NHL Top 50 Scorers in NHL – Analysis
At Neutral Zone we typically just analyze CHL and NCAA prospects and players, but there has been growing demand for NHL based information. In this short study, we analyze the Top 50-point producers in the NHL as of 12/18/2017. We looked at who they are, what countries they were born in, their size, age, where they were drafted overall, position, league they came to the NHL from, their points and number of games played in the AHL. Obviously, NHL GM’s have a lot more data and advanced statistics at their disposal, but we wanted to simply look at the basic metrics to learn more about the make up of an NHL top scorer.
Top 50 Point Producers in the NHL as of 12/18/2017
|
Name |
Country | Ht | Wt | Age | Draft | Pos | League | GP | G | A | Pts | +//- | AHL |
| Nikita Kucherov | RUS | 5’11” | 178 | 24 | 58 | RW | QMJHL | 34 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 10 |
17 |
|
Steven Stamkos |
CAN | 6’1″ | 194 | 27 | 1 | C | OHL | 32 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 13 | 0 |
|
John Tavares |
CAN | 6’1″ | 211 | 27 | 1 | C | OHL | 33 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 3 |
0 |
|
Johnny Gaudreau |
US | 5’9″ | 157 | 24 | 104 | LW | NCAA | 34 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 5 | 0 |
| Connor McDavid | CAN | 6’1″ | 190 | 20 | 1 | C | OHL | 33 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 6 |
0 |
|
Josh Bailey |
CAN | 6’1″ | 210 | 28 | 8 | LW | OHL | 33 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 4 | 11 |
| Jackub Voracek | CZE | 6’2″ | 214 | 28 | 7 | LW | QMJHL | 32 | 7 | 33 | 40 | 6 |
0 |
|
Anze Kopitar |
SLO | 6’3″ | 223 | 30 | 11 | C | EURO | 34 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 12 | 0 |
| Blake Wheeler | US | 6’5″ | 225 | 31 | 5 | RW | NCAA | 34 | 8 | 31 | 39 | 6 |
0 |
|
Brayden Schenn |
CAN | 6’1″ | 190 | 26 | 5 | C | WHL | 35 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 22 | 52 |
|
Nathan McKinnon |
CAN | 6’0″ | 205 | 22 | 1 | C | QMJHL | 32 | 15 | 23 | 38 | -2 | 0 |
|
Phil Kessel |
US | 6’0″ | 200 | 30 | 5 | RW | NCAA | 34 | 15 | 23 | 38 | -1 |
0 |
|
Alexander Ovechkin |
RUS | 6’2″ | 238 | 32 | 1 | LW | EURO | 32 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 8 | 0 |
| Mark Scheifele | CAN | 6’3″ | 207 | 24 | 7 | C | OHL | 34 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 10 |
10 |
|
Yevgeni Kuznetsov |
RUS | 6’1″ | 192 | 25 | 26 | C | EURO | 34 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 1 | 0 |
| Anders Lee | US | 6’3″ | 227 | 27 | 27 | LW | NCAA | 33 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 1 |
59 |
|
Vladimir Tarasenko |
RUS | 6’0″ | 218 | 26 | 16 | RW | EURO | 35 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 15 | 0 |
| Jaden Schwartz | CAN | 5’10” | 190 | 25 | 14 | LW | NCAA | 30 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 23 |
33 |
|
Claude Giroux |
CAN | 5’11” | 185 | 29 | 22 | C | QMJHL | 32 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 9 | 38 |
| Patrick Kane | US | 5’11” | 176 | 29 | 1 | RW | OHL | 33 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 1 |
0 |
|
Sidney Crosby |
CAN | 5’11” | 201 | 30 | 1 | C | QMJHL | 34 | 14 | 19 | 33 | -6 | 0 |
| Vincent Trocheck | US | 5’10” | 183 | 24 | 64 | C | OHL | 33 | 13 | 20 | 33 | -7 |
81 |
|
Filip Forsberg |
SWE | 6’2″ | 205 | 23 | 11 | LW | EURO | 32 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 7 | 50 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | CAN | 6’1″ | 187 | 24 | 3 | LW | QMJHL | 33 | 9 | 23 | 32 | -3 |
0 |
|
Brayden Point |
CAN | 5’11” | 165 | 21 | 79 | C | WHL | 32 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 16 | 11 |
| Evander Kane | CAN | 6’2″ | 212 | 26 | 4 | LW | WHL | 33 | 14 | 17 | 31 | -7 |
0 |
|
Taylor Hall |
CAN | 6’1″ | 205 | 26 | 1 | LW | OHL | 30 | 11 | 20 | 31 | -4 | 26 |
| Brock Boeser | US | 6’1″ | 192 | 20 | 23 | RW | NCAA | 31 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
0 |
|
Sean Monahan |
