Next up in our Advanced Stats series is “Goals Created”, a stat that takes scoring to the next level.

Goals, assists, and points are the standard scoring stats most fans look to in order to decide a player’s offensive prowess. “Goals Created” takes those numbers and plugs them into a formula that shows the playmaking ability of an individual relative to the rest of his team. We’ll start with the formula, then we’ll break down what it means and why it’s calculated the way it is.

[Goals + (Assists x 0.5)] x {Team Goals/[Team Goals + (Team Assists x 0.5)]}

The first portion is figuring out the individual player’s total scoring. It basically gives a player one point for a goal and half a point for an assist, rather than the “points” ratio the NHL usually uses giving a player one for each. In “Goals Created,” goals are greater than assists. (1 Goal = 2 Assists)

The second portion is figuring out the team’s total scoring. It’s broken into two calculations. The second one is identical to the way we came up with the player’s total [Team Goals + (Team Assists x 0.5)]. We then divide team goals by that number. Yeah, the same number (team goals) is used multiple times, it’s ok, don’t worry about it, we’ve got this all figured out.

Example time! We’re going to go with Oscar Lindberg this time because we’re still hoping the nickname Ogge takes off. Let’s say we are 10 games into the season. Lindberg has 5 goals and 4 assists, and the team has a total of 20 goals and 34 assists. Got it? Good. Buckle up, here we go.

[Goals + (Assists x 0.5)] x {Team Goals/[Team Goals + (Team Assists x 0.5)]}
[5 + (4 x 0.5)] x {20/[20 +  (34 x 0.5)]}
[5 + 2] x [20/(20 + 17)] 7 x (20/37)
7 x (20/360)
7 x 0.541
3.787 Goals CreatedYes, “Goals Created” can be, and often is, lower than the actual number of goals the player scored. It’s ok, don’t freak out. The reason for this is because players with higher assist numbers must get their due credit as well. If you add up all the goals for a team and compare it to the total number of “goals created” for a team, the number will be the same. Let me say that again, Team Goals = Sum of all individual players “Goals Created.” If a team scores 250 goals, they’ll have 250 “Goals Created” among all of their players. Always. No matter what.

That’s why a player can have fewer “Goals Created” than goals scored. A player with 10 goals could have a “Goals Created” of 6 because the missing 4 are offset by his teammate who has say 1 goal and 20 assists.

So, in reality “Goals Created” is simply a replacement stat for points. Rather than weighing a player’s goals and assists equally, “Goals Created” uses a formula that evenly spreads out a goal between the player who scored it and the player(s) who assisted. A team can score 200 goals and have 400 assists netting them 600 points, while their opponent can have 201 goals and 398 assists netting the 599 points. One team has more goals, but fewer points, that doesn’t make any sense. “Goals Created” would give the first team 200, and the second 201, then break it down by individual players. It’s an amazing stat, and quite frankly, it should have you scratching your head thinking “why in the hell should I care about points anymore?”

So, now to the good stuff. Here’s a look at the Golden Knights roster’s “Goals Created”

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .04
2016-17 Goals Created 3
Career Goals Created Per Game .06
Career Goals Created 14

William Carrier
Career Goals Created Per Game .09
Career Goals Created 4

Cody Eakin
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .07
2016-17 Goals Created 4
Career Goals Created Per Game .16
Career Goals Created 69

Deryk Engelland
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .07
2016-17 Goals Created 5
Career Goals Created Per Game .06
Career Goals Created 29

Jason Garrison
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .04
2016-17 Goals Created 3
Career Goals Created Per Game .10
Career Goals Created 56

Erik Haula
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .15
2016-17 Goals Created 11
Career Goals Created Per Game .13
Career Goals Created 35

William Karlsson
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .11
2016-17 Goals Created 9
Career Goals Created Per Game .10
Career Goals Created 19

Brendan Leipsic
Career Goals Created Per Game .18
Career Goals Created 1

Oscar Lindberg
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .12
2016-17 Goals Created 8
Career Goals Created Per Game .14
Career Goals Created 19

Jonathan Marchessault
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .29
2016-17 Goals Created 22
Career Goals Created Per Game .24
Career Goals Created 29

Brayden McNabb
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .03
2016-17 Goals Created 2
Career Goals Created Per Game .06
Career Goals Created 15

Jon Merrill
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .04
2016-17 Goals Created 2
Career Goals Created Per Game .05
Career Goals Created 11

Colin Miller
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .09
2016-17 Goals Created 5
Career Goals Created Per Game .10
Career Goals Created 10

James Neal
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .25
2016-17 Goals Created 18
Career Goals Created Per Game .29
Career Goals Created 186

David Perron
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .21
2016-17 Goals Created 17
Career Goals Created Per Game .22
Career Goals Created 144

Teemu Pulkkinen
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .14
2016-17 Goals Created 1
Career Goals Created Per Game .11
Career Goals Created 9

Luca Sbisa
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .05
2016-17 Goals Created 4
Career Goals Created Per Game .06
Career Goals Created 28

Nate Schmidt
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .27
2016-17 Goals Created 5
Career Goals Created Per Game .07
Career Goals Created 14

Reilly Smith
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .18
2016-17 Goals Created 14
Career Goals Created Per Game .20
Career Goals Created 71

Shea Theodore
2016-17 Goals Created Per Game .09
2016-17 Goals Created 3
Career Goals Created Per Game .11
Career Goals Created 6

Right away, you can tell what players are heavily involved offensively. Clearly we know VGK forwards James Neal and David Perron will be in the mix generating offense. In 2016-17, Neal’s 18 GC, and Perron’s 17 GC were in the upper half of the NHL. Jonathan Marchessault shocked the league with an impressive 22 GC last season. It was increase of 15 GC from 2015-16. As good as the few mentioned are at creating opportunities, keep in mind the league leader Sidney Crosby (real shocker) totaled 35 GC in 2016-17. His career GC 377, you get the picture.

On the negative side, the Goals Created statistic exposes the lack of offensive power from the Vegas defensemen. Altogether, the VGK blue line combined for 27 GC last season. The evidence continues to grow, that the Golden Knights’ defensive unit will provide very little offense. Look for Colin Miller, Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore’s GC totals to rise. That’s if Theodore gets to play with the big boys.

When you combine the Golden Knights GC from 2016-17, you get a total of 151 Goals Created. That’s an average of 6 GC per player, which is not a great indicator for success. For Vegas, this season will be used to develop their core and get certain players more involved. Especially, the defense. If Marchessault, Miller, Schmidt and Theodore continue to improve their overall statistics, generating offense should be no problem.

Again, fans will have to remind themselves all season long. Wins, Loses, Corsi, Goals Created, etc. mean nothing in 2016-17. Once the VGK core has developed, then we can start drafting Golden Knights on our fantasy teams