Skip to content
Ice Lab

Left wing · #83

Matt Nieto

San Jose Sharks Colorado Avalanche Pittsburgh Penguins(traded during the season)
Age
33
Shoots
Left
Height
180 cm
Weight
86 kg
Born
Long Beach, USA
Draft
2011, round 2, #47 (SJS)

Career · 2013–14 to 2024–25

Games
705
Goals
87
Points
206
TOI per game
13:59
xGF% (5v5)
49.4%
Goals above expected
−18.0
ShowAll teamsSan Jose SharksColorado AvalanchePittsburgh Penguins

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2013–14SJS66101424−414:051248.1%412.856.5%
2014–15SJS72101727−1215:151357.4%416.350.1%
2015–16SJS678917−813:10908.9%19.349.5%
2016–17SJS16022−312:13240.0%02.046.5%
2016–17COL437411−915:566111.5%06.451.2%
2016–17All teams597613−1214:55858.2%08.450.0%
2017–18COL74151126+614:558417.9%010.643.3%
2018–19COL6441923+213:46864.7%08.953.3%
2019–20COL7081321+713:30859.4%19.651.9%
2020–21SJS28527−414:004511.1%04.844.2%
2021–22SJS7061117−2014:24827.3%07.245.4%
2022–23SJS458715−2215:397011.4%17.847.0%
2022–23COL36459+710:52458.9%05.555.7%
2022–23All teams81121224−1513:3111510.4%113.350.5%
2023–24PIT22134+511:37137.7%01.543.6%
2024–25PIT32123−812:15313.2%12.342.8%
Total3 teams70587119206−6313:599758.9%12105.049.4%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.20.40.60.8100200300400500600700
10m12m14m16m18m100200300400500600700Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2013–14 to 2024–25 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

3rd line

40th percentile among qualified forwards, blending scoring 40%, play-driving 40%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st line
  2. 2nd line
  3. 3rd line
  4. 4th line
  5. Extra / AHL

Scoring

4th line
  • Goals /600.5334th pct
  • Assists /600.7236th pct
  • ixG /600.6438th pct
  • Goals above expected−18.05th pct

Play-driving

3rd line
  • xGF% (5v5)49.4%57th pct
  • CF% (5v5)49.3%55th pct
  • Relative xGF%−1.841st pct
  • Penalty diff /600.1965th pct

Usage

3rd line
  • TOI per game13:5959th pct
  • PP time share6.1%32nd pct
  • Offensive zone starts37.4%13th pct
  • Quality of competition24.2%62nd pct

Percentiles among forwards with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Most similar players this season

  1. Mason AppletonWPG/SEA0.95
  2. Andrew CoglianoANA/DAL/SJS/COL0.91
  3. Logan O'ConnorCOL0.88
  4. David KampfCHI/TOR0.85
  5. Rasmus AsplundBUF/NSH0.85
  6. Daniel WinnikANA/TOR/PIT/WSH/MIN0.85

Faceoffs

How often Nieto wins the draw over 2013–14 to 2024–25, against whom and where, and what a win leads to. Ranked among players with 2346+ draws over the same seasons.

Win rate

37.5%

39–65 · below the 2346 draws of a regular

Against an average centre

38.2%

Opponents won 50.7% of their draws; an average centre would have won 49.3% against them.

Wins above average

−12

Draws won beyond what an average centre facing the same opponents would have won.

Draws per game

1.2

104 draws in all.

By dot, attacking to the right

33%15 · +0.632%25 · +1.413%8 · −7.586%7 · +2.820%5 · +0.242%12 · −1.240%5 · +3.950%16 · +4.927%11 · −2.3Attacking zone →← Defending zone

Win rate at each dot; the small numbers are draws and the xG swing (×100) of winning rather than losing there.

By zone

  • Offensive zone27.3% 9–24
  • Neutral zone43.2% 19–25
  • Defensive zone40.7% 11–16

By strength

  • Even strength39.0% 23–36
  • Power play0.0% 0–6
  • Shorthanded41.0% 16–23

What a win leads to

Shot attempts in the next 20 seconds, for minus against, per 100 draws: +3 after a win, −15 after a loss. Each win was worth 1.2 expected goals per 100 draws more than a loss.

Most-faced opponents

Season by season

SeasonDrawsWin rateAgainst average
2013–141127.3%28.2%
2014–1510.0%1.6%
2015–16825.0%24.5%
2016–17633.3%33.8%
2017–181330.8%31.8%
2018–191752.9%54.0%
2019–20540.0%40.3%
2020–21757.1%61.1%
2021–221315.4%17.0%
2022–231850.0%48.9%
2024–25540.0%40.4%

Finishing

Model-based

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

−18.0 goals above expected

020406080100120100200300400500600700Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−500+50+100

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed36.1 km/h58th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph5144th pct
  • Hardest shot136.8 km/h44th pct
  • Distance skated99 km32nd pct
  • Offensive-zone time38.4%8th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other forwards that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian forwardMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

36.1 km/h48th pct

▲ +1.0 km/h since 2023–24

343536373821–2222–2323–2424–252021–22: 36.9 km/h, 82nd percentile (70 games)2022–23: 36.4 km/h, 66th percentile (81 games)2023–24: 35.1 km/h, 20th percentile (22 games)2024–25: 36.1 km/h, 48th percentile (32 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

7.873rd pct

▲ +0.8 since 2023–24

24681021–2222–2323–2424–252021–22: 9.0, 81st percentile (70 games)2022–23: 7.0, 69th percentile (81 games)2023–24: 7.0, 69th percentile (22 games)2024–25: 7.8, 73rd percentile (32 games)

Distance skated per 60

15.2 km24th pct

▼ −0.5 km since 2023–24

14.51515.51616.521–2222–2323–2424–252021–22: 16.2 km, 83rd percentile (70 games)2022–23: 15.2 km, 37th percentile (81 games)2023–24: 15.7 km, 60th percentile (22 games)2024–25: 15.2 km, 24th percentile (32 games)

Hardest shot

136.8 km/h31st pct

▲ +1.2 km/h since 2023–24

13013514014515015521–2222–2323–2424–252021–22: 136.8 km/h, 22nd percentile (70 games)2022–23: 138.7 km/h, 28th percentile (81 games)2023–24: 135.7 km/h, 21st percentile (22 games)2024–25: 136.8 km/h, 31st percentile (32 games)

Offensive-zone time

38.4%10th pct

▲ +2.9 points since 2023–24

34%36%38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–252021–22: 37.1%, 3rd percentile (70 games)2022–23: 39.3%, 18th percentile (81 games)2023–24: 35.5%, 1st percentile (22 games)2024–25: 38.4%, 10th percentile (32 games)