Paper Scoresheet or Stat App: Which Works Better for Youth Hockey?

Updated October 2026

For youth hockey coaches and parents, both paper and a stat app work, but with paper someone has to add up the totals after the game. With a stat app like RinkTally, which is free to track, season totals come straight from the taps.

	Paper scoresheet	RinkTally
Season totals	Added up by hand after the game	Built from the taps, free
Player stats	Tallied from the sheet or typed into a spreadsheet	Goals, assists, points, penalty minutes and games played, free
Sharing	Photo of the sheet, or typed up	Recap picture with jersey numbers only
Family following	Not live	Live score, read-only, free
Battery and signal	Needs neither	Needs a phone. Works with no signal and syncs later
Cost	Paper	Free to track. Coach Pro is optional

What paper does well

Paper needs no battery or signal, and many people already know it. You write down what happens and the game is recorded.

Where paper gets hard

After the game, someone sits down and tallies the numbers. Goals per player, shots on goal, penalty minutes, the team record — those come from adding up the sheet by hand or typing it into a spreadsheet. That takes time, and the longer it waits, the less likely it gets done.

What a live stat app changes

In RinkTally, one tap per event — goal, shot, faceoff, penalty — and the totals build as you go. Undo fixes a mis-tap. Coach Simple mode tracks goals and shots. Advanced adds faceoffs and penalties. Learn more about how to track stats from the bench.

At the final horn, share the score and stats as a picture. The recap shows jersey numbers only, not children's names.

The season view shows your team record, goals and shots for and against. The player page shows goals, assists, points, penalty minutes, games played, and per-game averages after three games — free.

Family can follow the live score, read-only, for free.

Shot maps are half-rink, with shots as circles and goals as diamonds. They're free for the first three games per team for coaches. Viewing is always free.

Shootouts are tracked round by round — pick your shooter, then Goal or Miss.

What about rinks with no signal?

Keep tracking. The header shows Synced, Syncing, Offline, or a pending count. Everything stores on your phone and uploads when you're back in range. You don't need bars to record the game.

Cost: free versus Pro

Tracking, recaps, history, season totals, and goalie stats are free. Coach Pro is $9.99/month or $59.99/year for game-by-game logs, season trends, home and away splits, and unlimited shot maps. Prices vary by region and are shown in the app.

Can you use both?

Some teams may use both. RinkTally for the live totals and the recap picture, and paper for the official record the league expects. This is an option if it fits your workflow.