The NHL’s Most Efficient Goal Scorers: What Shooting Percentage Really Tells Us
By Andrew Trimble – The Hockey Focus
Every season, fans look at the NHL goal-scoring race.
Who scored 50 goals?
Who led the league in points?
Who had the most shots?
But one statistic often gets overlooked—and it may tell us more about a player’s finishing ability than total goals ever could.
Shooting Percentage.
Simply put, shooting percentage measures how often a player’s shot becomes a goal.
A player with a 20% shooting percentage scores once every five shots.
A player with a 10% shooting percentage needs roughly ten shots to score once.
While volume shooters create opportunities, efficient shooters make the most of the chances they get.
The NHL’s Most Efficient Goal Scorers (2025–26)
Among qualified NHL players, these were some of the league’s best finishers this season:
| Player | Shooting % |
|---|---|
| Robert Thomas | 24.5% |
| Logan Cooley | 23.5% |
| Pavel Zacha | 22.9% |
| Wyatt Johnston | 21.8% |
| Anthony Mantha | 21.7% |
| Morgan Geekie | 21.5% |
| Mark Stone | 21.5% |
| Mark Scheifele | 20.6% |
| Steven Stamkos | 20.4% |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 20.0% |
Several of the NHL’s biggest stars also finished among the league leaders:
- Cole Caufield – 19.8%
- William Nylander – 19.2%
- Nikita Kucherov – 19.0%
- Leon Draisaitl – 18.8%
What Makes These Players Different?
When people hear “great shooter,” they often picture the hardest slap shot.
That’s rarely what separates elite goal scorers.
Instead, these players consistently excel in four areas.
1. Shot Selection
The best goal scorers don’t simply shoot more.
They shoot better.
Many of their goals come from high-danger areas near the crease or inside the faceoff dots.
Quality almost always beats quantity.
2. Quick Releases
Goaltenders have become bigger, faster, and more technically sound than ever.
The longer a player holds onto the puck, the more time the goalie has to get set.
Elite scorers often release the puck almost immediately after receiving it.
3. Hockey IQ
Great scorers anticipate where opportunities will develop before they happen.
They arrive in scoring areas early rather than reacting late.
This allows them to receive passes while already in shooting position.
4. Accuracy
The NHL isn’t won by players who shoot the hardest.
It’s won by players who consistently hit small openings around elite goaltenders.
Precision matters.
What Youth Players Can Learn
Young players often ask me:
“How do I score more goals?”
The answer usually isn’t “shoot harder.”
Instead, focus on:
- Getting open before the puck arrives.
- Improving your release speed.
- Shooting in stride.
- Finding better scoring areas.
- Developing the awareness to recognize when to pass instead of forcing a shot.
The best shooters in the NHL are also outstanding decision-makers.
The Takeaway
Shooting percentage doesn’t tell the whole story.
Some percentages naturally rise and fall from season to season.
But when combined with good shot selection, hockey IQ, and consistent scoring habits, it becomes one of the most useful statistics for evaluating finishing ability.
The next time you watch an NHL game, don’t just count the goals.
Watch where they shoot from.
Watch how quickly they release the puck.
Watch how they get open before anyone else notices.
That’s where great goal scorers separate themselves.
