Hockey Analytics

2015 in Review

by Gus Katsaros

December 30, 2015, 7:15 am ET

Updated On: October 4, 2018, 4:04 pm ET

It's all Jamie Benn's world in calendar year 2015, we just live in it. He led the NHL in points, and is the the lone player to eclipse 100 points. In the quirky bit of whimsy, the top five ranked players last names all end with the letter 'n'. Seven of the top 10 names. How's that for analytics?

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254
Daniel Sedin	84	28	53	81	6	19	272
Erik Karlsson	82	23	58	81	5	24	242
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282
John Tavares	78	36	43	79	10	15	266
Mark Stone	80	28	50	78	7	12	175
Henrik Sedin	82	21	54	75	8	17	109
Joe Pavelski	79	36	38	74	14	16	227
Alex Steen	77	28	46	74	7	18	223

With calendar year 2015 winding down, 2016 excites with new hopes and dreams. I thought I'd focus on the 2015 calendar year as the final piece prior to new beginnings. I didn't bother breaking down every individual even strength situation (5v5, 4v4, etc.) but did separate power-play points.

All the values shown below encompass all situations unless otherwise specified, with the cut off being totals leading into Tuesday December 29.

With a couple of days’ worth of games statistics leading up to New Year's Eve, these lists may look quite different, especially with the tight clumps of players that can leapfrog ranks with a good game prior to year-end.

Leading point scorer Jamie Benn for instance earned another assist Tuesday night as did Erik Karlsson to pull ahead of idle Daniel Sedin – and padding his 2015 leading assist total to 59.

Tyler Seguin appears among the top 10 with 80 points – in only 72 games a 1.11 points per game pace, good enough for fourth overall), but added another goal Tuesday night, while John Tavares two points Tuesday puts him in contention for second overall.

Mark Stone's meteoric ascension over the second half of 2014-15 clocked in the seventh overall with 78 points in 80 games, while electrifying rookie Johnny Gaudreau just missed the top 10 (12th overall) with 73 points in 77 games.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs Phil Kessel, being amongst the elite goal scores since donning the blue and white scored a measly 18 goals in the calendar year. He played in 79 games split between Toronto and Pittsburgh amassing only 40 points despite firing 279 shots on goal. To put that into perspective the standard deviation among goal scores in 2015 was nine (9), meaning Kessel is at least two standard deviations away from being in the middle of the pack of the top 10 goal scorers. It’s a dramatic dropoff.

The one player not mentioned in the top ranks is current Art Ross candidate Chicago’s Patrick Kane having only played 60 games, but racking up 73 points. When ranking by points per game without restrictions on games played, Kane trails only Benn in points per game.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254	1.25
Patrick Kane	60	30	43	73	11	10	190	1.22
Leon Draisaitl	27	9	22	31	2	3	54	1.15
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282	1.11
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380	1.03
John Tavares	78	36	43	79	10	15	266	1.01
Erik Karlsson	82	23	58	81	5	24	242	0.99
Mark Stone	80	28	50	78	7	12	175	0.98
Daniel Sedin	84	28	53	81	6	19	272	0.96
Alex Steen	77	28	46	74	7	18	223	0.96
Taylor Hall	58	19	36	55	3	6	210	0.95
Vladimir Tarasenko	77	37	36	73	10	8	277	0.95
Johnny Gaudreau	77	29	44	73	7	13	189	0.95
Joe Pavelski	79	36	38	74	14	16	227	0.94
Nicklas Backstrom	77	16	56	72	4	29	132	0.94
Henrik Sedin	82	21	54	75	8	17	109	0.91
Sidney Crosby	77	24	46	70	9	17	235	0.91
Blake Wheeler	76	25	43	68	4	12	227	0.89
Evgeni Malkin	67	29	30	59	9	12	200	0.88
Pavel Datsyuk	57	17	33	50	3	14	145	0.88
Kyle Turris	82	30	38	68	4	10	215	0.83
Max Pacioretty	81	37	30	67	9	6	327	0.83
Anze Kopitar	78	18	46	64	3	11	136	0.82
Jiri Hudler	72	23	36	59	5	9	140	0.82
Sean Monahan	77	32	31	63	10	5	175	0.82

Isolating power play points, Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL with 33, goal-scoring Ovi right behind him with 32 points, tied with Flyers Claude Giroux.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm	sh%	PP_Pts
Nicklas Backstrom	77	16	56	72	4	29	132	0.94	12.12	33
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380	1.03	13.95	32
Claude Giroux	79	23	35	58	11	21	229	0.73	10.04	32
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254	1.25	18.50	31
Joe Pavelski	79	36	38	74	14	16	227	0.94	15.86	30
Jakub Voracek	80	11	47	58	6	24	212	0.73	5.19	30
Erik Karlsson	82	23	58	81	5	24	242	0.99	9.50	29
P.K. Subban	83	8	54	62	6	23	203	0.75	3.94	29
Henrik Zetterberg	75	14	46	60	4	25	187	0.80	7.49	29
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282	1.11	11.35	28

Goals

Scoring 47 goals Jamie Benn trailed only Alex Ovechkin, the lone 50-goal scorer (53) during the calendar year - while also leading in power-play goals (25) and running away with shots on goal (222). The NHL average goals scored among the top 30 point scorers in the NHL was 29.7.

