along the way, I’ll discuss the challenges of messy sports data and communicating insights in a way that resonates with non-technical users like coaches, parents, and players.