How to Read Hockey Statistics

Hockey is a fast-paced game, but reading the stats can take some time if you don't know exactly what you are looking for. There is a separate group of statistics for goaltenders than there is for forwards and defensemen. Knowing the significance of the abbreviations is half the battle; figuring out what the numbers in each column mean is the rest.

Things You'll Need

  • Hockey statistics sheet
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Instructions

    • 1

      Learn the acronyms that are listed on the score sheet. POS means position, which can be LW, RW, D, G, C, for Left Wing, Right Wing, Defense, Goaltender, or Center. GP means Games Played, G means goals, A means assists, PIM stands for penalties in minutes, PPG means power play goal, GWG means game winning goal, SHG is short handed goals, and S stands for shots. All these statistics are merely counted up during the game.

    • 2

      Calculate the shooting percentage. This number is marked as PCT or SPCT on the score sheet. To find the shooting percentage, divide the number of goals scored by the number of shots taken. This number cannot exceed 100 percent. You can calculate shooting percentages for each player, or for the team as a whole.

    • 3

      Read the number of points scored in different situations. To figure this out, you must understand the abbreviations used on the score sheet. ESP stands for even strength points, SHP stands for short handed points, HmP is points gained on home ice, RdP is points gained on the road, PPP is power play points, DvP is points gained in games against the same division teams, and ODvP is points gained in games outside the division. These are counted up after each game and categorized depending on the game.

    • 4

      Calculate the average points scored per game. This can only be done after at least two games have been played. To calculate, take the total number of points divided by the number of games. This gives you the P/G average. Calculate average time on the ice (ATOI) in the same way. Take the player's total ice time divided by the total ice time in the game. This gives you the percentage of time on the ice in a single game. It can also be calculated at the end of the season using total time on the ice.

    • 5

      Read the statistics of the centers. The three stats that pertain to centers (and sometimes wings, if they have to step in to take a faceoff) include: faceoffs won (FW), faceoffs lost (FL) and percentage of faceoffs won (FWPCT). To find the FWPCT, divide the FW by the total number of faceoffs to get a percentage.