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Ice Lab

Defence · #8

Johnathan Kovacevic

Winnipeg Jets Montréal Canadiens New Jersey Devils(traded during the season)
Age
29
Shoots
Right
Height
196 cm
Weight
101 kg
Born
Hamilton, CAN
Draft
2017, round 3, #74 (WPG)

Career · 2021–22 to 2025–26

Games
258
Goals
10
Points
53
TOI per game
17:55
xGF% (5v5)
48.8%
Goals above expected
−3.1
ShowAll teamsWinnipeg JetsMontréal CanadiensNew Jersey Devils

Season by season

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

2021–22WPG4000+110:4970.0%00.258.3%
2022–23MTL7731215+317:25923.3%04.947.8%
2023–24MTL626713+1116:314613.0%03.045.1%
2024–25NJD8111617+1019:49761.3%03.453.1%
2025–26NJD34088017:52300.0%01.647.7%
Total3 teams258104353+2517:552514.0%013.148.8%

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)
00.20.40.60.850100150200250
12m14m16m18m20m22m50100150200250Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2021–22 to 2025–26 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

2nd pair

54th 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

3rd pair
  • Goals /600.1329th pct
  • Assists /600.5631st pct
  • ixG /600.1746th pct
  • Shots /603.2627th pct

Play-driving

2nd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)48.8%48th pct
  • CF% (5v5)49.6%59th pct
  • Relative xGF%+1.680th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.5060th pct

Usage

2nd pair
  • TOI per game17:5554th pct
  • PP time share1.0%22nd pct
  • PK time share42.0%77th pct
  • Quality of competition24.8%86th 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. Kevin BahlNJD/CGY0.91
  2. Dmitry KulikovMIN/ANA/FLA0.86
  3. Niko MikkolaSTL/NYR/FLA0.84
  4. Justin HollTOR/DET0.81
  5. Ryan LindgrenNYR/SEA0.80
  6. Brenden DillonWPG/NJD0.78

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.

−3.1 goals above expected

051050100150200250Game

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

−20−100+10+20+30

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 speed33.2 km/h18th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph320th pct
  • Hardest shot143.0 km/h41st pct
  • Distance skated132 km36th pct
  • Offensive-zone time40.0%26th 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

33.2 km/h4th pct

▼ −3.0 km/h since 2024–25

32333435363721–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 33.0 km/h, 5th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 35.6 km/h, 62nd percentile (77 games)2023–24: 34.4 km/h, 25th percentile (62 games)2024–25: 36.1 km/h, 75th percentile (81 games)2025–26: 33.2 km/h, 4th percentile (34 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

0.34th pct

▼ −0.6 since 2024–25

012321–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 1.4, 50th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 1.3, 43rd percentile (77 games)2023–24: 0.5, 9th percentile (62 games)2024–25: 0.9, 21st percentile (81 games)2025–26: 0.3, 4th percentile (34 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.1 km15th pct

▼ −0.1 km since 2024–25

12.51313.51414.521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 13.7 km, 55th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 13.6 km, 58th percentile (77 games)2023–24: 13.0 km, 11th percentile (62 games)2024–25: 13.2 km, 17th percentile (81 games)2025–26: 13.1 km, 15th percentile (34 games)

Hardest shot

143.0 km/h26th pct

▼ −15.7 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516016521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 148.7 km/h, 36th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 150.0 km/h, 45th percentile (77 games)2023–24: 153.1 km/h, 65th percentile (62 games)2024–25: 158.7 km/h, 92nd percentile (81 games)2025–26: 143.0 km/h, 26th percentile (34 games)

Offensive-zone time

40.0%27th pct

▲ +0.2 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 45.0%, 92nd percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 39.6%, 20th percentile (77 games)2023–24: 39.1%, 18th percentile (62 games)2024–25: 39.8%, 22nd percentile (81 games)2025–26: 40.0%, 27th percentile (34 games)