Swedish ice hockey is looking for the solution to a mystery. The men of SHL last season had 1.3 concussions per game, and the ladies almost as many with 1.0 concussions per game. But because the ladies have fewer matches per game, they are actually at the same eerie level as the men, even though at least according to the rule book they should play without tackles.

Dental guard with sensors

So now the players in Leksand are equipped to the teeth, with cutting edge technology. Molded dental protectors with sensors measure bangs on the head. GPS transmitters on the back, together with 18 so-called locators around the rink, give the players position on the ice. All monitored by a camera, and with the data straight into Mikael Swarén's computer.

- We see that there are players in the team that are much higher than the others in the number of bangs on the head that are above a certain limit value, says Mikael Swaren.

Do you see what that might be?

- It may be that a player who is better trained for close matches also has better technique in the close matches, and even though they are exposed to more risks do not get as many shakes of the head.

Time-consuming research

Mikael Swarén prepares the arena in Leksand for each training and home match for almost two months. The project, which is run by the Ice Hockey Association and the Swedish Olympic Academy, is time consuming, especially the analysis. No one today knows for sure why the SDHL ladies had 35 concussions last season. Without understanding, measures cannot be implemented.

- I definitely think this is good for long-term development, because you can see if the problems are due to the hockey game's way of playing and if something needs to change, says Leksands player Hanna Sköld to SVT Sport.

Hopefully, the complete analysis will be ready sometime this spring.