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Ice Lab

Defence · #33

Nikolas Matinpalo

Age
28
Shoots
Right
Height
191 cm
Weight
97 kg
Born
Espoo, FIN
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2023–24 to 2026–27

Games
98
Goals
1
Points
9
TOI per game
14:06
xGF% (5v5)
50.3%
Goals above expected
−2.6

Season by season

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

2023–24OTT4000+17:0020.0%00.057.8%
2024–25OTT41134−212:37432.3%01.647.1%
2025–26OTT50055−115:38370.0%01.951.7%
2026–27OTT3000+218:3340.0%00.158.4%
Total1 team98189014:06861.2%03.650.3%

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)
00.10.20.30.420406080
10m12m14m16m18m20406080Game

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

3rd pair

26th 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

Extra / AHL
  • Goals /600.048th pct
  • Assists /600.356th pct
  • ixG /600.1640th pct
  • Shots /603.7353rd pct

Play-driving

2nd pair
  • xGF% (5v5)50.3%60th pct
  • CF% (5v5)47.0%26th pct
  • Relative xGF%−1.935th pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.2189th pct

Usage

Extra / AHL
  • TOI per game14:0611th pct
  • PP time share0.1%1st pct
  • PK time share20.0%38th pct
  • Quality of competition22.9%1st 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.

−2.6 goals above expected

0123420406080Game

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 speed33.0 km/h54th pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph125th pct
  • Hardest shot117.0 km/h12th pct
  • Distance skated13 km48th pct
  • Offensive-zone time36.6%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

37.2 km/h93rd pct

▲ +0.8 km/h since 2024–25

343536373823–2424–2525–262023–24: 34.7 km/h, 35th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 36.4 km/h, 81st percentile (41 games)2025–26: 37.2 km/h, 93rd percentile (50 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

3.490th pct

▼ −0.7 since 2024–25

01234523–2424–2525–262023–24: 4.3, 96th percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 4.1, 94th percentile (41 games)2025–26: 3.4, 90th percentile (50 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.1 km14th pct

▼ −0.8 km since 2024–25

12.51313.51414.51523–2424–2525–262023–24: 14.4 km, 92nd percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 13.9 km, 62nd percentile (41 games)2025–26: 13.1 km, 14th percentile (50 games)

Hardest shot

149.4 km/h55th pct

▼ −2.8 km/h since 2024–25

12013014015016023–2424–2525–262023–24: 130.5 km/h, 2nd percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 152.2 km/h, 69th percentile (41 games)2025–26: 149.4 km/h, 55th percentile (50 games)

Offensive-zone time

40.5%33rd pct

▼ −1.8 points since 2024–25

39%40%41%42%43%44%23–2424–2525–262023–24: 41.8%, 51st percentile (4 games, too few to rank reliably)2024–25: 42.3%, 57th percentile (41 games)2025–26: 40.5%, 33rd percentile (50 games)