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Ice Lab

Defence · #8

Zach Werenski

Age
29
Shoots
Left
Height
188 cm
Weight
98 kg
Born
Grosse Pointe, USA
Draft
2015, round 1, #8 (CBJ)

Career · 2016–17 to 2026–27

Games
644
Goals
135
Points
467
TOI per game
24:13
xGF% (5v5)
51.0%
Goals above expected
+19.5

Season by season

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

2016–17CBJ78113647+1720:551885.9%218.951.4%
2017–18CBJ77162137+822:352077.7%1012.553.3%
2018–19CBJ82113344−1222:541686.5%1510.850.1%
2019–20CBJ63202141+923:5918710.7%1212.052.1%
2020–21CBJ3571320−924:22798.9%54.347.3%
2021–22CBJ68113748−1525:402165.1%1413.946.0%
2022–23CBJ13358−623:36417.3%22.353.2%
2023–24CBJ70114657024:272025.4%1212.147.0%
2024–25CBJ81235982+1226:452987.7%2521.653.5%
2025–26CBJ75225981+726:372608.5%2116.855.1%
2026–27CBJ2022+230:1540.0%10.256.9%
Total1 team644135332467+1324:131,8507.3%138115.551.0%

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)
00.511.52100200300400500600
18m20m22m24m26m28m30m100200300400500600Game

Player card

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

95th 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 /600.5298th pct
  • Assists /601.2895th pct
  • ixG /600.4499th pct
  • Shots /607.1299th pct

Play-driving

1st pair
  • xGF% (5v5)51.0%73rd pct
  • CF% (5v5)51.7%82nd pct
  • Relative xGF%+2.991st pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.5734th pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game24:1398th pct
  • PP time share62.6%98th pct
  • PK time share30.2%59th pct
  • Quality of competition24.9%89th 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).

Finishing

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.

+19.5 goals above expected

050100150100200300400500600Game

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 speed31.8 km/h20th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph00th pct
  • Hardest shot143.2 km/h83rd pct
  • Distance skated14 km54th pct
  • Offensive-zone time37.6%18th 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

37.1 km/h91st pct

▼ −0.0 km/h since 2024–25

323436384021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 36.9 km/h, 93rd percentile (68 games)2022–23: 36.1 km/h, 77th percentile (13 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 37.8 km/h, 98th percentile (70 games)2024–25: 37.1 km/h, 91st percentile (81 games)2025–26: 37.1 km/h, 91st percentile (75 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

3.792nd pct

▼ −0.8 since 2024–25

01234521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 2.6, 79th percentile (68 games)2022–23: 2.0, 66th percentile (13 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 3.1, 86th percentile (70 games)2024–25: 4.5, 96th percentile (81 games)2025–26: 3.7, 92nd percentile (75 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.0 km71st pct

▼ −0.3 km since 2024–25

111213141521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 14.0 km, 74th percentile (68 games)2022–23: 11.9 km, 0th percentile (13 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 13.8 km, 64th percentile (70 games)2024–25: 14.3 km, 85th percentile (81 games)2025–26: 14.0 km, 71st percentile (75 games)

Hardest shot

153.4 km/h73rd pct

▲ +5.5 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 147.9 km/h, 32nd percentile (68 games)2022–23: 153.5 km/h, 65th percentile (13 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 154.9 km/h, 73rd percentile (70 games)2024–25: 147.9 km/h, 51st percentile (81 games)2025–26: 153.4 km/h, 73rd percentile (75 games)

Offensive-zone time

44.2%86th pct

▲ +1.4 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 43.0%, 70th percentile (68 games)2022–23: 43.8%, 76th percentile (13 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 42.6%, 65th percentile (70 games)2024–25: 42.9%, 68th percentile (81 games)2025–26: 44.2%, 86th percentile (75 games)