There are plenty of ways to score in the NHL, but nobody has done it with a slap shot quite like Alex Ovechkin over the last decade.
According to NHL EDGE, Ovechkin leads the league in slap shot goals over the past 10 seasons with 107. Steven Stamkos is right behind him at 104, while David Pastrnak is next on the list at 78. That gap says plenty about how dangerous Ovechkin still is when he gets his look.
A lot of those goals come from the shot everyone knows: the one-timer from his “office” on the power play. That spot has become part of his identity, and the production matches it. Ovechkin is also the NHL’s all-time leader in power-play goals with 331 PPGs.
Even at 40, the release still plays. Ovechkin ranked in the 99th percentile for hardest shots this season, and he fired a 97.30 MPH shot during the 2025-26 campaign. Most of his attempts still come from the left circle at mid-range, the area where he’s built a career on turning a split-second opening into a goal.
His shot profile is broader than just the slap shot, too. Ovechkin ranks second in snap shot goals over the last 10 seasons with 94, trailing only Leon Draisaitl, who leads that category with 145.
After re-signing, Ovechkin said, "I know I can still play. I know I can still bring energy to the locker room and energy on the ice," and the numbers back that confidence up.
One more reminder of just how complete his scoring arsenal has been: Ovechkin has scored on every shot type in his NHL career except the wraparound.
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