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Philippe Myers, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

What the Maple Leafs’ Stats Reveal About Their Identity

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 12:50 PM ET

Most team stats answer simple questions: who shoots the most, who scores the most, who skates the hardest. NHL EDGE does something different. It shows how teams play — where their strengths actually show up, and where they don’t even try to compete.

When you line up the Toronto Maple Leafs’ shot speed, skating speed, and shooting efficiency data, a pattern emerges. It might give us a sense of what and might hint at how Craig Berube-style hockey could fit these Maple Leafs.

In analyzing the numbers, can we see the Maple Leafs’ philosophy at work? I’m assuming the answer is yes. We can tell what this Maple Leafs team is by looking at how they’ve performed over the season. In other words, they’re deliberately being what they are coached to be, given the individual abilities of the players on the roster.

So let’s take a look at three areas and what they might tell us about the Maple Leafs. Shot power, skating speed, and shooting efficiency each tell a piece of the story. Together, they reveal the Maple Leafs’ approach.

Part One: Maple Leafs’ Shot Speed: Power Isn’t the Point

Let’s start with shot speed, because it immediately cuts against the Maple Leafs stereotype. The hardest shot recorded by a Maple Leafs player this season is 95.96 MPH, taken by Philippe Myers. That ranks 26th in the NHL, well below the league average of 98.13. Toronto also sits 21st in average shot speed.

What’s more revealing is who is on the list. It’s Myers. It’s Nicholas Robertson. It’s Brandon Carlo. It’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Calle Järnkrok. What it isn’t is Auston Matthews, John Tavares, or William Nylander.

That matters because it shows a team that isn’t trying to beat goaltenders with point bombs or raw velocity. Toronto has zero shots over 100 MPH and fewer attempts in the 90–100 MPH range than most teams. When someone does lean into a heavy shot, it stands out because it’s the exception.

Summary of Part One (Shot Speed): The Maple Leafs are below average in raw shot power — and that’s partly intentional. Their offence is built on release timing, deception, movement, and location, not radar-gun numbers.

Part Two: Maple Leafs Skating Speed: Speed in Bursts, Not Miles

Now look at skating speed, and suddenly the picture flips. Toronto ranks fourth in the NHL in top skating speed, with Bobby McMann hitting 24.25 MPH, well above the league average. McMann alone shows up repeatedly at the top speeds, which tells you this isn’t a one-off measurement glitch—it’s repeatable straight-line speed.

Nylander appears once, in overtime. Morgan Rielly and Simon Benoit show that the blue line isn’t slow. Steven Lorentz fits the role-player mould perfectly. This is real, functional speed from everyday contributors.

But here’s the key: Toronto is middle to below average in overall speed bursts. They’re 15th in 22-plus MPH bursts, 19th in 20–22, and 24th in 18–20.

So what’s happening? They don’t skate at a constant high pace. They choose their moments.

Summary of Part Two (Skating Speed): The Maple Leafs aren’t a high-mileage team. They’re a selective speed team — capable of elite pace, but deployed in flashes: breakaways, recoveries, odd-man rushes, sudden separation.

Part Three: Maple Leafs Shots on Goal: Fewer Shots, Better Results

Here, the numbers really reveal the Maple Leafs’ identity. Toronto is 22nd in the NHL in shots on goal, yet seventh in goals and fourth in shooting percentage. That’s not luck over a season. That’s an identity. The Maple Leafs don’t shoot often, but when they do, they shoot well.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry makes a save against Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Their 12.5% shooting percentage puts them right alongside elite offensive teams like the Dallas Stars, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Boston Bruins. Their high-danger and mid-range conversion rates are both top-tier, while their long-range shooting stays modest — exactly what you’d expect from a team that doesn’t believe in volume for volume’s sake.

Then there’s the number that explains why Maple Leafs games can feel the way they do: In the offensive zone time, 39.2%, they are dead last in the NHL. Toronto doesn’t live in the zone. They enter, attack quickly, and either score or leave. They don’t grind teams down with extended cycles or point-shot pressure.

Summary of Part Three (Shots on Goal): This reflects a Berube-style North/South approach: quick, direct, and precision-focused. The team’s goal is to play precision offence. Fewer shots, fewer possessions, but a much higher chance that each one matters.

The Bottom Line: What These Stats Tell Us About the Maple Leafs

Put it all together, and the picture that emerges is surprisingly consistent. The Maple Leafs don’t overwhelm teams with raw shot power or sheer volume, and they don’t spend long stretches parked in the offensive zone. Instead, they pair below-average shot velocity and shot totals with elite top-end speed and one of the league’s most efficient finishing profiles.

That combination isn’t accidental or contradictory — it’s the result of a team built around making fewer plays, but making the right ones. This isn’t randomness. It’s by design.

The Maple Leafs are built to create separation off the rush, to punish brief defensive breakdowns, and to score before coverage has time to settle. Their offence is about timing, spacing, and precision rather than pressure and persistence. When everything clicks, it looks clean and decisive. Not because they do more than everyone else, but because they do it faster and cleaner in the moments that matter.

They are not built to win by exhaustion. They’re built to win by timing and precision. When it works, it looks effortless. When it doesn’t, it can look like they’ve vanished — because they don’t fall back on volume, chaos, or grinding as a safety net.

Ultimately, the Maple Leafs’ approach — selective speed, precision offence, and timing — is exactly the kind of system a Berube-like coach could leverage. These stats don’t contradict the eye test about the Maple Leafs. They help to explain it.