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No Such Thing as a ‘Natural’ Goal Scorer

By Mike Doyle, Minnesota Hockey, 11/07/17, 12:00PM PST

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In hockey, sometimes your eyes don’t tell the truth when it comes to goal scoring. As a shooter, it’s important to look at goal scoring from the puck’s perspective rather than your own.

Mike MacMillan, USA Hockey's national coach-in-chief, helps us understand the mentality of seeing things from the puck’s perspective and working to become a better scorer.

Shooter’s Illusion

Standing in the slot with a goaltender square to the puck, a right-handed shooter looks at the net and, from his or her perspective, will see high blocker (left side of the net) is open. Meanwhile a lefty in the same position will see high glove is open (right side of the net).

If shooters, left- or right-handed, get down and look at that square-to-the-puck goaltender from behind the puck, they will see a different picture.

This phenomenon is known as the shooter’s illusion. Even in the youth game, players’ viewpoints can be more than four feet away from the puck’s.

From behind the puck, players will see that there is much less room high on the side they shoot from and the lower corners, just above the pads, are actually a much more appealing option.

“I like to tell our players to shoot 13 to 20 inches off the ice on the blocker side,” said the University of Hamline assistant coach. “It’s a hard, hard spot for them to save it. So, if goalies are going down into a V, now they have to see the puck, move and get their blocker down.”

“That might be one reason that not everybody scores goals,” MacMillan added. “Goal scorers see the whole net and different options that are available to them at a very high rate of speed.”

When in Doubt, Go Low

Shooting high adds another caliber to the difficulty of scoring. Not only does a player have to aim properly left and right, but they have to aim for the correct vertical trajectory. Shooting low, there is less variability in missing either left/right or high/low.

“One of the things that has screwed up shooters is that goalies go down a lot, so they think they have to go high, but that is such a difficult shot to make,” MacMillan said. “Your percentages are astronomical against you.”

It’s not just youth players who get sucked into the allure of trying to snipe top shelf.

“It’s at every level. Go to a pro game or a Division I level game, even they do it. They shoot off the wrong foot when they’re skating around, they shoot high and miss the net,” MacMillan said. “I always get a kick out of youth coaches who complain about their players shooting high and I ask, ‘Ever watch a pro warm up?’ A lot of guys do.”

Additionally, shooting low allows for a greater opportunity for additional scoring chances. High shots give the goaltender a chance to catch it in their glove or eat it in their chest. Low shots create more rebounds off pads or sticks.

“If you are going to hit the goalie, where are you hitting him or her so that there’s a rebound?” MacMillan questions. “From the blue line or top of the circles, we tell our defensemen to go far pad. I tell our D to shoot [13 to 20 inches off the ice] because it can still be tipped.”

Changing Lanes

Goaltending has evolved to the point where it is difficult to beat a good goaltender on a straight shot – even from the slot. To counter the goaltender’s proper positioning, players should practice changing angles and shooting lanes.

This can be done by pulling in the puck on a snapshot or making a quick move laterally as they attack the net. Station-based drills and small-area games are a terrific way for players to learn to maneuver through traffic and find different shooting lanes.   

“If you’re using some station-based stuff where you’re moving the net outside of the crease area, that player then has to adjust himself to the net and inadvertently they’re going to be better at net-front presence when they’re trying to score in a game situation,” MacMillan said. “I think small-area games are a phenomenal way because they’re in very close, fast and they need to find ways to adjust to the net. They’re either going to score or learn what not to do to help them score in the future.”

Also, shooting the puck quickly, before the goalie can get into position or a defenseman can get into the lane, can make a huge difference between scoring and getting robbed.

“It’s a term we use at Hamline, ‘Take what’s given,’ ” MacMillan said. “You see it, you know that the opening is there, and you know if you get the puck, to shoot it right away.”

No Such Thing as a ‘Natural’ Goal Scorer

If a player really wants to score goals, they’ll need to take these concepts and work on the craft of shooting.

“What a bucket of pucks and a tarp can do for a kid – as far as shooting confidence and looking at different parts of the net by putting targets on a tarp or net and shooting at them – it’s invaluable.”

MacMillan gives the example of Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund as a player who continues to work on his craft. He shared a video of Granlund, who was coming back from injury, working on his shot before Wild practice.

“We have to get away from that statement, ‘You’re just a natural goal scorer.’ ” MacMillan said. “You talk to goal scorers and a lot of them will talk about [practicing]. If you get 10-15 minutes, go work on your shooting and scoring skills.

“How about a bucket of pucks at 50 cents a piece that will last you forever and every kid shoots 100 a day? They’ll probably have a chance of becoming a goal scorer. If you can’t shoot, you’re not going to score so you have to practice, practice, practice.”

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Minnesota Hockey, an affiliate of USA Hockey, is the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota and the premier developer of hockey players in the state.

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