Photo by Braden Barwich on Unsplash

Visualizing Top NHL Skater Stats Throughout Their Careers

We previously looked at what age NHL players scored their career-high point totals. Here, we look at a few of the best players and track their numbers over the course of their careers.

Data

2000–2009 skater data was pulled using the R package nhlapi. The top 10 players with the highest single season-point totals were included.

Points

Figure 1 corresponds to the top 5 skaters, whereas the bottom plot corresponds to 6–10. Some skaters, like Patrick Kane, have been very consistent the entirety of their careers. Others, like Dany Heatley, had a quick rise and fall, in part due to his injury-riddled career.

Figure 1

Points per Game

Figure 2 visualizes points per game. This more clearly illustrates Dany Heatley’s decline in his late 20s and Crosby’s career steadiness.

Figure 2

Goals

Finally, Figure 3 showcases goal totals for the same players. Clearly, Alex Ovechkin is one of, if not the best, goal scorers of all time.

Figure 3

Summary

Some players are amazingly consistent while others have their ups-and-downs.