NHL Assists per Game Leaders: Defensemen

Leaders: Assists per Game: defense, 2025-26

1stQuinn HughesMIN/VAN · 74 GP0.93
2ndEvan BouchardEDM · 82 GP0.90
3rdLane HutsonMTL · 82 GP0.80
4thAdam FoxNYR · 55 GP0.80
5thZach WerenskiCBJ · 75 GP0.79
6thCale MakarCOL · 75 GP0.79
7thCharlie McAvoyBOS · 69 GP0.72
8thRasmus DahlinBUF · 77 GP0.71
9thMiro HeiskanenDAL · 77 GP0.70
10thErik KarlssonPIT · 75 GP0.68

The full ranked table, with filters, follows.

What Assists per Game: defense measures

This board ranks NHL defensemen by assists per game played, all situations, this season. Players under the minimum sample are hidden, and every row shows the games or minutes behind the number. Assists per game played, all situations, this season.

Rates settle faster than totals but need games or minutes: early in the season, part-time players swing the most. A row needs at least 33 games to qualify, a bar that rises as the season goes on, so early leaders with a handful of games do not crowd the top.

Defensemen only. Per game puts players who missed games on equal footing with those who played them all. Assists credit the last one or two players to touch the puck before a goal. Playmaking centres and power-play quarterbacks on the blue line top the list, and secondary assists make the totals noisier than goals suggest. In 2025-26, 219 defensemen qualify for this board; the median is 0.22 and Quinn Hughes leads at 0.93.

Assists per Game: defense leaderboard

WhoAll skaters Forwards Defensemen Rookies

RateTotal Per game Per 60

WindowSeason Last 7 days Last 14 days Last 30 days Last 10 games

StrengthAll situations 5-on-5 Power play Shorthanded

Season2026-27 2025-26 2024-25 2023-24

Older seasons

2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 2017-18

Show

NHL Assists per Game Leaders: Defensemen, 2025-26, All situations
#	Player	Team	A/GP	GP	A				Pctl
1	Quinn HughesDMIN/VAN	MIN/VAN	0.93	74	69	27:44	41st	78th	100	100%
2	Evan BouchardDEDM	EDM	0.90	82	74	24:41	86th	96th	100	100%
3	Lane HutsonDMTL	MTL	0.80	82	66	23:46	50th	56th	99	100%▲0.6
4	Adam FoxDNYR	NYR	0.80	55	44	23:38	30th	71st	99	99%
5	Zach WerenskiDCBJ	CBJ	0.79	75	59	26:37	70th	82nd	98	100%
6	Cale MakarDCOL	COL	0.79	75	59	24:51	99th	95th	98	100%
7	Charlie McAvoyDBOS	BOS	0.72	69	50	24:23	40th	87th	97	97%▲1.3
8	Rasmus DahlinDBUF	BUF	0.71	77	55	24:11	64th	66th	97	99%▼0.5
9	Miro HeiskanenDDAL	DAL	0.70	77	54	25:28	81st	95th	96	100%▲1.5
10	Erik KarlssonDPIT	PIT	0.68	75	51	23:36	63rd	87th	96	95%
11	Shayne GostisbehereDCAR	CAR	0.67	55	37	19:14	95th	34th	95	96%▲0.6
12	Darren RaddyshDTBL	TBL	0.66	73	48	22:42	91st	88th	95	98%▲0.5
13	John CarlsonDWSH/ANA	WSH/ANA	0.65	71	46	23:10	57th	62nd	94	98%
14	Mikhail SergachevDUTA	UTA	0.63	78	49	24:18	83rd	89th	94	100%▲1.4
15	Roman JosiDNSH	NSH	0.62	68	42	24:53	27th	82nd	94	98%
16	Moritz SeiderDDET	DET	0.61	82	50	25:40	33rd	85th	93	99%
17	Jake SandersonDOTT	OTT	0.60	67	40	24:50	94th	97th	93	96%▼0.7
18	Jackson LaCombeDANA	ANA	0.59	82	48	24:15	56th	78th	92	97%
19	Josh MorrisseyDWPG	WPG	0.53	77	41	24:43	38th	85th	92	96%▼2.5
20	Filip HronekDVAN	VAN	0.50	82	41	25:00	5th	83rd	91	94%
21	Victor HedmanDTBL	TBL	0.48	33	16	18:52	88th	49th	91	84%▼1
22	Seth JonesDFLA	FLA	0.48	52	25	23:42	56th	76th	90	90%▲15
23	Brock FaberDMIN	MIN	0.45	80	36	24:41	74th	88th	90	87%▼1.2
24	Matthew SchaeferDNYI	NYI	0.44	82	36	24:41	26th	89th	89	100%
25	Noah DobsonDMTL	MTL	0.44	80	35	22:29	51st	96th	89	92%▼1.7
26	Thomas HarleyDDAL	DAL	0.43	70	30	23:03	79th	66th	89	82%▼1.2
27	Mattias EkholmDEDM	EDM	0.43	82	35	20:36	86th	94th	88	68%
28	Luke HughesDNJD	NJD	0.43	68	29	23:01	44th	61st	88	83%
29	Jakob ChychrunDWSH	WSH	0.42	80	34	23:20	54th	56th	87	99%
30	Thomas ChabotDOTT	OTT	0.42	57	24	22:35	94th	54th	87	87%▼1.3
31	Kris LetangDPIT	PIT	0.42	74	31	21:41	69th	66th	86	54%▼2.9
32	Dmitry OrlovDSJS	SJS	0.41	82	34	21:12	15th	80th	86	33%▲7.5
33	Shea TheodoreDVGK	VGK	0.41	70	29	22:50	92nd	92nd	85	90%▼2.7
34	Vince DunnDSEA	SEA	0.41	81	33	21:40	7th	95th	85	93%▲1.5
35	K'Andre MillerDCAR	CAR	0.40	72	29	22:24	96th	87th	84	58%▼1.8
36	John MarinoDUTA	UTA	0.40	80	32	20:12	85th	71st	84	21%▲5
37	Oliver Ekman-LarssonDTOR	TOR	0.40	78	31	20:36	8th	54th	83	29%▼4.2
38	Tony DeAngeloDNYI	NYI	0.39	76	30	19:08	31st	47th	83	19%▼0.8
39	Brandt ClarkeDLAK	LAK	0.39	82	32	19:48	66th	56th	82	94%
40	Sam MalinskiDCOL	COL	0.39	82	32	17:37	98th	47th	82	41%▼3.5
41	Mike MathesonDMTL	MTL	0.38	78	30	24:10	49th	99th	82	72%▼7
42	Bowen ByramDBUF	BUF	0.38	82	31	22:20	62nd	64th	81	87%▼2.3
43	Rasmus AnderssonDCGY/VGK	CGY/VGK	0.37	81	30	23:12	50th	83rd	81	87%▲1.8
44	Sean DurziDUTA	UTA	0.37	60	22	19:16	84th	64th	80	36%▼1.6
45	Ryan SheaDPIT	PIT	0.36	80	29	18:53	68th	44th	80	19%▼2.6
46	Mattias SamuelssonDBUF	BUF	0.36	78	28	22:50	68th	76th	79	81%▲4.9
47	Noah HanifinDVGK	VGK	0.35	71	25	22:36	87th	61st	79	48%▲0.5
48	Dougie HamiltonDNJD	NJD	0.35	77	27	21:32	42nd	68th	78	82%▼0.9
49	Philip BrobergDSTL	STL	0.35	81	28	23:21	63rd	88th	78	60%
50	Damon SeversonDCBJ	CBJ	0.34	71	24	21:04	72nd	72nd	78	22%▲12