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Ice Lab

Centre · #25 · Rookie

Arttu Ruotsalainen

Buffalo Sabres
Age
28
Shoots
Left
Height
175 cm
Weight
85 kg
Born
Oulu, FIN
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2020–21 to 2021–22

Games
35
Goals
7
Points
10
TOI per game
12:54
xGF% (5v5)
42.2%
Goals above expected
+3.1

Season by season

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

2020–21BUF17516−913:592817.9%02.339.0%
2021–22BUF18224−111:53238.7%01.746.4%
Total1 team357310−1012:545113.7%03.942.2%

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)
00.10.20.30.40.5101520253035
11m12m13m14m15m101520253035Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2020–21 to 2021–22 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

4th line

19th percentile among qualified forwards, blending scoring 40%, play-driving 40%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st line
  2. 2nd line
  3. 3rd line
  4. 4th line
  5. Extra / AHL

Scoring

3rd line
  • Goals /600.9370th pct
  • Assists /600.406th pct
  • ixG /600.5211th pct
  • Goals above expected+3.178th pct

Play-driving

Extra / AHL
  • xGF% (5v5)42.2%7th pct
  • CF% (5v5)45.6%18th pct
  • Relative xGF%−4.315th pct
  • Penalty diff /60-0.4010th pct

Usage

3rd line
  • TOI per game12:5435th pct
  • PP time share22.0%46th pct
  • Offensive zone starts59.0%59th pct
  • Quality of competition24.0%61st pct

Percentiles among forwards 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. Jaret Anderson-Dolan0.86
  2. Ryan DzingelARI0.86
  3. Joseph VelenoDET0.80
  4. Jasper WeatherbySJS0.79
  5. Scott Reedy0.79
  6. Jonny Brodzinski0.76

Faceoffs

How often Ruotsalainen wins the draw over 2020–21 to 2021–22, against whom and where, and what a win leads to. Ranked among players with 339+ draws over the same seasons.

Win rate

42.3%

55–75 · below the 339 draws of a regular

Against an average centre

42.9%

Opponents won 50.6% of their draws; an average centre would have won 49.4% against them.

Wins above average

−9

Draws won beyond what an average centre facing the same opponents would have won.

Draws per game

5.2

130 draws in all.

By dot, attacking to the right

68%28 · +0.427%30 · +7.050%12 · +0.217%6 · −6.150%6 · +0.10%4 · –100%2 · –21%14 · −0.546%28 · +0.6Attacking zone →← Defending zone

Win rate at each dot; the small numbers are draws and the xG swing (×100) of winning rather than losing there.

By zone

  • Offensive zone33.3% 14–28
  • Neutral zone54.3% 25–21
  • Defensive zone38.1% 16–26

By strength

  • Even strength41.9% 52–72
  • Power play33.3% 1–2
  • Shorthanded66.7% 2–1

What a win leads to

Shot attempts in the next 20 seconds, for minus against, per 100 draws: +13 after a win, −11 after a loss. Each win was worth 1.0 expected goals per 100 draws more than a loss.

Most-faced opponents

Season by season

SeasonDrawsWin rateAgainst average
2020–211040.0%41.4%
2021–2212042.5%43.0%

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

024685101520253035Game

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 speed33.8 km/h13th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph27th pct
  • Hardest shot141.7 km/h55th pct
  • Distance skated56 km27th pct
  • Offensive-zone time39.3%16th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other forwards 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 forwardMiddle 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

33.8 km/h3rd pct

2021–22 only

333435363721–222021–22: 33.8 km/h, 3rd percentile (18 games, too few to rank reliably)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

0.61st pct

2021–22 only

024681021–222021–22: 0.6, 1st percentile (18 games, too few to rank reliably)

Distance skated per 60

15.7 km54th pct

2021–22 only

14.51515.51616.521–222021–22: 15.7 km, 54th percentile (18 games, too few to rank reliably)

Hardest shot

141.7 km/h41st pct

2021–22 only

13514014515015521–222021–22: 141.7 km/h, 41st percentile (18 games, too few to rank reliably)

Offensive-zone time

39.3%19th pct

2021–22 only

38%40%42%44%46%21–222021–22: 39.3%, 19th percentile (18 games, too few to rank reliably)