CAN | 6’3″ | 194 | 23 | 6 | C | OHL | 34 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 5 | 0 |
| David Pastrnak | CZE | 6’0″ | 181 | 21 | 25 | RW | EURO | 30 | 15 | 15 | 30 | -2 |
31 |
|
Sean Couturier |
CAN | 6’3″ | 212 | 25 | 8 | C | QMJHL | 32 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 13 | 31 |
| Aleksander Barkov | FIN | 6’3″ | 214 | 22 | 2 | C | EURO | 32 | 11 | 19 | 30 | -1 |
0 |
|
Evgeni Malkin |
RUS | 6’3″ | 195 | 31 | 2 | C | EURO | 30 | 10 | 20 | 30 | -1 | 0 |
| Tyler Seguin | CAN | 6’1″ | 200 | 25 | 2 | C | OHL | 34 | 14 | 15 | 29 | -4 |
0 |
|
Jamie Benn |
CAN | 6’2″ | 209 | 28 | 129 | LW | WHL | 34 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 1 | 24 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | CAN | 5’8″ | 183 | 26 | UD | RW | QMJHL | 29 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 9 |
326 |
|
Mathew Barzal |
CAN | 6’0″ | 187 | 20 | 16 | C | WHL | 33 | 8 | 21 | 28 | 6 | 0 |
| Mark Stone | CAN | 6’2″ | 205 | 25 | 178 | RW | WHL | 31 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 8 |
98 |
|
Vladislav Namestnikov |
RUS | 6’0″ | 183 | 25 | 27 | C | OHL | 32 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 8 | 152 |
| Eric Staal | CAN | 6’4″ | 205 | 33 | 2 | C | OHL | 33 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 5 |
88 |
|
Jack Eichel |
US | 6’2″ | 205 | 21 | 2 | C | NCAA | 33 | 11 | 17 | 28 | -10 | 0 |
| Artemi Panarin | RUS | 5’11” | 168 | 26 | UD | LW | EURO | 33 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 6 |
0 |
|
Patrik Laine |
FIN | 6’4″ | 200 | 19 | 2 | LW | EURO | 34 | 16 | 11 | 27 | -1 | 0 |
| William Karlsson | SWE | 6’1″ | 187 | 24 | 53 | C | EURO | 32 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 10 |
69 |
|
Brad Marchand |
CAN | 5’9″ | 180 | 29 | 71 | LW | QMJHL | 22 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 10 | 129 |
| Dustin Brown | US | 6’0″ | 216 | 33 | 13 | RW | OHL | 34 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 13 |
85 |
|
Alexander Radulov |
RUS | 6’1″ | 200 | 31 | 15 | RW | QMJHL | 34 | 11 | 16 | 27 | -4 | 11 |
| Mikko Rantanen | FIN | 6’4″ | 212 | 21 | 10 | LW | EURO | 32 | 9 | 18 | 27 | -7 |
56 |
|
Mats Zuccarello |
NOR | 5’7″ | 179 | 30 | UD | RW | EURO | 33 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 4 | 75 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | SWE | 6’0″ | 214 | 30 | 4 | C | EURO | 33 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 7 |
0 |
Here are some interesting finds in the data:
- 3 of the top 5 scorers in the NHL were first overall picks
- 12 of the top 14 scorers in the NHL were drafted in the first 11 picks of the draft
- Only 2 players in the Top 17 scorers are under 6 feet tall
- 4 of the Top 6 scorers in the league come from the OHL
- 7 of the Top 9 scorers in the league haven’t played a single AHL game and the other two played a total of 17 games or less.
- While 60% of the Top 50 scorers in the NHL are 26 years old or younger; when looking at the Top 10 scorers 70% are 26 years old or older.
- Johnny Gaudreau really is an outlier. He’s one of two Americans in the Top 15 scorers, he’s the only one under 5’11” and only one of two players drafted after the first round.
Country Breakdown
| Country | # | % |
| Canada | 23 | 46% |
| United States | 9 | 18% |
| Russia | 8 | 16% |
| Sweden | 3 | 6% |
| Finland | 3 | 6% |
| Czech Republic | 2 | 4% |
| Slovenia | 1 | 2% |
| Norway | 1 | 2% |
Just under half the players in the top 50 scorers are Canadian. The next highest is American and Russian which combine for over 1/3 of the list. The bottom five countries make up for a total of 20% of the Top 50. Comparing these numbers to league averages we see that Canadians make up about 46% of the NHL and they make up 46% of the Top 50 scorers. Americans on the other hand account for about 25% of the league and only account for 18% of the Top 50 scorers. Russia is makes up less than 4% of the NHL but accounts for 16% of the Top 50 scorers.
