DATA METHODOLOGY

RinkStop maintains a directory of more than 9,500 hockey listings — rinks, teams, players, and leagues across roughly 80 countries. This page describes how that data is sourced, how it is kept current, and how errors are handled.

Where the data comes from

Directory records are combined from the following sources:

• Official league feeds. NHL, AHL, KHL, PWHL, NCAA, IIHF, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and other federations publish team rosters, schedules, and venue lists. These are the primary sources for active-team records and league rosters.
• Public federation and association directories. National federations publish rink and arena registries, club registrations, and competition results.
• Box-score archives. League box-score archives provide career statistics, season-by-season tables, and historical records for individual players.
• User submissions. RinkStop’s directory-submission forms let team operators, rink managers, and members of the public submit listings or corrections. Submitted listings are reviewed by a RinkStop editor before they appear on the site.
• Direct outreach. Where public data is incomplete (particularly in non-traditional markets), the editorial team contacts leagues, clubs, and federations directly to confirm venue details, registration status, and contact information.

How we verify a listing

Every listing page shows one of four verification states:

• Organization verified. The listing was confirmed directly with the organization (team, rink, league) by the RinkStop editorial team.
• Official source verified. The listing was created from an official source (league registry, federation site, federation press release) and is updated when the source updates.
• Community submitted. The listing was submitted by a user and reviewed by a RinkStop editor before publication. It has not been independently verified against the organization.
• Unverified. The listing was aggregated from public data of uncertain provenance. It appears on the site pending verification.

Each listing page also shows the date it was last updated and the source(s) used to create it.

How often data is updated

Update cadence varies by entity type:

• Active professional teams (NHL, AHL, KHL, PWHL, top European leagues): roster, schedule, and standing data are refreshed daily during the season.
• Amateur, youth, and developmental teams: rosters are refreshed weekly during the season and at the start of the off-season.
• Players: career statistics are refreshed weekly during active seasons and quarterly in the off-season.
• Rinks and arenas: venue details are reviewed at least annually; status changes (open, closed, renamed, expanded) are processed within five business days of being reported.
• Leagues: structural data (founding year, country, divisions, current champion) is reviewed annually; in-season standings refresh daily.

How corrections are handled

Corrections are processed through the same channel as all other feedback: the Corrections page. When a correction is accepted, the listing is updated, the page renders the corrected value on the next refresh, and the source attribution is updated if the corrected data came from a different or higher-quality source.

How to submit a new listing

New listings are submitted through /add-listing. Every submission is reviewed by a RinkStop editor before it appears on the site. Submitting a listing does not transfer ownership of the listing to RinkStop; the listing remains attributable to the original organization, and ownership can be claimed by the organization through /claim-your-listing.

Editorial content vs directory data

Directory listings are factual records and are subject to the verification process above. Editorial articles (news, guides, analysis) are written and reviewed under our Editorial Policy. The two are kept separate: editorial articles never modify directory data, and directory updates never retroactively change published articles.

What we don’t do

• We do not publish fabricated listings. Every record on RinkStop traces back to a public source, a federation record, a user submission, or direct outreach.
• We do not present unverified data as verified. Every page declares its verification status.
• We do not silently edit historical data. Corrections are visible on the page (last-updated timestamp + source attribution) and, for editorial articles, are recorded in the public correction log.
• We do not sell or transfer directory data to third parties for marketing use.

Related

• Editorial Policy — how editorial content is produced and reviewed
• Corrections — how to report an error
• About RinkStop — ownership, contact, and mission