Stat Glossary
Every stat on PowerPlayData, explained in plain English
New to hockey stats? No problem. The PWHL is bringing in tons of new fans, and the numbers can be overwhelming at first. This glossary breaks down every stat we track — from the basics like goals and assists to advanced analytics like Game Score and GSAA. Hover over any stat abbreviation on the site to see a quick definition, or bookmark this page as a reference.
Basic
The core counting stats you'll see in any hockey box score.
GPGames Played
The number of games a player has played in during the season. A player only needs to appear on the ice for a moment to count as having played.
GGoals
The total number of goals a player has scored. A goal is awarded to the last player on the scoring team to touch the puck before it crosses the goal line.
AAssists
The number of times a player set up a goal. Up to two assists can be given per goal — the primary assist goes to the player who directly passed to the scorer, and the secondary assist goes to the player before that.
PTSPoints
The standard measure of offensive production — every goal and every assist counts as one point. It's the most common way to rank scorers.
+/-Plus/Minus
Tracks the goal difference while a player is on the ice at even strength (not including power play or penalty kill). If your team scores while you're out there, you get a +1. If they score on you, -1. It's a rough measure of whether good or bad things happen when you're playing, but it's heavily influenced by teammates and opponents.
PIMPenalty Minutes
The total penalty minutes a player has accumulated. Most penalties are 2 minutes (minor) or 5 minutes (major). Lower is generally better — penalties put your team at a disadvantage.
Shooting
Stats that measure how players create and convert shot opportunities.
SOGShots on Goal
Only shots that would have gone in the net (if not stopped by the goalie) count as shots on goal. Shots that miss the net or are blocked by a defender don't count here.
SH%Shooting Percentage
The percentage of shots on goal that actually go in. League average is usually around 8-12%. A very high shooting percentage can indicate skill, luck, or a small sample size — it tends to swing a lot over short stretches.
GWGGame-Winning Goals
The goal that ultimately proves to be the difference in a win. If the final score is 4-2, the third goal (which put the team ahead 3-2) is the game-winning goal — even if it wasn't scored last.
ENGEmpty Net Goals
When a losing team pulls their goalie to add an extra skater, the other team can score into the open net. These are relatively easy goals, so they're sometimes tracked separately.
Special Teams
Production on the power play (extra player advantage) and penalty kill (playing short-handed).
PPGPower Play Goals
Goals scored while your team has more players on the ice due to an opponent's penalty. Power play goals are easier to come by since you outnumber the other team, but they still require skill and good passing.
PPAPower Play Assists
Assists earned during power play situations. Players who run the power play and distribute the puck tend to rack up power play assists.
SHGShort-Handed Goals
Goals scored while your own team is on the penalty kill (playing with fewer players). These are rare and impressive — you're scoring despite being at a numerical disadvantage.
SHAShort-Handed Assists
Assists earned while your team is short-handed. Like short-handed goals, these are uncommon and show a player can create offense even when their team has fewer players.
Physical
Measuring the physical game — ice time, hits, blocks, and faceoffs.
TOI/GPTime on Ice per Game
How many minutes a player spends on the ice each game, on average. Coaches give more ice time to their best players. Top forwards might play 18-22 minutes, while top defensemen can see 24+ minutes a game.
HITHits
The number of legal body checks a player delivers to opponents who have the puck. A high hit count generally means an aggressive, physical style of play.
BkSBlocked Shots
When a player gets in the way of an opponent's shot before it reaches the goalie. Blocking shots is a selfless play — it hurts, but it keeps the puck out of the net. Defensemen tend to lead in this category.
FOWFaceoff Wins
Faceoffs happen after every stoppage of play. Two players square off, the ref drops the puck, and each tries to win possession. Centers take most faceoffs.
FOAFaceoff Attempts
The total number of faceoffs a player has participated in. Along with faceoff wins, this tells you how active a player is in the draw and allows you to calculate their faceoff win percentage.
FO%Faceoff Percentage
The percentage of faceoffs a player wins. 50% is average by definition — anything above 55% is considered very good. Faceoff ability is one of the most stable, repeatable skills in hockey.
Rate
Per-game averages that let you compare players with different games played.
P/GPPoints per Game
The average number of points (goals + assists) a player records per game. This is the best way to compare production between players who've played different numbers of games. A point-per-game pace is considered elite.
H/GPHits per Game
Average number of hits per game. Gives you a sense of how physical a player is on a per-game basis, removing the games played factor.
PIM/GPPenalty Minutes per Game
Average penalty minutes per game. Shows how often a player takes penalties relative to their playing time. High PIM/GP means the player spends a lot of time in the box, which can hurt the team.