Size Breakdown
| Size | # | % |
| 5’7″ | 1 | 2% |
| 5’8″ | 1 | 2% |
| 5’9″ | 2 | 4% |
| 5’10” | 2 | 4% |
| 5’11” | 6 | 12% |
| 6’0″ | 8 | 16% |
| 6’1″ | 12 | 24% |
| 6’2″ | 7 | 14% |
| 6’3″ | 7 | 14% |
| 6’4″ | 3 | 6% |
| 6’5″ | 1 | 2% |
The height breakdown is a typical bell curve which shows only 12% of players being under 5’11” and only 8% taller than 6’3”. The 80% is the middle which is 5’11” to 6’3”, with the highest percentage of players being 6’1”. The average NHLer in the game is a little over 6’1” and weigh a little over 200lbs. That is pretty in line with what we see from the Top 50 scorers as well.
League Breakdown
| League | # | % |
| Euro | 14 | 28% |
| OHL | 13 | 26% |
| QMJHL | 10 | 20% |
| NCAA | 7 | 14% |
| WHL | 6 | 12% |
The league breakdown shows where the players came from. The highest percentage comes out of European leagues from Russia, Sweden, Czech, etc. The CHL (QMJHL, WHL, OHL) make up for 58% of the top 50 scorers and NCAA makes up for 14%. The CHL makes up for just over 50% of the league so the 58% of the Top 50 scorers is a little ahead of expectations. However, the interesting data comes from NCAA and Europe. NCAA players make up about 30% of the NHL but only 14% of the Top 50 scorers and the reverse is true for Europeans who make up under 20% of the league but account for 28% of the Top 50 scorers.
Draft Position
| Draft Picks | # | % |
| 1-15th | 31 | 62% |
| 16-30th | 8 | 16% |
| 31-45th | 0 | 0% |
| 46-60th | 2 | 4% |
| 61st + | 6 | 12% |
| Undrafted | 3 | 6% |
This may be the most telling graphic as there were 8 first overall picks in the Top 50 sorers and 62% of the players in the Top 50 were drafted in the first half of the first round. An additional 16% were in the second half of the first round to make it 78% of the Top 50 scorers being first round draft picks. There were 12% drafted after the second round and 6% that were undrafted.
Age Breakdown
| Age | # | % |
| 19 | 1 | 2% |
| 20 | 3 | 6% |
| 21 | 4 | 8% |
| 22 | 2 | 4% |
| 23 | 2 | 4% |
| 24 | 6 | 12% |
| 25 | 6 | 12% |
| 26 | 6 | 12% |
| 27 | 3 | 6% |
| 28 | 3 | 6% |
| 29 | 3 | 6% |
| 30 | 5 | 10% |
| 31 | 3 | 6% |
| 32 | 1 | 2% |
| 33 | 2 | 4% |
The split occurs around 25-26 years old with 50% of the players aged 19-25 and 50% between ages 26-33. The three age groups with the largest percentage of players in the Top 50 were 24, 25 and 26 year olds who each had 12%. The next highest percentage were ages 30 (10%) and 21 (8%). The average NHLer last year was 27 years old so this data shows that the top scorers are actually a bit younger than the average with 60% of these players aged 26 or younger.
AHL Experience
| AHL GP | # | % |
| 0-15 | 30 | 60% |
| 16-30 | 3 | 6% |
| 31-45 | 4 | 8% |
| 46-60 | 4 | 8% |
| 61+ | 9 | 18% |
While the overwhelming majority of NHL players have played in the AHL, the Top 50 scorers are an exception. 26 of the 50 players or 52% of the Top 50 haven’t played a single AHL game. Also, only 18% of the players have played enough games to be considered a full season in the league. This isn’t surprising considering most of the players in this list are high end first round picks and those players typically don’t play much AHL.
Conclusion:
The numbers behind the Top 50 scorers isn’t overly surprising. Most of the players are 6’1” or taller, most of them are first round draft picks, most have little to no AHL experience and just under half come from Canada. The breakdown by league prior to the NHL may be the most interesting with Europe representing 28%, CHL at 58% and NCAA at 14%. Lastly, the age breakdown shows that the NHL’s top scorers tend to be on the younger side as only 22% are in their 30’s. Exactly 60% of the Top 50 scorers are age 26 or younger.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/ Hickling Images