Which NHL Players Shoot the Most: MacKinnon, Bouchard, Matthews, Hyman & More

The biggest hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." He is right, without any doubt. Many NHL players live by these words and shoot as much as they can.

Thanks to NHL EDGE, it is possible to measure who, from where, and how successfully players shoot during hockey games. EDGE is a modern hockey technology that gathers pucks's and players' statistics.

Find out which players shoot from the distance, who is the most efficient shooter in the National Hockey League, and which player benefits from his work in front of the opponent's goalie. 

Nathan MacKinnon

The Most Shots by NHL Players in the 2023 - 2024 season

Nathan MacKinnon from the Colorado Avalanche recorded the most shots on goal this season. He produced a staggering 405 shots during the regular season. That's 23 more than second placed David Pastrňák from the Boston Bruins. In the chart below, you'll find superstars like Auston Matthews, Filip Forsberg, or Brady Tkachuk. Some players, such as Cole Caufield from the Montreal Canadiens or Zach Hyman from the Edmonton Oilers, are a bit more surprising. Or are they? Hyman benefits from playing with Connor McDavid; Caufled is as natural of a shooter as they come. 

Player	Team(s)	Shots on Goal
Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche	405
David Pastrňák	Boston Bruins	382
Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	369
Brady Tkachuk	Ottawa Senators	357
Filip Forsberg	Nashville Predators	347
William Nylander	Toronto Maple Leafs	316
Cole Caufield	Montreal Canadiens	314
Nikita Kucherov	Tampa Bay Lightning	306
Artemi Panarin	New York Rangers	303
Zach Hyman	Edmonton Oilers	290

David Pastrňák

The Most High-Danger Shots by NHL Players

In this chart, you can see what we mentioned above. Zach Hyman scored 50+ goals in a single season for the first time in his career. He worked well with Connor McDavid. This forward is one of the best NHL players in front of the rivals' goalie. There are more specialists in high-danger shots, for example, John Tavares from the Toronto Maple Leafs or Joel Eriksson Ek from the Minnesota Wild. When these players come close to the net, it will be dangerous. 

Player	Team(s)	Shots on Goal
Zach Hyman	Edmonton Oilers	180
John Tavares	Toronto Maple Leafs	155
Chris Kreider	New York Rangers	135
Joel Eriksson Ek	Minnesota Wild	131
Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	129
Brady Tkachuk	Ottawa Senators	127
Brayden Point	Tampa Bay Lightning	116
Anders Lee	New York Islanders	115
Matthew Tkachuk	Florida Panthers	114
Jake Guentzel	PIttsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes	109

Zach Hyman

The Most Mid-Range Shots by NHL Players

NHL EDGE gives you many interesting numbers. Among the mid-range shooters Nathan MacKinnon and David Pastrňák rank the highest. In the chart below there are many NHL superstars, but also one surprise: Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues. By the way, can you guess from where Alexander Ovechkin made the majority of his shots?

Player	Team(s)	Shots on Goal
Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche	156
David Pastrňák	Boston Bruins	147
Artemi Panarin	New York Rangers	131
Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	126
Alexander Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	125
Filip Forsberg	Nashville Predators	124
William Nylander	Toronto Maple Leafs	119
Jordan Kyrou	St. Louis Blues	114
Steven Stamkos	Tampa Bay Lightning	109
Tage Thompson	Buffalo Sabres	107

Filip Forsberg

The Most Long-Range Shots by NHL Players

This is where it becomes even more interesting. Shots from high-danger areas and mid-range are made mostly by forwards. But long-range shots are the business of defensemen. The best is Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers; followed by Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and MacKenzie Weegar of the Calgary Flames.

Player	Team(s)	Shots on Goal
Evan Bouchard	Edmonton Oilers	136
Rasmus Dahlin	Buffalo Sabres	132
MacKenzie Weegar	Calgary Flames	124
Erik Karlsson	Pittsburgh Penguins	116
Roman Josi	Nashville Predators	113
Brent Burns	Carolina Hurricanes	108
Noah Dobson	New York Islanders	96
Mike Matheson	Montreal Canadiens	95
Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche	95
Devon Toews	Colorado Avalanche	94

Evan Bouchard

The Best Shooting Percentage of NHL Players

It's good when players shoot, remember Wayne Gretzky's words. But there is one even more important statistic: the shooting percentage. If your shots are not accurate, you can take hundreds of them and only a few will go in and your percentage will be low. The highest shooting percentage in the NHL? (Drumroll) Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. It is interesting to notice that the names in this chart are slightly different than in the other shooting charts.

Coincidence? Yes, and no. If you shoot 100 shots and score 20 goals, you'll have higher shot percentage than players with 400 shots and 70 goals. More shots usually mean more goals. The best way is to combine a high number of shots with high percentage, like Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Numbers don't lie, so it makes sense that this American forward became the best scorer of the last season. 

Player	Team(s)	Shooting %
Dylan Cozens	Buffalo Sabres	13.0
Mikko Rantanen	Colorado Avalanche	12.0
Steven Stamkos	Tampa Bay Lightning	11.5
Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	10.7
Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings	10.3
Jordan Greenway	Buffalo Sabres	9.5
Nino Niederreiter	Winnipeg Jets	9.1
Moritz Seider	Detroit Red Wings	9.0
Victor Hedman	Tampa Bay Lightning	8.9
Nikita Kucherov	Tampa Bay Lightning	8.9

Moritz Seider

 

PHOTO SOURCES: DNVR Sports, Boston.com, NHLPA, The Hockey News, NY Times