Scoring goals is what the NHL is all about. The modern game continues to gradually move away from a focus on the physical side of hockey to speed, finesse, and goals.
In NHL 20, there certainly isn’t a shortage of talented goalscorers, particularly those with the designated role of sniper. In each forward position, there’s a great player that boasts tremendous shooting attributes and other lofty complementary ratings.
So, here are the best snipers in NHL 20. All of the figures are taken from within Franchise Mode on the 10 October 2019 Online Roster.
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Overall: 92
Age: 26-years-old
Position: Right Wing
Shooting Attributes: Five-Star
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Russian
Nikita Kucherov may have got off to a rather tepid start in the NHL with nine goals in his 52 games of 2013/14, but now he’s one of the league’s premier snipers. The Russian sharpshooter has at least 30 goals in each of the last four seasons, scoring 29 in his sophomore campaign of 2014/15.
Through the opening 30 games of this season, Kucherov knocked in ten goals and 34 points despite the Tampa Bay Lighting struggling to string wins together.
Kucherov is a tremendous all-around player in NHL 20, but his greatest talents lie in his shooting ability and puck skills. Kucherov boasts mighty ratings of 96 offensive awareness 95 passing, 95 puck control, 95 wrist shot accuracy, 95 poise, 94 deking, and 94 hand-eye.
Regarding overall rating, Kucherov is the joint-best sniper in NHL 20, but his shooting attributes average of 92 across all four is dwarfed by one other skater.
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Overall: 92
Age: 33-years-old
Position: Left Wing
Shooting Attributes: Five-Star
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Russian
Alex Ovechkin has been considered as one of, if not the best snipers in the NHL for many years now. The media has long-hyped a rivalry between Ovi and Sidney Crosby. While the Penguins captain has suffered many injuries and played fewer games, Ovechkin is ahead in the goals column with over 200 more scores.
Now 33-years-old, the Caps captain is still on the top goalscorers list, notching 21 through the first 34 games to sit third overall. Ovechkin is simply an unstoppable goal-scoring machine.
Alex Ovechkin boasts an unreal set of attributes in shooting, with 95 slap shot accuracy, 95 slap shot power, 94 wrist shot accuracy, and 94 wrist shot power to average a rating of 94.5 across the set. If the Russian has the puck on his stick, it’s harder to not score.
Sniping isn’t Ovechkin’s only strength, however, as he boasts lofty numbers of 96 for hand-eye, 95 for puck control, 95 for balance, 94 for strength, and a 91 for body checking. He’s big, he’s physical, and he’s an expert at finding the twine.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Overall: 91
Age: 30-years-old
Position: Right Wing
Shooting Attributes: Five-Star
Shoots: Left
Nationality: American
Breaking up the dominance of Russian-born scorers, Patrick Kane lands in third on the list of NHL 20’s best snipers and has been warranting his lofty rating on NHL ice this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks may be basement-dwelling, but that won’t stop Kane from doing what he does best. By the 33-game mark, the tricky winger has already nailed 15 goals and 37 points, with his -3 rating showing the team’s current state.
Kane boasts mighty stats in skating, puck skills, and shooting, with the highlight numbers being 97 deking, 97 hand-eye, 96 passing, 95 puck control, 96 offensive awareness, 95 poise, 95 wrist shot accuracy, 94 slap shot accuracy, 94 acceleration, 94 agility, and 90 speed.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Overall: 90
Age: 21-years-old
Position: Center
Shooting Attributes: Five-Star
Shoots: Left
Nationality: American
Even though he’s only been in the NHL for a few seasons, it’s hard to deny that Auston Matthews is one of the star attractions. The American center, who spent his draft season in Switzerland, has 130 NHL goals by his 34th game of the 2019/20 campaign.
Matthews’ strengths as a sniper are very well complimented by his lofty ratings in senses and puck skills. His 93 in puck control, 92 in deking, 91 in hand-eye, 92 in offensive awareness, and 95 in poise make the center a threat for the Buds at all times.
Considering that Matthews is only 21-years-old at the start of NHL 20 with Elite high potential, it’s clear to see that his current base stats of 91 slap shot accuracy, 90 slap shot power, 92 wrist shot accuracy, and 90 wrist shot power become nearly unplayable as the sniper develops.
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Overall: 90
Age: 22-years-old
Position: Right Wing
Shooting Attributes: Five-Star
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Finnish
Even though an injury has hindered him this season, the big Finnish right winger is still hitting the pace of scoring a goal in every other game. Having featured in 16 games after Colorado had tallied 32 contests, Mikko Rantanen had still scored eight goals and 21 points.
