NHL Data

Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills nhl get_scoreboard
sports-skills nhl get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills nhl get_teams

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season year is derived from the system prompt's currentDate — never hardcoded.
• If only a team name is provided, call get_teams to resolve the team ID before using team-specific commands.

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., currentDate: 2026-02-18 → current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify: The NHL season runs October–June. If the current month is October–December, the active season year matches the current year. If January–June, the active season started the previous calendar year (use that year as the season).
• Example: Current date is February 2026 → active season started October 2025 → use season 2025.

Commands

See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Using ESPN and the NHL API Together

The get_nhlstats_* commands read api-web.nhle.com — the NHL's current API. (The retired statsapi.web.nhl.com, which most community docs still describe, no longer resolves.) It carries the analytics layer ESPN does not: on-ice shot coordinates, cross-league career rows, goalie leaders, and history to the Original Six era. The two sources use unrelated id systems:

• Game ids. NHL ids are 10 digits encoding season/type/game (2023030417); ESPN uses 9-digit event ids (401559593). No shared column — join on the game date plus teams.
• Team abbreviations. Five teams differ: ESPN LA/NJ/SJ/TB/UTAH vs NHL LAK/NJD/SJS/TBL/UTA. Every get_nhlstats_* team filter accepts either spelling, and rows carry both (team_abbreviation, team_abbreviation_espn).
• Player ids. NHL player ids (8478402) and ESPN athlete ids are unrelated. Resolve names with find_nhl_player; ASCII spellings match accented names ("stutzle" finds "Tim Stützle").
• Career rows span leagues. get_nhlstats_player_stats returns every league a player appeared in, each row labelled with league — filter to NHL before summing career numbers.
• Seasons. Pass the starting year (season=2024 means 2024-25). The NHL form ("20242025") is also accepted.

Examples

Example 1: Today's scores User says: "What are today's NHL scores?" Actions:

1. Call get_scoreboard() Result: All live and recent NHL games with scores and status

Example 2: Conference standings User says: "Show me the Eastern Conference standings" Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_standings(season=<derived_year>)
3. Filter results for Eastern Conference Result: Eastern Conference standings with W-L-OTL, points, regulation wins

Example 3: Team roster User says: "Who's on the Maple Leafs roster?" Actions:

1. Call get_team_roster(team_id="21") Result: Full Maple Leafs roster with name, position, jersey number, shoots/catches

Example 4: Game box score User says: "Show me the full box score for last night's Bruins game" Actions:

1. Call get_scoreboard(date="<yesterday>") to find the event_id
2. Call get_game_summary(event_id=<id>) for full box score Result: Complete box score with per-player stats and scoring plays

Example 5: Stanley Cup odds User says: "What are the Stanley Cup odds?" Actions:

1. Call get_futures(limit=10) Result: Top Stanley Cup contenders with odds values

Example 6: Player statistics User says: "Show me Connor McDavid's stats" Actions:

1. Derive season year from currentDate
2. Call get_player_stats(player_id="3895074", season_year=<derived_year>) Result: Season stats by category with value, rank, and per-game averages

Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these

• get_odds / get_betting_odds — not available. For prediction market odds, use the polymarket or kalshi skill.
• search_teams — does not exist. Use get_teams instead.
• get_box_score — does not exist. Use get_game_summary instead.
• get_player_ratings — does not exist. Use get_player_stats instead.

If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist.

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:

1. Catch silently and try alternatives
2. If team name given instead of ID, use get_teams to find the ID first
3. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

Error: sports-skills command not found Cause: Package not installed Solution: Run pip install sports-skills

Error: Team not found by ID Cause: Wrong or outdated ESPN team ID used Solution: Call get_teams to get the current list of all NHL teams with their IDs (expansion teams like the Seattle Kraken and Utah Mammoth have non-sequential IDs)

Error: No data returned for a future game Cause: ESPN only returns data for completed or in-progress games Solution: Use get_schedule to see upcoming game details; get_scoreboard only covers active/recent games

Error: Offseason — scoreboard returns 0 events Cause: No games scheduled during the offseason (July–September) Solution: Use get_standings or get_news instead; use get_schedule to find when the season resumes