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Ice Lab

Defence · #3

Nick Blankenburg

Columbus Blue Jackets Nashville Predators Colorado Avalanche Toronto Maple Leafs(traded during the season)
Age
28
Shoots
Right
Height
175 cm
Weight
81 kg
Born
Washington, USA
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2021–22 to 2026–27

Games
2
Goals
1
Points
1
TOI per game
13:46
xGF% (5v5)
32.9%
Goals above expected
+0.9
ShowAll teamsColumbus Blue JacketsNashville PredatorsColorado AvalancheToronto Maple Leafs

Season by season

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

2021–22CBJ7123−317:34137.7%10.447.2%
2022–23CBJ3641014−1619:10508.0%43.146.7%
2023–24CBJ12101+116:131010.0%00.549.3%
2024–25NSH6041216−219:33844.8%66.151.0%
2025–26NSH4961521−1117:585910.2%74.452.2%
2025–26COL12213+112:021315.4%00.750.7%
2025–26All teams6181624−1016:487211.1%75.151.9%
2026–27TOR2101013:461100.0%00.132.9%
Total4 teams178194059−3018:102308.3%1815.349.8%

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)
Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2021–22 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

75th 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 /600.3589th pct
  • Assists /600.7464th pct
  • ixG /600.2884th pct
  • Shots /604.2768th pct

Play-driving

2nd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)49.8%58th pct
  • CF% (5v5)50.1%63rd pct
  • Relative xGF%+0.768th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.6138th pct

Usage

2nd pair
  • TOI per game18:1058th pct
  • PP time share25.0%77th pct
  • PK time share32.9%60th pct
  • Quality of competition24.4%57th 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. Matthew SchaeferNYI0.86
  2. Cale MakarCOL0.81
  3. Denton MateychukCBJ0.76
  4. Shayne GostisbehereARI/CAR0.76
  5. Olen ZellwegerANA0.71
  6. Evan BouchardEDM0.68

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.

+0.9 goals above expected

00.20.40.60.8111.21.41.61.82Game

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/h33rd pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph120th pct
  • Hardest shot111.4 km/h4th pct
  • Distance skated3 km4th pct
  • Offensive-zone time40.8%46th 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/h25th pct

▼ −1.9 km/h since 2024–25

32333435363721–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 32.7 km/h, 0th percentile (7 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 36.4 km/h, 83rd percentile (36 games)2023–24: 33.7 km/h, 9th percentile (12 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 36.4 km/h, 80th percentile (60 games)2025–26: 34.4 km/h, 25th percentile (61 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

1.649th pct

▼ −1.2 since 2024–25

0123421–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 2.9, 85th percentile (7 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 1.7, 57th percentile (36 games)2023–24: 1.5, 50th percentile (12 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 2.8, 84th percentile (60 games)2025–26: 1.6, 49th percentile (61 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.9 km61st pct

▲ +0.2 km since 2024–25

12.51313.51414.51521–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 14.4 km, 93rd percentile (7 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 12.7 km, 7th percentile (36 games)2023–24: 13.2 km, 25th percentile (12 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 13.7 km, 50th percentile (60 games)2025–26: 13.9 km, 61st percentile (61 games)

Hardest shot

144.8 km/h32nd pct

▲ +1.2 km/h since 2024–25

12013014015016021–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 136.6 km/h, 3rd percentile (7 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 147.2 km/h, 33rd percentile (36 games)2023–24: 132.1 km/h, 2nd percentile (12 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 143.6 km/h, 29th percentile (60 games)2025–26: 144.8 km/h, 32nd percentile (61 games)

Offensive-zone time

45.3%93rd pct

▲ +1.9 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%48%21–2222–2323–2424–2525–262021–22: 43.6%, 77th percentile (7 games, too few to rank reliably)2022–23: 41.2%, 41st percentile (36 games)2023–24: 39.2%, 20th percentile (12 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 43.4%, 76th percentile (60 games)2025–26: 45.3%, 93rd percentile (61 games)