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Ice Lab

Defence · #70

Sam Malinski

Age
28
Shoots
Right
Height
180 cm
Weight
86 kg
Born
Lakeville, USA
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2023–24 to 2026–27

Games
183
Goals
16
Points
65
TOI per game
16:28
xGF% (5v5)
56.0%
Goals above expected
+3.4

Season by season

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

2023–24COL233710+314:14319.7%21.147.8%
2024–25COL7651015+815:571154.3%14.251.1%
2025–26COL8283240+4317:371644.9%17.161.0%
2026–27COL2000+515:0230.0%00.265.0%
Total1 team183164965+5916:283135.1%412.656.0%

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)
00.20.40.60.8120406080100120140160180
14m16m18m20m22m20406080100120140160180Game

Player card

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

1st pair

91st 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 /600.3283rd pct
  • Assists /600.9881st pct
  • ixG /600.2574th pct
  • Shots /606.2396th pct

Play-driving

1st pair
  • xGF% (5v5)56.0%96th pct
  • CF% (5v5)55.3%95th pct
  • Relative xGF%+1.574th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.1495th pct

Usage

3rd pair
  • TOI per game16:2836th pct
  • PP time share4.5%51st pct
  • PK time share10.1%22nd pct
  • Quality of competition24.0%25th 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.

+3.4 goals above expected

05101520406080100120140160180Game

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 speed34.3 km/h81st pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph257th pct
  • Hardest shot129.9 km/h45th pct
  • Distance skated7 km15th pct
  • Offensive-zone time36.5%10th 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

36.9 km/h88th pct

▲ +1.0 km/h since 2024–25

343536373823–2424–2525–262023–24: 37.2 km/h, 93rd percentile (23 games)2024–25: 35.9 km/h, 68th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 36.9 km/h, 88th percentile (82 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

4.896th pct

▲ +0.1 since 2024–25

024623–2424–2525–262023–24: 4.8, 96th percentile (23 games)2024–25: 4.8, 96th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 4.8, 96th percentile (82 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.3 km88th pct

▲ +0.1 km since 2024–25

1313.51414.51523–2424–2525–262023–24: 14.4 km, 91st percentile (23 games)2024–25: 14.2 km, 81st percentile (76 games)2025–26: 14.3 km, 88th percentile (82 games)

Hardest shot

155.8 km/h83rd pct

▲ +0.0 km/h since 2024–25

14014515015516023–2424–2525–262023–24: 144.0 km/h, 26th percentile (23 games)2024–25: 155.7 km/h, 83rd percentile (76 games)2025–26: 155.8 km/h, 83rd percentile (82 games)

Offensive-zone time

44.4%88th pct

▲ +0.9 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%23–2424–2525–262023–24: 41.9%, 55th percentile (23 games)2024–25: 43.6%, 80th percentile (76 games)2025–26: 44.4%, 88th percentile (82 games)