THREAD

“How does Zach Werenski score goals?”

Taking a dive into how Zach Werenski lead the NHL in goals by a defenseman

Find this + more on our news letter https://hockeysarsenal.substack.com/p/how-does-zach-werenski-score-goals?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=twitter

This is a follow up on our thread around why point shots suck + shot quality vs quantity

CBJ Zach Werenski led all NHL defensemen in goals (20) for the 2019-20 season
- 2 empty-netters
- We observed and analyze his other 18

2/7

Where do his goals come from?
•17 from within the ‘house’
•1 from the point

Werenski is picky about where he shoots from. Werenski doesn’t just stand on the blueline

He’s active in moving around to create issues for opponents to find areas with high shooting %

3/7

What types of shots does Werenski take?
•11 One time shots
•6 Wrist shots
•1 Backhand shot

Well-balanced approach
- Big bomb
- Compact, effective wrister

4/7

What kind of offensive chances does he score from?
•17 In-zone offense
•1 Rush goal

Nearly all of his goals came from in-zone offensive plays. Kind of surprising given how often he joins the rush

5/7

Where on the net does he shoot?
•1 Five Hole
•3 Mid-Left
•8 Mid-Right
•1 High Left
•3 High Right
•2 Open nets where the goalie couldn’t move over fast enough

He’s shooting all over the net. Difficult for goalies to guess his tendencies

6/7

Painting Werenski’s picture
- Great in-zone offensive D who doesn’t just stay on the blueline
- He brings variety with both his shot selection + shot placement
- Werenski is similar to other top goal-scoring D in his focus on maximizing his shot quality within the house

7/7

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