The Blues are some of the best at redirecting shots for goals

Redirecting shots is an art form in the world of hockey. It’s an art form which many players attempt, but only a select few truly master. Typically, the conversations about tipping and redirecting shots stay in a pretty vague, or gray area. Broadcasts usually touch on a player’s skill in front of the net tipping pucks, but that’s where the conversations usually end.

Thanks to the awesome crew at TSN, hockey fans now have a better understanding of who excels when it comes to tipping in shots for goals. They recently took a look at the art of redirections and they uncovered some really interesting stats.

For starters, between 2014 and 2017, the best shooting percentage in the NHL came off of redirected shots. Redirections found the net over 20% of the time. By comparison, backhand, snap and wrist shots all checked in around 10%. Slappers were even lower, for what it’s worth. It shouldn’t be surprising that tipped shots go in more often than other shots, but it may be a bit of a shock to see just how successful they are.

Going a step further, TSN listed the top-20 players who tipped or redirected the most goals between 2014 and 2017. The second column, titled % G Tipped, indicates what percentage of the player’s total goals came off of the redirection.

Blues fans should notice Stastny, Schwartz and new addition Schenn on the list. Schenn’s previous goals obviously haven’t helped the Blues, but his skill in the art of the redirection is one of the most exciting things he brings to the table.

Those are some promising numbers for the Blues as they prepare for 2017-18. If they’re smart, they’ll design a few specific strategies and plays centering around the team’s strong ability to tip pucks on goal.