by Daniel Cohen
First it was just assists, completions, and completion percentage (and hockey assists, which have never gotten any love). Then we dug a little deeper with throwing yards and huck stats (throws of 40-plus yards). We now have more information to evaluate throwers than ever before, and I think we owe it to ourselves to get a little more in the weeds with what differentiates great throwers. The following are five stats—and the top 20 leaders from 2023—that shed new light on some of the UFA’s top throwers.
Before we jump in, I want to give a shoutout to the Western Ultimate League, which has the most in depth, readily available stats database in our sport.
Hockey Assist + Assist Rate (per possession)
Top 20 (2023)
How to Interpret
When the player is on the field and their team has possession of the disc, the player records a hockey assist (the throw before the assist) or assist on that possession x% of the time.
[(Hockey Assists + Assists) / Possessions] * 100
What It Tells You
Players at the top of this list are the drive finishers of their respective teams; these are often the most active in the red zone from a throwing and overall touches perspective. When these players are on the field, they’re the most likely ones to be punching in scores.
Quick Takeaways
- Good mix of traditional center handler/quarterbacks and aggressive hybrids
- Mostly offensive players, but seven of the 20 played predominantly on defense—per possession stats are useful to see who’s contributing offensively on the D-line. This makes intuitive sense, as D-line throwers tend to be more aggressive than their O-line counterparts.
- Indianapolis (Carter Rae, Keegan North, Travis Carpenter) and New York (Ryan Osgar, Ben Katz, John Randolph) each have three names in the top 20, indicating a greater reliance on specific players to punch in scores.
Huck Rate
Top 20 (2023)
How to Interpret
The percentage of a player’s total throws that travel 40-plus yards.
(Total Hucks / Total Throws) * 100
What It Tells You
Players at the top of this list are the gunslingers of their respective teams; these players are most likely to launch the disc 40-plus yards whenever it gets in their hands. You’ll mostly see hybrids rising to the top of this list, since handlers’ higher volume often leads to lower huck rates.
Quick Takeaways
- About one out of every five Max Sheppard throws was thrown 40-plus yards last year
- Of the top 20 most aggressive deep throwers, Ryan Osgar had the highest huck completion rate at 79.6 percent
- 12 of the top 20 players had a huck completion rate below league average (62.4 percent).
Yards per Completion
Top 20 (2023)
How to Interpret
How many throwing yards a player averages per completion.
(Throwing Yards / Completions)
What It Tells You
Players at the top of this list are the most aggressive advancing the disc downfield. Conversely, the players that average fewer yards per completion are generally more conservative with the disc, such as pivot handlers or lower-volume cutters.
Quick Takeaways
- Ian Sweeney, last year’s leader in yards per completion (10.6), has signed with Seattle for 2024. He joins a team that includes Garrett Martin (9.2 yards per completion) and Khalif El-Salaam (10.0 yards per completion; 178 completions last year didn’t qualify for the above table).
- There are three high-volume (500-plus completions last year) handlers on this list that also completed 95-plus percent of their throws: Luke Yorgason, Brandon Van Deusen, and Austin Taylor.
- Travis Dunn, Pawel Janas, and Jordan Kerr all averaged just 6.9 yards per completion, ranking outside the top 50.
Throwing Yards per Possession
Top 20 (2023)
How to Interpret
How many throwing yards a player averages per possession.
(Throwing Yards / Possessions)
What It Tells You
Players at the top of this list are the field generals; when they’re out there, the offense moves through them. More than anyone else on their line, they’re responsible for keeping the offense going and working the disc downfield.
Quick Takeaways
- Clint McSherry, last year’s leader in throwing yards per possession (16.5), signed with the Carolina Flyers this offseason. Sol Yanuck (12.9 yards per possession) and Elijah Long (10.0) are the currently rostered Flyers players who led the team last year in the stat.
- Luke Yorgason (15.9 throwing yards per possession, second highest in the league) really deserves more credit for what he’s been for Salt Lake’s offense. Grant Lindsley averaged the next most throwing yards per possession on Salt Lake at 10.2 (48th in the league).
- Los Angeles is the only team that has two primary O-line players represented in the top 20, with Van Deusen (fifth) and Janas (seventh).
Assist to Completion Ratio (as a percentage)
Top 20 (2023)
How to Interpret
Answers the question: What percent of a player’s completions went for assists?
(Assists / Completions) * 100
What It Tells You
Players at the top of this list are the end zone aggressors; they’re the ones most likely to be looking end zone when they get the disc in their hands, regardless of where they are on the field. You’ll find a lot of hybrids at the top of this list with high assist numbers and lower throwing volume than handlers.
Quick Takeaways
- Osgar, Kerr, and Sheppard (along with Travis Dunn, ranked fifth) have arguably been the most lethal scoring hybrids over the last few seasons.
- Cody Spicer’s second appearance on a top 20 list in this article, his role is not going to be easy to fill. Underrated throwing presence for Colorado the past two years, overshadowed by his defensive prowess.
- Tyler Monroe, Keegan North, Ryan Osgar, and Cody Spicer are the only players in the top 20 to complete over 95 percent of their throws last year.
Overall Takeaways
- From a scoring and efficiency perspective, Ryan Osgar jumps out more than anyone else as a top thrower in the league; he appears on four of the five lists, and he’s in the top 30 in all five categories.
- Jonathan Nethercutt stands out as maybe the one handler who displays a hybrid-like efficiency with his touches.
- Throwing Yards per Possession is a great stat for the “between the 20s” throwers—they may not have flashy scoring numbers, but these are the unsung heroes of every team that play a huge role in facilitating drives.
- Efficiency metrics like these are the best way to understand D-line quarterbacks, who otherwise won’t show up raw scoring or yardage totals due to fewer overall possessions.
- Repeating a previous one: 12 of the top 20 players in huck rate are completing hucks at a below league average rate. Wondering if we see any of them take a few less shots in 2024.
Originally posted on watchufa.com