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Ice Lab

Defence · #24

Matt Grzelcyk

Boston Bruins Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks Buffalo Sabres(traded during the season)
Age
32
Shoots
Left
Height
178 cm
Weight
82 kg
Born
Charlestown, USA
Draft
2012, round 3, #85 (BOS)

Career · 2016–17 to 2026–27

Games
597
Goals
26
Points
187
TOI per game
18:17
xGF% (5v5)
52.6%
Goals above expected
−9.1
ShowAll teamsBoston BruinsPittsburgh PenguinsChicago BlackhawksBuffalo Sabres

Season by season

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

2016–17BOS2000012:2940.0%00.156.4%
2017–18BOS6131215+2116:44823.7%24.357.0%
2018–19BOS6631518+919:08903.3%64.150.9%
2019–20BOS6841721+1518:041123.6%75.353.7%
2020–21BOS3751520+1119:45806.3%73.262.2%
2021–22BOS7342024+2218:441183.4%54.760.2%
2022–23BOS7542226+4617:141023.9%04.355.0%
2023–24BOS632911+1317:36593.4%02.548.3%
2024–25PIT8213940−620:37941.1%154.247.6%
2025–26CHI6901212−916:58680.0%32.545.6%
2026–27BUF1000−114:270–00.045.9%
Total4 teams59726161187+12118:178093.2%4535.152.6%

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)
00.20.40.60.81100200300400500
14m16m18m20m22m24m100200300400500Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2016–17 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

1st pair

86th percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

2nd pair
  • Goals /600.1438th pct
  • Assists /600.8980th pct
  • ixG /600.1956th pct
  • Shots /604.4567th pct

Play-driving

1st pair
  • xGF% (5v5)52.6%87th pct
  • CF% (5v5)51.5%80th pct
  • Relative xGF%+1.075th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.3079th pct

Usage

2nd pair
  • TOI per game18:1761st pct
  • PP time share25.9%77th pct
  • PK time share9.8%21st pct
  • Quality of competition24.5%64th pct

Percentiles among defencemen 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. Cody Franson0.88
  2. Jake GardinerTOR/CAR0.86
  3. Mike ReillyMTL/BOS/NYI0.85
  4. Jordan SpenceLAK/OTT0.82
  5. Nils LundkvistNYR/DAL0.80
  6. Tim HeedSJS0.78

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.

−9.1 goals above expected

010203040100200300400500Game

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

−30−20−100+10+20+30+40+50

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 speed29.8 km/h1st pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph00th pct
  • Hardest shot127.0 km/h37th pct
  • Distance skated3 km5th pct
  • Offensive-zone time40.8%48th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen 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 defencemanMiddle 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

34.7 km/h30th pct

▼ −0.1 km/h since 2024–25

333435363721–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 34.6 km/h, 30th percentile (73 games)2022–23: 35.7 km/h, 66th percentile (75 games)2023–24: 34.2 km/h, 20th percentile (63 games)2024–25: 34.7 km/h, 35th percentile (82 games)2025–26: 34.7 km/h, 30th percentile (69 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

1.232nd pct

▼ −0.6 since 2024–25

0.511.522.5321–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 1.0, 31st percentile (73 games)2022–23: 1.3, 47th percentile (75 games)2023–24: 1.3, 39th percentile (63 games)2024–25: 1.8, 60th percentile (82 games)2025–26: 1.2, 32nd percentile (69 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.7 km50th pct

▼ −0.0 km since 2024–25

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.5 km, 41st percentile (73 games)2022–23: 13.2 km, 31st percentile (75 games)2023–24: 13.4 km, 40th percentile (63 games)2024–25: 13.7 km, 53rd percentile (82 games)2025–26: 13.7 km, 50th percentile (69 games)

Hardest shot

155.6 km/h82nd pct

▲ +8.5 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 152.1 km/h, 53rd percentile (73 games)2022–23: 154.6 km/h, 70th percentile (75 games)2023–24: 145.1 km/h, 29th percentile (63 games)2024–25: 147.1 km/h, 46th percentile (82 games)2025–26: 155.6 km/h, 82nd percentile (69 games)

Offensive-zone time

41.8%55th pct

▼ −2.7 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 44.0%, 80th percentile (73 games)2022–23: 43.3%, 74th percentile (75 games)2023–24: 40.9%, 39th percentile (63 games)2024–25: 44.5%, 87th percentile (82 games)2025–26: 41.8%, 55th percentile (69 games)