The beauty of hockey is that no matter what position you play, there is always a position next to you that you can fill. While it is uncommon for a player to switch positions mid-game, it’s not impossible. However, knowing which positions score the most goals is helpful when deciding what to switch to.
To figure out which positions score the most goals, one needs to look at the following components:
- The position’s overall offensive rating
- The position’s overall defensive rating
- The position’s shot rate (shots on goal/total shots)
- The position’s point production (goals/assists)
- Penalty shots (shots on goal/total shots) (forwards only)
- The position’s shooting percentage (shots on goal/total shots) (forwards only)
- Whether the position is on or off the ice when faced with an opponent’s penalty
- Whether the position is on or off the ice when playing at home
To start, let’s take a look at which positions have the highest offensive rating. As a general rule, the more skilled a position is, the higher its offensive rating will be. Some of the most prolific scorers in the league are centers, as they usually put the puck in the net more often than not. This makes sense because they are usually the ones starting the breakout passes that lead to the play of the game.
There are fifteen positions that have an offensive rating of more than 120, indicating that no matter what forward you put there, you will always be able to produce points at a decent rate. Unfortunately, there are also positions that don’t fare as well in this category. One of them is defense. Regardless of whether you’re playing at home or on the road, your defensive rating will always be a negative number. There are, however, positions that have a negative score even when they are playing at home. One of them is goaltender, as no matter what defense you put there, the odds of you making a save are always 50-50.
Looking at goals scored, the first thing that comes to mind is that players who are paid to score goals usually end up with the most. Defensemen tend to score the least amount of goals, as they are usually responsible for putting the puck in the net and preventing the other team from doing the same. In order to become a goal scorer, you need to have a lot of talent and you have to be able to put the puck in the net, which makes sense because the majority of goals are scored by skilled forwards.
The same rule applies to defensemen as well. There really aren’t any bad positions in terms of scoring goals, as no matter what defenseman you play, you will always be responsible for stopping the other team’s best players. The only downside is that if you’re not a skilled forward or you don’t have enough tools, you’ll have a hard time putting the puck in the net.
However, looking at assisted goals, the picture changes a bit. Forwards, especially skilled ones, will usually get the puck to the net and then find a teammate to slot the puck into the net. This is where the majority of assists come from. Playing a two-way game doesn’t hurt either, as defensive contributions in terms of blocking shots and putting the puck in the right places leads to assisting teammates when they get the opportunity. This is why forward is the most common position among NHL gamers.
While there are several benefits to playing any position in hockey, the fact remains that some positions are more beneficial than others. If you want to score the most goals, it is best to play the positions that give you the best overall odds of scoring.