Category Specialist Finder: skaters and goalies who win one category
Find low-rostered skaters for shots, hits, blocks, goals, and assists, or goalies for wins, saves, and shutouts, ranked by last season blended with this season’s games. Works for any league, with no account or league connection needed.
Top shots per game, rostered 70% or less
| Player | Rostered | GP last · this | Shots/game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor ArvidssonDET · LW | 67.8% | 69 · 16 | 2.66 |
| Brad MarchandFLA · LW | 63.2% | 52 · 2 | 2.64 |
| Troy TerryANA · RW | 43.7% | 61 · 0 | 2.64 |
| Rickard RakellPIT · RW | 68.8% | 60 · 15 | 2.64 |
| Kevin FialaLAK · LW | 61.2% | 56 · 0 | 2.63 |
| Alex LaferriereLAK · RW | 67.6% | 82 · 13 | 2.54 |
| Owen TippettPHI · RW | 58.6% | 81 · 11 | 2.53 |
| Mikael BacklundCGY · C | 12.8% | 82 · 13 | 2.50 |
| Jake DeBruskVAN · LW | 41.3% | 81 · 15 | 2.49 |
| Bobby McMannSEA · C | 38.2% | 78 · 14 | 2.47 |
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What this tool does
The category finder ranks players by their per-game rate in a single category, last season blended with this season’s games so far. It is built for head-to-head category leagues where one extra source of hits, blocks or shots can swing a week.
How to use it
- Choose a skater category (shots, hits, blocks, goals, assists) or a goalie category (wins, saves, shutouts).
- Set a minimum games-played threshold and a rostered-percentage ceiling to surface players who are likely available.
- Filter by position if you need a specific slot, such as a defenseman who blocks shots.
- Pair the results with the Schedule Optimizer’s Players view to see which specialists play the most off-night games this week.
Where the data comes from
Player rates use last season’s NHL regular-season statistics from the NHL stats API (goals, assists, shots, hits, blocks, and goalie wins, saves, save percentage, GAA and shutouts). Average draft position and rostered percentage come from our fantasy data partner and update daily. Historical rates describe what happened, they are not projections.
Frequently asked questions
- Why rank by per-game rate instead of totals?
- Per-game rates compare players fairly when they missed time through injury or were called up mid-season, and they are what matters when you add a player for a specific week.
- What is a category specialist?
- A player who contributes far more in one category, such as hits or blocked shots, than their overall fantasy value suggests. They are often available on waivers.
- Can I find goalies too?
- Yes. Switch to wins, saves or shutouts to rank goalies by the same blended per-game rates.
- Does it use this season’s games?
- Yes. Each rate blends last season with this season’s games so far. This season’s weight grows with games played (about a third after 10 games, two thirds after 40), so a hot week does not outrank a full season, but a real change shows up within a few weeks. Players with no games last season, such as rookies, rank on this season alone.
Related tools
- Category Streamers: pickups for the categories you need tonight or this week
- Week Planner: plan category targets and punts for the coming week
- Streamer Finder: waiver-wire pickups for the nights you have open
- Schedule Optimizer: game counts and off-nights by team for any week
- All free planning tools