Posted inHockey Training

How To Score More Goals in Hockey

Scoring goals isn’t just about having a hard shot or fancy hands. The best goal scorers in hockey are smart, opportunistic, and consistent. Whether you’re a forward trying to boost your stats or a defenseman looking to contribute offensively, you can score more — if you focus on the right habits.

Here’s a full breakdown of what actually leads to more goals in hockey.

1. Shoot More — and Shoot With Purpose

One of the biggest reasons players don’t score is simple: they don’t shoot enough.

Good scorers:

  • Shoot quickly

  • Shoot from dangerous areas

  • Shoot through screens

  • Shoot when the goalie is moving

  • Shoot even when the angle isn’t perfect

Stop waiting for the “perfect play.” Most goals come from rebounds, deflections, and chaos — not highlight-reel moments.

Quick Release Matters More Than Power

A fast, unpredictable shot forces goalies to react. If you take too long to stickhandle or wind up, the goalie is already set.

2. Get to the High-Danger Areas

If you want to score more, you need to go where goals are scored: the slot, the crease, and the low circles.

Scorers win:

  • Net-front battles

  • Inside positioning

  • Second-chance puck scrambles

If you’re always shooting from the boards or the blue line, your scoring chances stay low. Move your feet and fight to get inside — where the real scoring happens.

3. Practice Scoring Situations, Not Just Stickhandling

A lot of players work on toe drags and flashy moves but never practice real scoring habits.

You should be practicing:

  • Quick catch-and-release shots

  • One-timers

  • Rebound shots from bad angles

  • Tipping pucks in front

  • Shooting in stride

  • Backhand shots

  • Screens and deflections

Great scorers master simple skills done quickly, not just creative stickhandling.

4. Develop Elite Off-Puck Awareness

Many goals happen because players put themselves in the right spot before the puck arrives.

Work on:

  • Finding soft spots in the defense

  • Sneaking behind defenders

  • Timing your routes to the net

  • Opening up for passes

  • Staying ready for rebounds

If you can read the play one second ahead, you’ll instantly get more scoring opportunities.

5. Improve Your Hockey IQ in the Offensive Zone

Goal scorers think the game differently. They recognize the right moments to attack.

Scorers look for:

  • When defenders switch or lose coverage

  • Goalie movements (post to post, tracking too slowly)

  • Loose pucks behind the net

  • Weak-side openings

The more you watch the game, the more you understand patterns — and the more chances you’ll create.

6. Crash the Net Hard Every Time

Even if you don’t have the puck, drive to the net with speed and purpose.

Benefits:

  • You draw defensemen with you

  • You create rebounds

  • You screen the goalie

  • You force mistakes

  • You open lanes for teammates

Players who consistently crash the net end up scoring garbage goals — the kind that count just as much as snipes.

7. Work on Your Hands in Tight

Not every chance is a clean breakaway. Many scoring chances happen right in front of the goalie where you have less than a second to react.

Practice:

  • Quick forehand-backhand moves

  • Jamming rebounds

  • Lifting the puck in tight spaces

  • Adjusting to passes in your feet

Being able to finish in tight makes a huge difference in your goal total.

8. Use Deception

Goalies are trained to read body language. If you can disguise your intention, you immediately become harder to stop.

Try:

  • Looking off your target

  • Changing shot angles

  • Shooting in stride

  • Delaying for half a second

  • Faking a shot before passing or vice versa

Deception forces the goalie to commit — and committed goalies get beat.

9. Get Stronger and More Explosive

Better strength = more goals.

Why?

  • You win more battles

  • You fight through checks

  • You accelerate into scoring areas

  • You shoot harder without extra effort

  • You stay balanced when finishing plays

You don’t need to be huge — you just need functional strength and power.

10. Watch and Study Great Goal Scorers

You learn from the best. Watch players like:

  • Auston Matthews

  • David Pastrňák

  • Leon Draisaitl

  • Nathan MacKinnon

  • Stamkos or Ovechkin on the PP

Notice their habits:

  • How they move off the puck

  • How fast their release is

  • Where they position themselves

  • How they time their steps

Copy their habits, and your scoring will improve.

Final Thoughts

Scoring more goals isn’t magic — it’s a combination of smart positioning, quick execution, shooting more often, and mastering the little habits that create chances. You don’t need elite talent to score more; you need elite consistency.