Fenwick Per Situation Calculator
Calculate fenwick per situation with our free tool. See your stats, compare against averages, and track progress over time.
Reviewed for accuracy by Sher, Sports Science & Nutrition Specialist
Fenwick Per Situation Calculator
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Formula: Fenwick For (FF) = Shots on Goal + Missed Shots | FF% = FF / (FF + FA) x 100
Additional inputs: Games Played.
Worked example — FF% = 54.8% (above average, strong possession team)
Formula
Fenwick For (FF) = Shots on Goal + Missed Shots | FF% = FF / (FF + FA) x 100
Fenwick counts all unblocked shot attempts (shots on goal plus missed shots, excluding blocked shots). Fenwick percentage measures the share of unblocked shot attempts belonging to a team.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Even Strength Fenwick Analysis
Problem:A team has 32 shots on goal and 14 missed shots for, versus 27 shots on goal and 11 missed shots against at even strength over 5 games.
Solution:Fenwick For (FF) = 32 + 14 = 46 Fenwick Against (FA) = 27 + 11 = 38 Fenwick % = 46 / (46 + 38) = 46 / 84 = 54.76% Fenwick For per game = 46 / 5 = 9.2 Fenwick Against per game = 38 / 5 = 7.6
Result:FF% = 54.8% (above average, strong possession team)
Example 2: All-Situations Fenwick Breakdown
Problem:At even strength: 30 FF, 25 FA. On power play: 10 FF. On penalty kill: 8 FA.
Solution:Total Fenwick For = 30 (ES) + 10 (PP) = 40 Total Fenwick Against = 25 (ES) + 8 (PK) = 33 Total FF% = 40 / (40 + 33) = 40 / 73 = 54.79% ES FF% = 30 / (30 + 25) = 30 / 55 = 54.55% Fenwick Differential = 40 - 33 = +7
Result:Total FF% = 54.8% | ES FF% = 54.5% | Differential = +7
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fenwick in hockey and how is it calculated?
Fenwick is an advanced hockey statistic that measures shot attempt differential by counting all unblocked shot attempts, which includes both shots on goal and missed shots but excludes blocked shots. It was named after blogger Matt Fenwick who popularized this metric in hockey analytics circles. The basic formula is Fenwick For (FF) = Shots on Goal + Missed Shots, and Fenwick Against (FA) follows the same logic for the opposing team. Fenwick percentage (FF%) is calculated as FF / (FF + FA) multiplied by 100, where a value above 50% indicates a team is generating more unblocked shot attempts than its opponent.
Why does Fenwick exclude blocked shots from its calculation?
Fenwick excludes blocked shots because blocking is considered a repeatable defensive skill that can distort possession metrics. When a team blocks many shots, it inflates the Corsi against number even though the blocking team may actually be controlling play well. By removing blocked shots from the equation, Fenwick provides a cleaner measure of actual shot generation and territorial dominance. Some analysts believe Fenwick is a better predictor of future goal scoring than Corsi because it strips out the noise introduced by shot blocking tendencies and focuses on genuine offensive pressure.
What is the difference between Fenwick and Corsi?
Corsi counts all shot attempts including shots on goal, missed shots, and blocked shots, while Fenwick only counts shots on goal and missed shots, deliberately excluding blocked shots. Both metrics aim to measure puck possession and territorial control, but they differ in philosophy regarding blocked shots. Corsi treats every shot attempt equally as evidence of offensive zone time, whereas Fenwick argues that blocked shots reflect defensive positioning skill rather than true possession. In practice, the two metrics correlate highly (typically above 0.95), but Fenwick can reveal differences when teams have unusually high or low shot blocking rates.
How do you interpret Fenwick percentage by game situation?
Fenwick percentage varies significantly by game situation, which is why situational analysis matters. At even strength (5-on-5), a Fenwick percentage above 52% is considered strong, indicating the team consistently outgenerates opponents in unblocked shot attempts. On the power play, Fenwick For should be substantially higher since the team has a man advantage and more offensive zone time. On the penalty kill, a lower Fenwick Against is desirable, showing the shorthanded team limits opponent chances. Analysts often focus on even-strength Fenwick because special teams situations are heavily influenced by strategy rather than pure talent.
What is a good Fenwick percentage for an NHL team?
In the NHL, the league-average Fenwick percentage is exactly 50% by definition since every shot attempt for one team is a shot attempt against another. Teams with a Fenwick percentage consistently above 52% at even strength are considered elite possession teams, while teams below 48% are typically struggling to control play. Historically, dominant teams like the 2013-2014 Los Angeles Kings posted even-strength Fenwick percentages around 55%, which is exceptional. Individual player Fenwick percentages can range more widely, with top possession forwards often exceeding 55% and shutdown defensemen sometimes falling below 48%.
How does Fenwick Relative work and why is it useful?
Fenwick Relative (sometimes written as FF% Rel) measures a player or line combination performance relative to their own team when they are off the ice. It is calculated by subtracting the team Fenwick percentage when the player is off the ice from the Fenwick percentage when the player is on the ice. A positive Fenwick Relative means the team generates a better shot attempt share when that player is playing. This metric is valuable because it accounts for team quality, allowing fair comparisons between players on strong and weak teams. A player with a 54% Fenwick on a dominant team might have a lower Relative than a player with 50% on a bad team.
Can Fenwick predict future team success and playoff outcomes?
Research in hockey analytics has shown that Fenwick percentage, particularly at even strength, is one of the stronger predictors of future team success over a full season. Teams that maintain high Fenwick percentages tend to outperform their current point totals and improve over time, while teams with low Fenwick percentages often regress even if their win-loss record looks good. However, in the playoffs, the predictive power diminishes somewhat because sample sizes shrink and goaltending performance becomes more variable. Fenwick works best as a long-term indicator over 20 or more games rather than a single-game predictor of outcomes.
How many games are needed for Fenwick to become reliable?
Statistical research suggests that Fenwick percentage stabilizes and becomes a reliable metric after approximately 20 to 25 games for teams and around 50 to 70 games for individual players at even strength. Before reaching these thresholds, Fenwick numbers can be heavily influenced by variance, score effects, and small sample noise. Early-season Fenwick data should be treated as directional rather than definitive, and analysts often combine it with other metrics like expected goals and high-danger chance percentage to get a more complete picture. For in-game analysis, Fenwick can still be useful when looking at period-by-period trends even in single games.
What role do score effects play in situational Fenwick analysis?
Score effects significantly impact Fenwick numbers because teams change their playing style based on the game score. When a team is leading, they typically adopt a more defensive posture, which reduces their Fenwick For but also reduces the quality of chances they concede. Trailing teams tend to push offensively and generate higher Fenwick For numbers, but these shot attempts may come from lower-quality locations. This is why many analysts prefer close-game Fenwick (when the score is within one goal) or score-adjusted Fenwick, which mathematically corrects for these behavioral changes. Ignoring score effects can lead to misleading conclusions about true possession ability.
How do you use per-game Fenwick rates to compare teams fairly?
Per-game Fenwick rates normalize the raw Fenwick totals by dividing by games played, which allows fairer comparisons between teams that have played different numbers of games in a season. Fenwick For per game measures offensive shot generation rate, while Fenwick Against per game measures defensive suppression. A team averaging 35 or more Fenwick For events per game at even strength is generating strong offensive pressure, while limiting opponents to under 28 Fenwick events per game indicates solid defensive play. Combining per-game rates with Fenwick percentage gives a complete picture of both the volume and share of unblocked shot attempts a team generates.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Sher, Sports Science & Nutrition Specialist · Editorial policy
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