NHL Projected Assist Leaders This Week This Week

Elite playmakers drive fantasy value through assists. Our assist projections highlight the NHL players most likely to rack up helpers in this week's games. Look for players on top power play units and those centering high-scoring linemates for maximum assist upside (Jan 12-Jan 18 (Week 15)). (Jan 12-Jan 18 (Week 15))

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Fantasy Week 15: Jan 12 - Jan 18(Mon-Sun)

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Updated: 3:13 PM UTC(hourly)

No games scheduled

What makes a great playmaker? Assists often outnumber goals for elite players. The best playmakers create scoring chances through vision, passing, and power play quarterbacking.

Types of assists

- Primary assists: The pass directly before the goal (most valuable) - Secondary assists: The pass before the primary assist - Power play assists: Assists on man-advantage goals (high-volume for PP QBs)

Key factors

- Linemates: Playing with elite finishers = more assist opportunities - PP role: PP1 quarterbacks (usually D-men or centers) lead in assists - Ice time: More minutes = more chances to set up goals

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Pro Tip: Target players centering elite goal scorers. If Draisaitl scores, McDavid likely gets the assist—and vice versa.

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PP1 Playmakers This week

Power play assists drive elite fantasy value. Cross-reference with line combinations to identify This Week's PP1 quarterbacks.

Line Combinations

Assists from Defensemen

D-men often lead teams in assists due to PP quarterbacking. Check defensemen projections for playmaking blueliners.

Defensemen Projections

Stack Playmakers with Finishers

In DFS, pair high-assist playmakers with goal-scoring linemates for correlated upside.

Goals Projections

Related Projections

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Frequently Asked Questions

We analyze line combinations, power play usage, linemate shooting tendencies, opponent defensive structure, and historical playmaking rates to project This Week's assist leaders.

Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and defensemen like Cale Makar and Adam Fox consistently lead in assists due to their elite vision and PP1 roles.

Generally yes. Elite playmakers accumulate assists more consistently than goal scorers because they can influence multiple scoring chances per game through their passing.

In most formats, they're equally weighted. However, assists are slightly more consistent while goals have higher variance. Playmakers often provide better floor, while goal scorers offer higher ceiling.