NHL Shorthanded Assists Leaders: Defensemen

Leaders: SH Assists: defense, 2025-26

1stDylan DeMeloWPG · 82 GP2
2ndEsa LindellDAL · 82 GP2
3rdDarnell NurseEDM · 82 GP2
4thJonas SiegenthalerNJD · 82 GP2
5thFilip HronekVAN · 82 GP2
6thEvan BouchardEDM · 82 GP2
7thTravis SanheimPHI · 81 GP2
8thSean WalkerCAR · 81 GP2
9thOwen PowerBUF · 81 GP2
10thParker WotherspoonPIT · 80 GP2

The full ranked table, with filters, follows.

What SH Assists: defense measures

This board ranks NHL defensemen by total assists, shorthanded, this season. Players under the minimum sample are hidden, and every row shows the games or minutes behind the number. Total assists, shorthanded, this season.

Special-teams scoring follows special-teams ice time: a player's share of his team's PP minutes repeats much better than his PP points do.

The shorthanded split shows who scores while killing penalties. Defensemen only. 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, 62 defensemen qualify for this board; the median is 1 and Dylan DeMelo leads at 2.

SH Assists: 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

Strength comes from the play-by-play skater counts; a few players differ from NHL.com by one goal or point where a penalty expired at the moment of the goal.

Show

NHL Shorthanded Assists Leaders: Defensemen, 2025-26, All situations
#	Player	Team	SH A	GP			Pctl
1	Dylan DeMeloDWPG	WPG	2	82	36th	84th	84	5.7%
2	Esa LindellDDAL	DAL	2	82	82nd	94th	84	28%▼4.1
3	Darnell NurseDEDM	EDM	2	82	48th	61st	84	60%▼2.7
4	Jonas SiegenthalerDNJD	NJD	2	82	44th	66th	84	0.2%▼3
5	Filip HronekDVAN	VAN	2	82	5th	83rd	84	94%
6	Evan BouchardDEDM	EDM	2	82	86th	96th	84	100%
7	Travis SanheimDPHI	PHI	2	81	79th	93rd	84	65%▼0.6
8	Sean WalkerDCAR	CAR	2	81	96th	79th	84	71%▲7.7
9	Owen PowerDBUF	BUF	2	81	61st	68th	84	75%▲5
10	Parker WotherspoonDPIT	PIT	2	80	66th	81st	84	13%▼1.6
11	Nick PerbixDNSH	NSH	2	79	24th	84th	84	0.1%
12	J.J. MoserDTBL	TBL	2	79	90th	92nd	84	16%▼2.5
13	Mikhail SergachevDUTA	UTA	2	78	83rd	89th	84	100%▲1.4
14	Mattias SamuelssonDBUF	BUF	2	78	68th	76th	84	81%▲4.9
15	Zach WerenskiDCBJ	CBJ	2	75	70th	82nd	84	100%
16	K'Andre MillerDCAR	CAR	2	72	96th	87th	84	58%▼1.8
17	Tyler KlevenDOTT	OTT	2	70	97th	23rd	84	23%▲11
18	Drew HellesonDANA	ANA	2	60	61st	45th	84	8.8%
19	Yan KuznetsovDCGY	CGY	2	57	17th	59th	84	6.4%
20	Rasmus RistolainenDPHI	PHI	2	44	78th	90th	84	7.4%▼0.8
21	Jaccob SlavinDCAR	CAR	2	39	92nd	98th	84	26%▲4.9
22	Ian ColeDUTA	UTA	1	82	81st	24th	33	3.3%▼0.8
23	Brian DumoulinDLAK	LAK	1	82	71st	37th	33	0.1%
24	Brenden DillonDNJD	NJD	1	82	35th	42nd	33	7.3%▼1.6
25	Cam FowlerDSTL	STL	1	82	57th	49th	33	15%▲2.3
26	Joel EdmundsonDLAK	LAK	1	82	79th	62nd	33	3.2%
27	Brady SkjeiDNSH	NSH	1	82	28th	98th	33	15%▼1.1
28	Cody CeciDLAK	LAK	1	82	71st	47th	33	0.2%
29	Adam PelechDNYI	NYI	1	82	28th	74th	33	4.1%▲0.8
30	Vladislav GavrikovDNYR	NYR	1	82	32nd	73rd	33	62%▲4
31	Bowen ByramDBUF	BUF	1	82	62nd	64th	33	87%▼2.3
32	Jackson LaCombeDANA	ANA	1	82	56th	78th	33	97%
33	Albert JohanssonDDET	DET	1	82	23rd	39th	33	4.0%
34	Jacob TroubaDANA	ANA	1	81	66th	68th	33	72%▲1.5
35	Alex VlasicDCHI	CHI	1	81	3rd	99th	33	8.2%
36	Connor MurphyDCHI	CHI	1	80	6th	50th	33	6.2%
37	John MarinoDUTA	UTA	1	80	85th	71st	33	21%▲5
38	Noah DobsonDMTL	MTL	1	80	51st	96th	33	92%▼1.7
39	Brock FaberDMIN	MIN	1	80	74th	88th	33	87%▼1.2
40	MacKenzie WeegarDCGY	CGY	1	79	31st	66th	33	91%
41	Justin FaulkDSTL	STL	1	78	48th	60th	33	54%▲4.7
42	Mike MathesonDMTL	MTL	1	78	49th	99th	33	72%▼7
43	Louis CrevierDCHI	CHI	1	78	2nd	99th	33	14%▼0.8
44	Ryan PulockDNYI	NYI	1	76	32nd	99th	33	7.1%▼1
45	Ryan LindgrenDSEA	SEA	1	76	13th	64th	33	0.1%
46	Kevin BahlDCGY	CGY	1	76	21st	90th	33	4.8%▲0.8
47	Denton MateychukDCBJ	CBJ	1	75	73rd	62nd	33	41%
48	Pavel MintyukovDANA	ANA	1	73	52nd	40th	33	26%▼1.6
49	Drew DoughtyDLAK	LAK	1	72	75th	74th	33	18%▼1.9
50	Aaron EkbladDFLA	FLA	1	72	74th	97th	33	42%▼0.8