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Ice Lab

Defence · #71

Simon Nemec

New Jersey Devils Calgary Flames(traded during the season)
Age
22
Shoots
Right
Height
185 cm
Weight
86 kg
Born
Liptovský Mikuláš, SVK
Draft
2022, round 1, #2 (NJD)

Career · 2023–24 to 2026–27

Games
158
Goals
16
Points
49
TOI per game
18:58
xGF% (5v5)
48.3%
Goals above expected
+2.5
ShowAll teamsNew Jersey DevilsCalgary Flames

Season by season

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

2023–24NJD6031619−719:52734.1%24.651.3%
2024–25NJD27224−1014:59267.7%21.039.5%
2025–26NJD68111526−1119:4010110.9%27.348.0%
2026–27CGY3000−620:5070.0%00.545.9%
Total2 teams158163349−3418:582077.7%613.548.3%

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)
00.20.40.60.820406080100120140
12m14m16m18m20m22m24m20406080100120140Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2023–24 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

2nd pair

51st 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 /600.3284th pct
  • Assists /600.6648th pct
  • ixG /600.2780th pct
  • Shots /604.1569th pct

Play-driving

3rd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)48.3%42nd pct
  • CF% (5v5)49.1%49th pct
  • Relative xGF%−2.033rd pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.7119th pct

Usage

2nd pair
  • TOI per game18:5862nd pct
  • PP time share25.6%74th pct
  • PK time share13.1%27th pct
  • Quality of competition24.4%45th 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. Olen ZellwegerANA0.76
  2. Jakob ChychrunOTT/WSH0.74
  3. Zayne ParekhCGY0.73
  4. Jamie DrysdalePHI0.73
  5. Mason LohreiBOS0.72
  6. John KlingbergSJS0.70

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.

+2.5 goals above expected

05101520406080100120140Game

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

−10−50+5+10+15

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 speed34.4 km/h85th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph485th pct
  • Hardest shot129.9 km/h45th pct
  • Distance skated15 km69th pct
  • Offensive-zone time45.3%80th 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

34.4 km/h23rd pct

▲ +0.2 km/h since 2024–25

333435363723–2424–2525–262023–24: 35.3 km/h, 52nd percentile (60 games)2024–25: 34.2 km/h, 17th percentile (27 games)2025–26: 34.4 km/h, 23rd percentile (68 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

0.818th pct

▼ −0.1 since 2024–25

0.511.522.5323–2424–2525–262023–24: 0.9, 23rd percentile (60 games)2024–25: 0.9, 22nd percentile (27 games)2025–26: 0.8, 18th percentile (68 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.0 km76th pct

▼ −0.4 km since 2024–25

1313.51414.51523–2424–2525–262023–24: 14.3 km, 89th percentile (60 games)2024–25: 14.5 km, 92nd percentile (27 games)2025–26: 14.0 km, 76th percentile (68 games)

Hardest shot

147.2 km/h42nd pct

▲ +10.1 km/h since 2024–25

13014015016023–2424–2525–262023–24: 143.2 km/h, 21st percentile (60 games)2024–25: 137.1 km/h, 10th percentile (27 games)2025–26: 147.2 km/h, 42nd percentile (68 games)

Offensive-zone time

43.1%72nd pct

▲ +0.7 points since 2024–25

39%40%41%42%43%44%23–2424–2525–262023–24: 40.9%, 38th percentile (60 games)2024–25: 42.4%, 59th percentile (27 games)2025–26: 43.1%, 72nd percentile (68 games)