While Rantanen has only breached the 30-goal trademark tally of an elite-level sniper once – scoring 31 goals last season – the Avs winger has put up over 80 points in each of the last two seasons.
Being one of the best NHL 20 snipers, you perhaps wouldn’t expect Rantanen to be so sound in defence as well. The Finn boasts 89 defensive awareness, 91 stick checking, and 85 shot blocking.
Of course, the offensive end of the ice is where Rantanen flourishes, aided in NHL 20 by his 92 wrist shot accuracy, 92 deking, 92 hand-eye, 92 passing, 93 offensive awareness, and 93 puck control.
Those skaters shown above are the very best snipers in NHL 20, but the following players are also very highly-rated snipers in the game:
| Name | Overall | Age | Position | Team | Best Attributes |
| Johnny Gaudreau | 90 | 26 | Left Wing | Calgary Flames | 95 Puck Control, Offensive Awareness. 92 Wrist Shot Accuracy, Deking, Hand-Eye, Passing |
| John Tavares | 90 | 28 | Center | Toronto Maple Leafs | 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy, Deking, Hand-Eye, Offensive Awareness, Passing, Puck Control |
| Artemi Panarin | 89 | 27 | Left Wing | New York Rangers | 94 Deking, Puck Control. 93 Hand-Eye, Passing, Offensive Awareness |
| Leon Draisaitl | 89 | 23 | Center | Edmonton Oilers | 92 Slap Shot Accuracy, Wrist Shot Accuracy, Offensive Awareness, Passing, Puck Control |
| Taylor Hall | 89 | 27 | Left Wing | New Jersey Devils | 95 Acceleration, Speed. 93 Puck Control, Wrist Shot Accuracy |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 89 | 27 | Right Wing | St. Louis Blues | 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy, Deking. 93 Offensive Awareness, Hand-Eye, Passing, Puck Control |
| Phil Kessel | 88 | 31 | Right Wing | Arizona Coyotes | 94 Hand-Eye, Wrist Shot Accuracy. 93 Deking, Passing, Puck Control, Slap Shot Power |
| Patrik Laine | 87 | 21 | Right Wing | Winnipeg Jets | 95 Hand-Eye. 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy. 93 Slap Shot Accuracy, Slap Shot Power, Wrist Shot Power |
| Alex DeBrincat | 86 | 21 | Center | Chicago Blackhawks | 95 Discipline. 93 Deking. 92 Passing, Puck Control, Acceleration, Speed, Wrist Shot Accuracy |
| Cam Atkinson | 86 | 30 | Right Wing | Columbus Blue Jackets | 93 Deking. 92 Acceleration, Agility |
| Jake Guentzel | 86 | 24 | Left Wing | Pittsburgh Penguins | 90 Durability, Offensive Awareness. 89 Puck Control, Wrist Shot Accuracy, Speed |
| Evgenii Dadonov | 86 | 30 | Right Wing | Florida Panthers | 91 Deking, Hand-Eye. 90 Passing, Puck Control, Discipline, Durability |
| Mike Hoffman | 85 | 29 | Left Wing | Florida Panthers | 90 Speed, Durability. 89 Slap Shot Accuracy, Wrist Shot Accuracy, Deking, Hand-Eye, Agility, Offensive Awareness |
| Jeff Skinner | 85 | 27 | Left Wing | Buffalo Sabres | 92 Agility. 91 Acceleration. 90 Wrist Shot Accuracy, Deking, Puck Control, Durability |
| Tomas Hertl | 85 | 25 | Center | San Jose Sharks | 90 Deking. 89 Puck Control, Agility, Offensive Awareness, Slap Shot Power |
Looking for more NHL 20 guides?
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best and Worst Teams to Use and Rebuild
NHL 20: Complete Team Strategies Guide, Line Strategies Guide, Best Team Strategies
Looking for the best players?
NHL 20 Draft: Best Players and Top Draft Steals 2020
NHL 20 Draft: Best Players and Top Draft Steals 2021
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Free Agents
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Young Centers
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Young Goaltenders
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Young Defensemen
NHL 20: Fastest players – Forwards and Defensemen
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Young Left Wingers
NHL 20 Franchise Mode: Best Young Right Wingers
NHL 20 Ratings: Best Young Skaters
NHL 20 Ratings: Best Enforcers
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