Mike Hoffman’s 36 goals only contain five power play markers.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm	Sh%
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380	1.0256	13.95
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254	1.253	18.5
Steven Stamkos	80	39	23	62	16	8	238	0.775	16.39
Vladimir Tarasenko	77	37	36	73	10	8	277	0.9481	13.36
Max Pacioretty	81	37	30	67	9	6	327	0.8272	11.31
John Tavares	78	36	43	79	10	15	266	1.0128	13.53
Joe Pavelski	79	36	38	74	14	16	227	0.9367	15.86
Scott Hartnell	84	34	34	68	10	8	190	0.8095	17.89
Mike Hoffman	78	33	30	63	5	5	211	0.8077	15.64
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282	1.1111	11.35

I am including shots on goal in this category, because of the correlation between shots and scoring. Brent Burns is the lone defenseman on the list among the NHL’s elite goal scorers, only three shots shy of the 300 plateau – and exceptional company.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm	Sh%
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380	1.0256	13.95
Max Pacioretty	81	37	30	67	9	6	327	0.8272	11.31
Brent Burns	79	21	43	64	7	20	291	0.8101	7.216
Rick Nash	79	30	28	58	6	5	287	0.7342	10.45
Radim Vrbata	81	26	27	53	8	8	283	0.6543	9.187
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282	1.1111	11.35
Vladimir Tarasenko	77	37	36	73	10	8	277	0.9481	13.36
Daniel Sedin	84	28	53	81	6	19	272	0.9643	10.29
Phil Kessel	79	18	22	40	4	10	271	0.5063	6.642
John Tavares	78	36	43	79	10	15	266	1.0128	13.53

Shots on goal wouldn’t be complete without a measure of how well players capitalized on shots. Shooting percentage leader over the calendar year (minimum 30 games played) is the Sedin twin few would have expected to be leading the category. Daniel is the shooter, but Henrik tops this list here. Only Jamie Benn and Steven Stamkos eclipsed the 200 shots plateau among the top 10 in all situation shooting percentages.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm	sh%
Henrik Sedin	82	21	54	75	8	17	109	0.9146	19.27
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254	1.253	18.50
Sean Monahan	77	32	31	63	10	5	175	0.8182	18.29
Scott Hartnell	84	34	34	68	10	8	190	0.8095	17.89
Jordan Eberle	68	25	30	55	6	12	149	0.8088	16.78
Justin Abdelkader	76	25	21	46	12	6	150	0.6053	16.67
Jiri Hudler	72	23	36	59	5	9	140	0.8194	16.43
Steven Stamkos	80	39	23	62	16	8	238	0.775	16.39

Power Play Goals

An interesting name in the ranks here is Carolina’s Justin Faulk, scoring 16 power play goals, scoring five in the second half of the ’14-15 season and another 11 so far in an incredible run of power play markers. Justin Abdelkader, known more for his tenacity and checking ability is also ranked among the year’s best totals.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG
Alex Ovechkin	78	53	27	80	25	7	380
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254
Justin Faulk	81	23	36	59	16	11	251
Steven Stamkos	80	39	23	62	16	8	238
Joe Pavelski	79	36	38	74	14	16	227
Justin Abdelkader	76	25	21	46	12	6	150
Patrick Kane	60	30	43	73	11	10	190
Claude Giroux	79	23	35	58	11	21	229
Loui Eriksson	78	26	28	54	11	5	166
Shea Weber	78	17	28	45	11	12	223

Assists

Top goal scorer Alex Ovechkin earned 27 assists, the lowest among the top 30 point scorers of the calendar year. Steven Stamkos collected 23 helpers while ranking 30th overall in points (62) in 80 games. The NHL average among top 30 scorers for assists was 41.8.

The year’s biggest producer was Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson, leading all NHLers in 2015 in helpers.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG
Erik Karlsson	82	23	58	81	5	24	242
Jamie Benn	83	47	57	104	16	15	254
Nicklas Backstrom	77	16	56	72	4	29	132
Henrik Sedin	82	21	54	75	8	17	109
P.K. Subban	83	8	54	62	6	23	203
Daniel Sedin	84	28	53	81	6	19	272
Mark Stone	80	28	50	78	7	12	175
John Klingberg	80	12	49	61	3	20	133
Tyler Seguin	72	32	48	80	10	18	282
Jakub Voracek	80	11	47	58	6	24	212

Power play markers are led by Washington’s Backstrom, followed up by Zetterberg and distributor extraordinaire Jakub Voracek before Karlsson and P.K. Subban lead the host of defensemen into the ranks.

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	PPA	SOG	Pts/Gm	Sh%	PP_pts
Nicklas Backstrom	77	16	56	72	4	29	132	0.9351	12.12	33
Henrik Zetterberg	75	14	46	60	4	25	187	0.8	7.487	29
Erik Karlsson	82	23	58	81	5	24	242	0.9878	9.504	29
Jakub Voracek	80	11	47	58	6	24	212	0.725	5.189	30
P.K. Subban	83	8	54	62	6	23	203	0.747	3.941	29
Andrei Markov	82	7	45	52	3	22	128	0.6341	5.469	25
Claude Giroux	79	23	35	58	11	21	229	0.7342	10.04	32
Kris Letang	63	4	43	47	1	21	173	0.746	2.312	22
Keith Yandle	84	3	44	47	1	21	192	0.5595	1.563	22
Brent Burns	79	21	43	64	7	20	291	0.8101	7.216	27

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I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a Happy New Year, with best wishes for a safe, happy and prosperous 2016!

Thank you very much for following along the Analytics ride so far this season!