Advanced
Analytics that go beyond the box score to measure true player impact.
GS/GPGame Score per Game
Game Score combines goals, assists, shots, blocks, faceoffs, penalties, and plus/minus into one number that measures overall game impact. A score above 1.0 per game is solid, above 1.5 is excellent. It's not perfect — it only captures what shows up in the box score — but it's a useful quick snapshot of a player's all-around contribution.
GSGame Score (Season Total)
The total Game Score accumulated over the entire season. Since this is a counting stat (it adds up every game), players with more games played will generally have higher totals. Use GS/GP for a fairer per-game comparison.
G/60Goals per 60 Minutes
How many goals a player would score if they played a full 60 minutes. Since players get different amounts of ice time, per-60 rates let you compare production on a level playing field. A top-six forward might score around 1.0-2.0 G/60.
A/60Assists per 60 Minutes
How many assists a player would record per 60 minutes of ice time. Like G/60, this removes the ice time variable so you can compare playmaking ability regardless of how many minutes a coach gives them.
PTS/60Points per 60 Minutes
Total points (goals + assists) per 60 minutes of ice time. This is one of the best rate stats for measuring offensive production. It answers: "How productive is this player relative to their opportunity?"
SOG/60Shots per 60 Minutes
How many shots on goal a player generates per 60 minutes. High shot rates generally indicate players who are getting into scoring positions and driving play toward the opponent's net, even if the goals aren't always going in.
Hits/60Hits per 60 Minutes
A rate-adjusted measure of physical play. Shows how often a player finishes checks per 60 minutes, removing ice time differences from the equation.
GSAAGoals Saved Above Average
GSAA answers a simple question: how many more (or fewer) goals did this goalie save compared to what an average goalie would have saved facing the same shots? A positive GSAA means the goalie is better than average. For example, a GSAA of +10 means this goalie saved 10 more goals than an average goalie would have. It's one of the best ways to evaluate goalies because it accounts for workload.
GSAA/GPGSAA per Game
GSAA divided by games played gives you a per-game rate. This lets you compare goalies who've played different numbers of games. A positive value means the goalie is consistently saving more than an average goalie would.
Lg SV%League Average Save Percentage
The baseline save percentage across all PWHL goalies, calculated from total league saves divided by total shots against. This is the benchmark used to calculate GSAA — it represents what an "average" goalie would be expected to save.
SV% vs AvgSave Percentage vs. Average
The difference between a goalie's save percentage and the league average. A positive number means the goalie stops a higher proportion of shots than the average goalie. Even small differences matter — a .010 edge in SV% is significant over a full season.
Goalie
Stats specific to goaltenders — record, saves, and efficiency.
WWins
A goalie gets a win when they're the goalie of record (on the ice when the deciding goal is scored) and their team wins. Wins are heavily influenced by how good the team in front of you is — a great goalie on a bad team might not have many.
LLosses
A regulation loss — your team lost and the game didn't go to overtime. The goalie of record (on the ice when the opposing team's go-ahead goal is scored) gets tagged with the loss.
OTLOvertime Losses
An overtime or shootout loss. These don't count the same as regulation losses for standings purposes — in most leagues the team still gets one point in the standings for making it to overtime, so an OTL is considered less damaging than a straight loss.
GAAGoals Against Average
The average number of goals a goalie gives up per 60 minutes of play. Lower is better. A GAA under 2.50 is generally very good. Keep in mind this is affected by team defense — even a great goalie will have a higher GAA behind a bad defense.
SV%Save Percentage
The percentage of shots a goalie stops. This is the most important traditional goalie stat — it measures the goalie's performance regardless of how many shots they face. Anything above .920 is considered strong. League average is typically around .910-.920.
SOShutouts
A shutout happens when a goalie plays the entire game and doesn't allow a single goal. It's one of the most impressive feats for a goalie, requiring sustained focus for a full 60 minutes.
SVSaves
The total number of shots a goalie has stopped. A high save count usually means the goalie is seeing a lot of action (facing lots of shots), which can reflect both the goalie's workload and the team's defensive play.
SAShots Against
The total number of shots on goal a goalie has faced. More shots against usually means the team in front of the goalie isn't controlling possession well. Goalies who face more shots have more opportunities to make saves — and more chances to give up goals.
GAGoals Against
The total number of goals a goalie has let in. On its own it's just a counting stat — save percentage and GSAA give you a much better picture of goalie performance.
MINMinutes Played
The total time a goalie has spent in the net. Used to calculate rate stats like GAA and gives context to save totals.