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Ice Lab

Defence · #49

Samuel Girard

Nashville Predators Colorado Avalanche Pittsburgh Penguins(traded during the season)
Age
28
Shoots
Left
Height
178 cm
Weight
83 kg
Born
Roberval, CAN
Draft
2016, round 2, #47 (NSH)

Career · 2017–18 to 2026–27

Games
614
Goals
38
Points
247
TOI per game
20:20
xGF% (5v5)
51.8%
Goals above expected
−1.4
ShowAll teamsNashville PredatorsColorado AvalanchePittsburgh Penguins

Season by season

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

2017–18NSH5123−316:55812.5%10.452.1%
2017–18COL6831720−817:42763.9%123.444.6%
2017–18All teams7341923−1117:39844.8%133.945.0%
2018–19COL8242327+819:541163.4%95.248.4%
2019–20COL7043034+121:19964.2%124.952.2%
2020–21COL4852732+1523:13796.3%93.157.2%
2021–22COL6752328−421:39796.3%73.749.9%
2022–23COL7663137−1021:301195.0%85.652.1%
2023–24COL5931518019:23734.1%14.353.0%
2024–25COL7332124+720:51953.2%15.053.7%
2025–26COL403912+1217:41319.7%01.957.2%
2025–26PIT20077+518:56100.0%00.954.8%
2025–26All teams6031619+1718:06417.3%02.856.4%
2026–27PIT6145−219:50911.1%01.054.9%
Total3 teams61438209247+2120:207914.8%6039.451.8%

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)
00.20.40.60.811.2100200300400500600
15m20m25m100200300400500600Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2017–18 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

2nd pair
  • Goals /600.1852nd pct
  • Assists /601.0088th pct
  • ixG /600.1953rd pct
  • Shots /603.8044th pct

Play-driving

1st pair
  • xGF% (5v5)51.8%80th pct
  • CF% (5v5)52.3%87th pct
  • Relative xGF%−1.144th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.3674th pct

Usage

2nd pair
  • TOI per game20:2079th pct
  • PP time share27.4%78th pct
  • PK time share16.9%35th pct
  • Quality of competition24.5%65th 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. Nate SchmidtVGK/WPG/FLA/UTA0.86
  2. Rasmus SandinTOR/WSH0.81
  3. Philip BrobergEDM/STL0.77
  4. Will ButcherNJD0.77
  5. Lane HutsonMTL0.76
  6. Dmitry OrlovWSH/CAR/SJS0.75

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.

−1.4 goals above expected

010203040100200300400500600Game

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

−20−100+10+20+30+40

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 speed32.7 km/h42nd pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph257th pct
  • Hardest shot126.4 km/h34th pct
  • Distance skated14 km62nd pct
  • Offensive-zone time43.1%66th 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

34.5 km/h27th pct

▼ −2.1 km/h since 2024–25

323436384021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 36.1 km/h, 79th percentile (67 games)2022–23: 36.7 km/h, 88th percentile (76 games)2023–24: 37.7 km/h, 97th percentile (59 games)2024–25: 36.6 km/h, 84th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 34.5 km/h, 27th percentile (60 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

2.165th pct

▼ −0.6 since 2024–25

024621–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 3.0, 86th percentile (67 games)2022–23: 2.6, 83rd percentile (76 games)2023–24: 5.4, 97th percentile (59 games)2024–25: 2.7, 83rd percentile (73 games)2025–26: 2.1, 65th percentile (60 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.2 km84th pct

▲ +0.2 km since 2024–25

12.51313.51414.51521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.8 km, 56th percentile (67 games)2022–23: 13.8 km, 69th percentile (76 games)2023–24: 14.5 km, 96th percentile (59 games)2024–25: 14.0 km, 68th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 14.2 km, 84th percentile (60 games)

Hardest shot

140.7 km/h17th pct

▲ +0.2 km/h since 2024–25

13514014515015516021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 153.5 km/h, 63rd percentile (67 games)2022–23: 146.1 km/h, 30th percentile (76 games)2023–24: 144.8 km/h, 28th percentile (59 games)2024–25: 140.5 km/h, 19th percentile (73 games)2025–26: 140.7 km/h, 17th percentile (60 games)

Offensive-zone time

42.2%60th pct

▼ −0.3 points since 2024–25

39%40%41%42%43%44%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 43.1%, 72nd percentile (67 games)2022–23: 42.3%, 61st percentile (76 games)2023–24: 42.7%, 67th percentile (59 games)2024–25: 42.5%, 62nd percentile (73 games)2025–26: 42.2%, 60th percentile (60 games)