Counting stats
NHL Shorthanded Assists Leaders: Forwards
2025-26All situations
Mikael Backlund (CGY), 
Sebastian Aho (CAR) and 
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (NYI) lead NHL forwards with 4 assists in 2025-26, ahead of 
Oliver Kapanen (MTL) (2).
Showing 2025-26 · 2026-27 becomes the default after ~10 games per team2026-27 so far →
Leaders: SH Assists: forwards, 2025-26
- 1stMikael BacklundCGY · 82 GP4
- 2ndSebastian AhoCAR · 79 GP4
- 3rdJean-Gabriel PageauNYI · 74 GP4
- 4thOliver KapanenMTL · 82 GP2
5thAdrian KempeLAK · 81 GP2
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What SH Assists: forwards measures
This board ranks NHL forwards 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. Forwards only, so they are not buried under the defensemen. 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, 90 forwards qualify for this board; the median is 1 and Mikael Backlund leads at 4.
SH Assists: forwards leaderboard
- 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.
| # | Player | Team | SH A | GP | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikael BacklundFCGY | CGY | 4 | 82 | 99 | 12% |
| 2 | Sebastian AhoFCAR | CAR | 4 | 79 | 99 | 100% |
| 3 | Jean-Gabriel PageauFNYI | NYI | 4 | 74 | 99 | 13%▲1.8 |
| 4 | Oliver KapanenFMTL | MTL | 2 | 82 | 87 | 26%▼0.8 |
| 5 | Adrian KempeFLAK | LAK | 2 | 81 | 87 | 95%▼0.9 |
| 6 |  Chandler StephensonFSEA | SEA | 2 | 80 | 87 | 27%▲3.3 |
| 7 |  Christian DvorakFPHI | PHI | 2 | 80 | 87 | 15%▲1.7 |
| 8 |  Kevin StenlundFUTA | UTA | 2 | 80 | 87 | 0.2% |
| 9 |  Alex TuchFBUF | BUF | 2 | 79 | 87 | 94% |
| 10 |  Simon HolmstromFNYI | NYI | 2 | 79 | 87 | 14%▼0.8 |
| 11 |  Ilya MikheyevFCHI | CHI | 2 | 77 | 87 | 6.7%▼0.8 |
| 12 |  Ryan PoehlingFANA | ANA | 2 | 75 | 87 | 5.8% |
| 13 |  Jack EichelFVGK | VGK | 2 | 74 | 87 | 100% |
| 14 |  Josh AndersonFMTL | MTL | 2 | 72 | 87 | 22%▲11 |
| 15 |  Shane PintoFOTT | OTT | 2 | 72 | 87 | 45%▲1 |
| 16 |  Anthony CirelliFTBL | TBL | 2 | 71 | 87 | 44%▼2.2 |
| 17 |  Seth JarvisFCAR | CAR | 2 | 71 | 87 | 94%▲1.1 |
| 18 |  Adam HenriqueFEDM | EDM | 2 | 65 | 87 | 0.4% |
| 19 |  Anton LundellFFLA | FLA | 2 | 64 | 87 | 40%▼1.8 |
| 20 |  Troy TerryFANA | ANA | 2 | 61 | 87 | 44%▼1 |
| 21 |  Radek FaksaFDAL | DAL | 2 | 58 | 87 | 0.1% |
| 22 |  Nick FolignoFCHI | CHI | 2 | 54 | 87 | 3.3% |
| 23 |  Alex KillornFANA | ANA | 1 | 82 | 38 | 5.1% |
| 24 |  Mark ScheifeleFWPG | WPG | 1 | 82 | 38 | 98%▼0.6 |
| 25 |  Kyle ConnorFWPG | WPG | 1 | 82 | 38 | 99% |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in SH Assists: forwards in 2025-26?
Mikael Backlund leads with 4. The median of the 90 qualified forwards is 1.
How is SH Assists: forwards calculated?
Total assists, shorthanded, this season. Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is SH Assists: forwards?
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.