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Ice Lab

Defence · #18

Urho Vaakanainen

Age
27
Shoots
Left
Height
188 cm
Weight
93 kg
Born
Joensuu, FIN
Draft
2017, round 1, #18 (BOS)

Career · 2018–19 to 2025–26

Games
221
Goals
3
Points
46
TOI per game
16:47
xGF% (5v5)
44.8%
Goals above expected
−5.0

Season by season

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

2018–19BOS2000−19:0620.0%00.034.6%
2019–20BOS5000+216:5120.0%00.238.1%
2020–21BOS9022−318:55150.0%00.546.0%
2021–22BOS15044019:17150.0%00.548.3%
2021–22ANA14022−519:21120.0%10.538.5%
2021–22All teams29066−519:19270.0%11.043.2%
2022–23ANA23022−1616:27270.0%01.039.4%
2023–24ANA6811314017:29671.5%02.246.2%
2024–25ANA5011013:3630.0%00.253.7%
2024–25NYR4621315+816:43395.1%01.745.6%
2024–25All teams5121416+816:25424.8%02.046.3%
2025–26NYR34066013:51230.0%01.147.3%
Total3 teams22134346−1516:472051.5%18.044.8%

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)
00.20.40.60.850100150200
12m14m16m18m20m22m50100150200Game

Player card

How 2018–19 to 2025–26 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

Extra / AHL

17th 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

Extra / AHL
  • Goals /600.058th pct
  • Assists /600.7060th pct
  • ixG /600.1316th pct
  • Shots /603.3226th pct

Play-driving

3rd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)44.8%14th pct
  • CF% (5v5)46.9%23rd pct
  • Relative xGF%−1.835th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.5842nd pct

Usage

3rd pair
  • TOI per game16:4747th pct
  • PP time share1.9%33rd pct
  • PK time share23.8%49th pct
  • Quality of competition24.0%40th 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.

−5.0 goals above expected

0246850100150200Game

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 speed33.5 km/h22nd pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph1035th pct
  • Hardest shot134.5 km/h19th pct
  • Distance skated103 km33rd pct
  • Offensive-zone time41.9%56th 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

33.5 km/h6th pct

▼ −1.9 km/h since 2024–25

32333435363721–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 32.6 km/h, 0th percentile (29 games)2022–23: 34.5 km/h, 26th percentile (23 games)2023–24: 35.5 km/h, 61st percentile (68 games)2024–25: 35.3 km/h, 51st percentile (51 games)2025–26: 33.5 km/h, 6th percentile (34 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

1.336th pct

▲ +0.2 since 2024–25

012321–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 0.4, 11th percentile (29 games)2022–23: 1.0, 25th percentile (23 games)2023–24: 1.2, 35th percentile (68 games)2024–25: 1.1, 31st percentile (51 games)2025–26: 1.3, 36th percentile (34 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.1 km18th pct

▼ −0.1 km since 2024–25

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.3 km, 30th percentile (29 games)2022–23: 13.4 km, 43rd percentile (23 games)2023–24: 13.1 km, 20th percentile (68 games)2024–25: 13.3 km, 20th percentile (51 games)2025–26: 13.1 km, 18th percentile (34 games)

Hardest shot

134.5 km/h3rd pct

▼ −3.3 km/h since 2024–25

13014015016021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 142.3 km/h, 13th percentile (29 games)2022–23: 140.2 km/h, 9th percentile (23 games)2023–24: 147.2 km/h, 38th percentile (68 games)2024–25: 137.8 km/h, 11th percentile (51 games)2025–26: 134.5 km/h, 3rd percentile (34 games)

Offensive-zone time

41.9%57th pct

▲ +2.4 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 40.0%, 23rd percentile (29 games)2022–23: 39.5%, 19th percentile (23 games)2023–24: 39.3%, 20th percentile (68 games)2024–25: 39.4%, 17th percentile (51 games)2025–26: 41.9%, 57th percentile (34 games)