Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault adds new dimension to his game

Jonathan Marchessault was dubbed the “Corsi God” early last season by the Golden Knights’ official Twitter account.

The nickname refers to the advanced statistic that measures puck possession through shot attempts, and Marchessault’s reputation for firing pucks at the net from all angles.

Yet, it’s not entirely accurate nowadays.

“When I have the chance, I’ll shoot it. But I’m not just about shooting anymore,” Marchessault said. “I’m just about making the right plays, and I think if I hold on more to pucks, it opens up more plays for us offensively.”

Marchessault grew from a high-volume shooter into a well-rounded playmaker with the Knights.

The 27-year-old left wing more than doubled his previous career high in assists last season and remains the creative force on the Knights’ first line.

“As a professional, you can’t be satisfied with what you’ve done,” Marchessault said. “I think if you don’t win it all, you need to work harder. It’s definitely sour that we lost in the Stanley Cup Final, and for my part, I wasn’t good enough. And I need to be better.”

Marchessault has firmly established himself as a top-six NHL forward after he spent the early portion of his career in the minors.

He was left unprotected in the expansion draft by Florida despite scoring 30 goals the previous season and finished second on the Knights with 75 points.

Sure, Marchessault led the team in shots on goal by a wide margin. But he also produced 48 assists in 77 appearances, which was second behind David Perron’s 50 helpers.

Before last season, Marchessault had 32 assists in 124 career NHL games, and his career high for a season was 21.

“He’s a vocal guy, for sure,” linemate William Karlsson said. “As far as on the ice, he’s feisty and he’s also good with the puck. He can set up plays and he has a hell of a shot, too, so he can score. I like that he just plays his game. It fits well with me and Reilly (Smith).”

Marchessault also improved defensively, and his plus-minus rating (plus-36) was second in the league behind only Karlsson.

The Knights handed Marchessault a six-year, $30 million contract extension in January.

“He’s a fun guy to play with. He’s able to make plays,” Smith said. “He’s not afraid to make mistakes, and I think what a lot of people noticed last year was his two-way game. It was definitely noticeable, and he definitely changed a lot of people’s ideas in regards to his defensive style, what he’s able to do breaking the puck out quickly.”

Marchessault added to his popularity by driving a Lambor-ghini to playoff games and was second behind Smith in postseason scoring with 21 points in 20 games.

But the 5-foot-9-inch, 174-pound Marchessault believed he faded late in the season, and he worked this summer to improve his conditioning.

“It’s what you have in the tank at the end, and I was missing a little bit of juice at the end there,” Marchessault said. “For me, it’s being ready and focused for if I have another chance like that to definitely cash in.”

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.