The Puck Stops Here
Next entry: NHLPA Shoots Itself In The Foot
Previous entry: Ottawa Fires Coach Craig Hartsburg
No High Scoring Right Wingers This Season
by PuckStopsHere on 02/04/09 at 01:22 AM ET
Comments (3)
Historically in the NHL, right wing is a higher scoring position than left wing. The right winger is often seen as a sniper while the left winger is seen as a grinder. I don’t think there is any meaningful reason for this. There is no asymmetry built into the game of hockey that forces a strong difference between left and right. European systems have not followed suit. There have been a few top snipers who play left wing. Currently, the NHL has Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Thomas Vanek and others who are top snipers who were produced in Europe. Oddly, there is a lack of top scoring right wingers in the NHL this season. I don’t know that it is a meaningful trend, but it is a clear one from the scoring race.
Here are the top ten right wingers in the scoring race:
Player | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Position in Overall Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarome Iginla | Cgy | 50 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 9th |
| Marian Hossa | Det | 50 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 15th |
| Shane Doan | Phx | 52 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 21st |
| Martin St Louis | TBL | 51 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 23rd |
| Devin Setoguchi | SJS | 47 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 30th |
| Patrick Kane | Chi | 47 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 31st |
| Corey Perry | Ana | 49 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 32nd |
| Brad Boyes | StL | 50 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 33rd |
| Daniel Alfredsson | Ott | 48 | 14 | 30 | 42 | 35th |
| Ales Hemsky | Edm | 40 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 41st |
Ten right wingers in the top 41 scorers in the league are quite reasonable. Essentially there are no defencemen scoring at that level, so that leaves the three forward positions to split the top scorers. Centre will have the highest number of players because it is in a better position to control the play from the centre of the forward line and talented younger players will preferentially be funneled into that position. The story is at the top of the list. The top scoring right winger is ninth in the league (Jarome Iginla) and second is 15th (Marian Hossa). There are only two right wings in the top 20 scorers in the NHL right now. That is a surprisingly low number.
I do not think this is likely a meaningful longterm trend. I think it is just a current fluke. There is no right winger having a top season this year. Last year, Jarome Iginla was third in scoring in the league. This year he is lower in the standings. Other players who have had top scoring seasons on right wing in the past like Alexei Kovalev, Daniel Alfredsson and Martin St Louis are starting to age and their numbers are likely in decline. Another top right winger of the recent past, Jaromir Jagr is out of the league. Nobody has stepped forward to take their place. There are candidates in players like Patrick Kane, Devin Setoguchi and Corey Perry, but they are yet to have a season where they were one of the league’s top scorers.
Only Jarome Iginla and Ales Hemsky on this list are above a point per game. That is remarkably low for right wingers. Hemsky is well down the list for having missed time with a concussion.
Historically right wing has been the higher scoring wing. Is that changing? Is that a European influence on the NHL? Or is this just a one or two season fluke that will soon disappear?
Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
Tags: Ales+Hemsky, Jarome+Iginla, Marian+Hossa,
Comments
It is unclear with Vanek. When he was drafted into the NHL his position was often listed as wing (without specifying left or right). I think that his preference for left wing was something he learned in his earlier days before he came to North America and the North American system had him playing right as well. He was a left winger who was somewhat unsuccessfully converted to a right winger but when he got to the pro level (or established in college) he clearly chose left wing and never looked back.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 02/04/09 at 08:25 AM ET
And Vanek, Kovalchuk and Ovechkin are all Right Handed shots…
Your going to start seeing this become more of a trend I think. A lot of Right Handed shooters are starting to like playing the left side more and more. The feeling for the guys that are considered snipers is that it’s easier to fire off a good shot from the off wing. You can cut to the middle and be in a better position for a shot. It also puts you in a nice position for a one timer cutting down low.
Posted by Performance Parts on 02/04/09 at 08:51 AM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Missing Other League All Star Games
Top Defenceman So Far This Season
About The Puck Stops Here
The Puck Stops Here was founded during the 2004/05 lockout as a place to rant about hockey. The original site contains over 1000 posts, some of which were also published on FoxSports.com.
Who am I?
A diehard hockey fan.
Why am I blogging?
I want to.
Why are you reading it?
???
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker
Donate to Kukla’s Korner
Actually, it bears mentioning that Vanek, though born in Europe, is a product of the University of Minnesota and, prior to that the USHL. The Sioux Falls Stampede and Golden Gophers likely had more of an impact on his style of play than the European leagues.
Posted by Blake from Minnesota on 02/04/09 at 08:15 AM ET