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Ice Lab

Defence · #25

Darnell Nurse

Edmonton Oilers San Jose Sharks(traded during the season)
Age
31
Shoots
Left
Height
193 cm
Weight
98 kg
Born
Hamilton, CAN
Draft
2013, round 1, #7 (EDM)

Career · 2014–15 to 2026–27

Games
798
Goals
88
Points
324
TOI per game
22:30
xGF% (5v5)
50.9%
Goals above expected
−5.9
ShowAll teamsEdmonton OilersSan Jose Sharks

Season by season

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

2014–15EDM2000−217:0020.0%00.036.6%
2015–16EDM693710−1320:141202.5%15.043.5%
2016–17EDM445611017:01855.9%03.650.7%
2017–18EDM8262026+1522:151943.1%010.552.6%
2018–19EDM82103141−523:491965.1%910.645.8%
2019–20EDM7152833−223:271702.9%67.348.6%
2020–21EDM56162036+2725:3815410.4%78.351.6%
2021–22EDM7192635+1825:032034.4%611.954.8%
2022–23EDM82123143+2623:302035.9%111.152.4%
2023–24EDM81102232+321:541815.5%58.852.9%
2024–25EDM7652833+1122:221882.7%29.654.5%
2025–26EDM8271724−1220:581644.3%07.049.1%
2026–27SJS3000−120:2530.0%00.128.2%
Total2 teams80188236324+6522:301,8634.7%3794.050.8%

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)
00.20.40.60.811.2100200300400500600700
15m20m25m30m100200300400500600700Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2014–15 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

81st 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

1st pair
  • Goals /600.2983rd pct
  • Assists /600.7974th pct
  • ixG /600.3193rd pct
  • Shots /606.2095th pct

Play-driving

3rd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)50.8%72nd pct
  • CF% (5v5)50.1%64th pct
  • Relative xGF%−1.932nd pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.6521st pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game22:3093rd pct
  • PP time share19.4%69th pct
  • PK time share43.8%83rd pct
  • Quality of competition25.0%95th 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. Jacob TroubaWPG/NYR/ANA/SJS0.91
  2. Shea WeberNSH/MTL0.85
  3. Johnny BoychukNYI0.85
  4. Justin FaulkCAR/STL0.84
  5. Dustin ByfuglienWPG0.82
  6. Brent BurnsSJS/CAR/COL0.82

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.

−5.9 goals above expected

020406080100100200300400500600700Game

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 speed35.8 km/h99th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph376th pct
  • Hardest shot126.7 km/h36th pct
  • Distance skated14 km55th pct
  • Offensive-zone time35.2%7th 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

37.3 km/h94th pct

▲ +1.9 km/h since 2024–25

33343536373821–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 36.0 km/h, 75th percentile (71 games)2022–23: 35.9 km/h, 71st percentile (82 games)2023–24: 36.5 km/h, 82nd percentile (81 games)2024–25: 35.5 km/h, 52nd percentile (76 games)2025–26: 37.3 km/h, 94th percentile (82 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

3.591st pct

▲ +0.2 since 2024–25

01234521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 4.1, 94th percentile (71 games)2022–23: 3.4, 93rd percentile (82 games)2023–24: 3.2, 87th percentile (81 games)2024–25: 3.3, 89th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 3.5, 91st percentile (82 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.5 km39th pct

▼ −0.2 km since 2024–25

12.51313.51414.521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.5 km, 38th percentile (71 games)2022–23: 13.0 km, 17th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 13.1 km, 18th percentile (81 games)2024–25: 13.6 km, 47th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 13.5 km, 39th percentile (82 games)

Hardest shot

152.0 km/h67th pct

▼ −6.1 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516016521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 160.9 km/h, 92nd percentile (71 games)2022–23: 153.0 km/h, 61st percentile (82 games)2023–24: 152.8 km/h, 65th percentile (81 games)2024–25: 158.1 km/h, 89th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 152.0 km/h, 67th percentile (82 games)

Offensive-zone time

40.1%27th pct

▼ −1.5 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 43.0%, 70th percentile (71 games)2022–23: 39.5%, 19th percentile (82 games)2023–24: 41.6%, 48th percentile (81 games)2024–25: 41.6%, 47th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 40.1%, 27th percentile (82 games)