Sports + Math = Her Job!

Katerina Wu uses her math skills to help the Pittsburgh Penguins win games.

February 2023

by Anna Starecheski

Courtesy of Katerina Wu

Katerina Wu had no idea that an argument would change her life.

In college, she was talking to a friend about the National Hockey League (NHL). This friend said that Katerina’s team had no chance of making the playoffs. Katerina knew how to prove him wrong: with math.

So she opened up her laptop and got to work. As it turns out, her team had a 27 percent chance of making it. The argument was won! And Katerina had figured out how to combine two of her favorite things—math and sports.

Today, Katerina is a data scientist for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We talked to her about her dream job.

What does a data scientist like you do?

My job is to use math to help the team improve. Each player has a chip in their shoulder pad that tracks their movements. The puck has a chip too. One thing I do is look at that data and turn it into a 3-D graph showing what the players did during the game. Then I make suggestions to the coaches.

Word to know:

data: information that is collected and used to study something carefully

Can you give us an example?

I might notice that one player is great at passing the puck, while another scores a lot of goals. I would suggest that these players be put on the ice at the same time. Together, their individual strengths can make the team stronger.

How did you get interested in hockey?

I’ve always loved sports. I played every sport I could as a kid. But I got into watching hockey in college. My best friend was a big fan, and we would keep in touch by watching games together over the phone. Soon I was obsessed!

What’s the hardest part of your job?

Communication! I have to pass along information in a way that makes sense to someone who is not a mathematician.

What traits have helped you succeed in your job?

I’ve always asked a lot of questions. Maybe I’ll notice that a player consistently scores from a certain spot. Who else in the NHL shoots like that? Answering that question can help us find players we want on our team. Honestly, it’s great to be curious no matter what job you have!