Who to start · 2026-27
Lawson Crouse vs Troy Stecher
In 2026-27, Lawson Crouse scored 1.25 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Troy Stecher's 1.18.
Crouse had 7 points in 21 games; Stecher had 6 in 22 games.
This week Crouse has no games left; Stecher has no games left.
Lawson Crouse has the better number in 24 of the 34 stats both are ranked on.
Crouse's biggest edges: Turnover Ledger /60 +0.112, Hits 53, Hardest shot 86.3.
Stecher's biggest edges: Faceoffs won 0, Goals above expected +0.9, Net penalties drawn /60 0.00.
In standard categories (G, A, +/-, PPP, SOG, HIT), the default in Who Should I Start, Lawson Crouse rates ahead, -0.9 to -1.4 in summed category z-scores.
Role trend over the last 5 games: Crouse is steady, On-ice xGF/60 3.07 (was 2.67); Stecher is steady, 48% of 5v5 TOI with top players (was 68%).
- • Crouse, last 10 games (Oct 24–Nov 14): 1 G, 2 A, 0 PPP, 15 SOG.
- • Stecher, last 10 games (Oct 24–Nov 14): 1 G, 3 A, 0 PPP, 18 SOG.
Utah Mammoth · Toronto Maple Leafs · Who should I start? · Compare other players
Fantasy value: your scoring
Under Standard (6 categories), Lawson Crouse has the edge (Crouse wins 2, Stecher wins 4 of 6 categories).
| Category | Crouse | Stecher |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / game | 0.10 | 0.09 |
| Assists / game | 0.24 | 0.18 |
| Plus/minus / game | 0.14 | 0.23 |
| Power-play points / game | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| Shots on goal / game | 1.62 | 1.27 |
| Hits / game | 2.52 | 0.50 |
Per-game rates from the selected sample; blended mixes last season with this season, weighting this season more as games are played. Categories are scored as z-scores against qualified players at the same position. Your scoring choice is shared with Who Should I Start: saved on this device, and on your account when you are signed in.
Head-to-head: Crouse vs Stecher
Every event between them in NHL play-by-play, 2018-19 to 2026-27: games against each other, faceoffs, shots on goal, hits and penalties. Regular season and playoffs.
Crouse 5G 2A, 27 SOG · Stecher 1G 5A, 15 SOG
Crouse blocked 2 of Stecher's shots; Stecher blocked 1 of Crouse's.
On the ice against each other (Crouse's side)
14:25 at 5-on-5 over 4 games, 2025-26 to 2026-27, from Crouse's side
- Shot attempts
- 18–14
- 56.3%
- Expected goals
- 0.9–0.6
- 60.6%
- Goals
- 0–2
Games against each other
| Date | Score | Crouse | Stecher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | UTA 3–2 TOR | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2026-10-13 | UTA 5–4 TOR | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2026-01-13 | UTA 6–1 TOR | 0G 0A 1S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-10-28 | UTA 3–6 EDM | 0G 0A 3S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2025-03-18 | UTA 1–7 EDM | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2024-12-31 | UTA 1–4 EDM | 0G 0A 0S | 1G 0A 2S |
| 2024-11-29 | UTA 3–4 EDM | 1G 0A 2S | 0G 1A 1S |
| 2024-04-17 | ARI 5–2 EDM | 1G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
| 2024-04-12 | ARI 3–2 EDM | 0G 0A 0S | 0G 1A 2S |
| 2023-03-14 | ARI 4–3 CGY | 0G 1A 0S | 0G 1A 1S |
| 2020-03-04 | ARI 4–2 VAN | 1G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 1S |
| 2020-01-16 | ARI 1–3 VAN | 0G 0A 2S | 0G 0A 0S |
Latest 12 of 16 meetings.
Every stat, side by side
Season values; bars are percentiles at each player's position (longer is better). Click a stat for its explainer.
Fantasy box score
Possession & shot quality (5-on-5 on-ice)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs, Usage, Special teams & discipline, Luck & trend, NHL EDGE tracking continue below
Every stat, side by side (continued)
Transition, turnovers & faceoffs
Usage
Special teams & discipline
Chemistry as teammates
How their expected-goal share at 5v5 changed together vs apart (shrunk for sample size), and how closely their DraftKings points moved game to game (raw, that season only; for forward linemates the typical value is about .28).
| Season | 5v5 min together | xG% lift | xGF/60 lift | DK correlation (raw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 ARI | 178 | +0.8 | −0.12 | .10(−.40 to .55), 13 GP |
| 2022-23 ARI | 201 | −0.2 | +0.01 | −.48(−.80 to .06), 11 GP |
This week's schedule
Nov 9 to Nov 15. More games usually wins a weekly start/sit. Chips show how many fantasy points the opponent allows to the player's position (soft or tough), the Schedule Edge from rest and travel, and the likely opposing goalie with his save percentage. Projections cover the games left: Edgehalla's rest-of-season rates per game, adjusted for each opponent's scoring allowed, in ESPN default points.
Scored in ESPN default points (G 2, A 1, PPP 0.5, SHP 0.5, SOG 0.1, HIT 0.1, BLK 0.5). Use your league's scoring
Lawson Crouse
3games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Wed, Nov 11 @ VGKOpp allows 8th-fewest FP to LWLikely vs Carter Hart (.895)
- Thu, Nov 12 vs STLB2B
- Sat, Nov 14 vs SJSOpp allows 3rd-most FP to LWLikely vs Yaroslav Askarov (.890)
Troy Stecher
3games (0 left)
0.0proj. ESPN default pts
- Tue, Nov 10 vs COLOpp allows 6th-fewest FP to DLikely vs Mackenzie Blackwood (.905)
- Thu, Nov 12 vs MINOpp allows 4th-fewest FP to DLikely vs Jesper Wallstedt (.926)
- Sat, Nov 14 vs EDMOpp allows 3rd-fewest FP to DLikely vs Devon Levi (.906)
Player data stories
How the game changed, told through the numbers.
- In 2022-23, Four NHL Players Wore a Number in the 90s for Every One in No. 9 The count was 53 to 13, and the incomplete 2025-26 rosters show the same split, 51 to 12.
- The 1,000-Game Club Had Its Biggest Year. Getting In Is No Easier. Seventeen players reached 1,000 NHL games in 2025-26, more than in any season before, in the biggest league the NHL has had.
- Only 14 NHL Defencemen Still Score Like Ken Daneyko A stay-at-home defenceman stays back to defend and leaves the scoring to others.
- How Much Lighter Did the NHL Really Get? Teams write down NHL weights.
Similar matchups
FAQ
- Should I start Lawson Crouse or Troy Stecher in fantasy hockey?
- In 2026-27, Lawson Crouse scored 1.25 fantasy points per game under ESPN default scoring to Troy Stecher's 1.18. Crouse had 7 points in 21 games; Stecher had 6 in 22 games. Check this week's games and your league's scoring in the fantasy panel above, since more games usually decide a weekly start.
- Who is better, Lawson Crouse or Troy Stecher?
- On 2026-27 numbers, Lawson Crouse leads in 24 of 34 stats where both qualify, from scoring and power-play production to on-ice shot share and NHL EDGE tracking.
- How have Crouse and Stecher done against each other?
- In 16 games against each other in our data, Crouse's team went 11–5. Crouse had 7 points (5 goals) and Stecher had 6 (1 goals).
2026-27 regular season from NHL play-by-play, shift charts and NHL EDGE, processed by Edgehalla. Head-to-head covers every loaded season (play-by-play from 2019-20; on-ice matchups from 2025-26).Compare other players →