Worked example
A defenseman receives the puck at the blue line on the power play, with time and space: slap shot. That same defenseman, rushed by a penalty killer closing in fast, does not have that luxury: quick wrist shot, no windup, before the window closes.
The slap shot is the star of the show: fast, loud and spectacular, the one most young players dream of practicing. Its power comes from a full windup and a weight transfer from the back skate to the front skate at the moment of contact with the puck, which lets a player shoot from farther out. But that windup takes time, and defenders use that time to block the shot while the goalie squares up: despite the puck speed, the slap shot actually ranks only third or fourth of the four shots for scoring success.
The wrist shot is the most versatile shot, usable in nearly any game situation. It comes in two variants: a more powerful version close to the slap shot, and a quicker version close to the snap shot. The quick version relies on surprise, since the goalie cannot tell whether the player will shoot, pass or look for an opening until it is too late; the powerful version adds puck speed to make up for the lost surprise.
The snap shot leaves no time to think. It gets used when a rebound suddenly bounces back to a player, or when the puck is stolen off a defenseman with three opponents already closing in. There is no time to reposition the body, switch feet or move the puck: the release is immediate, and success comes from that speed of execution rather than from an elaborate technique.
The backhand bails a player out of a bad spot rather than chasing power. When the puck ends up on the backhand side near the net, it lets a player shoot without exposing the puck to a defender closing from the other side. Unlike the other three shots, which use the concave side of the blade, the backhand uses the convex side, which makes it one of the hardest shots for a goalie to read, especially when fired quickly off a pass reception or puck-handling move.
The best players never pick a favorite shot: they master all four so they can react to any chance without thinking about it. That reflex is built first off the ice through repetition, then confirmed on a real shift, under pressure, against a moving goalie and moving defenders.
The shot type itself is easy to spot by eye, but RinkLog mostly logs whether it landed on goal, missed or got blocked, no matter which of the four was chosen: cross that with the shot zone, and it shows whether a player is picking angles or simply shooting the moment a chance appears.
- Slap shot: full windup, weight transfer from the back skate to the front, from distance, when there is time and space (power play, point shot)
- Wrist shot: the most versatile shot, roughly half of all goals scored, two variants depending on whether surprise or power matters more
- Snap shot: off a rebound or a stolen puck, no time to think, the release is immediate
- Backhand: near the net, when the puck sits on the wrong side of the body, one of the hardest shots for a goalie to stop
Frequently asked questions
What is the most effective shot in hockey?
The wrist shot, by a wide margin: roughly half of all goals scored come off one, even though the slap shot draws more attention. The wrist shot wins because it combines quick release and an element of surprise across nearly every game situation.
Why is the slap shot less effective than it looks?
Because the windup and weight transfer take time. That delay gives defenders time to get in front of the puck and the goalie time to cut the angle, while a quicker release, even a less powerful one, catches the defense before it can react.
What is the difference between a wrist shot and a snap shot?
The wrist shot involves some setup, even a brief one, and plays on two registers, power or surprise. The snap shot involves no setup at all: it answers a sudden chance, a rebound or a stolen puck, where there simply is no time to reposition the body.
RinkLog measures and computes all of this automatically during your hockey, ball hockey and ringette games.
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