Counting stats

NHL Shorthanded Assists Leaders

2025-26All situations

Mikael Backlund (CGY), Sebastian Aho (CAR) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (NYI) lead NHL skaters with 4 assists in 2025-26, ahead of Dylan DeMelo (WPG) (2).

Updated Oct 21, 3:48 PM ET

Showing 2025-26 · 2026-27 becomes the default after ~10 games per team2026-27 so far →

Leaders: SH Assists, 2025-26

1stMikael BacklundCGY · 82 GP4
2ndSebastian AhoCAR · 79 GP4
3rdJean-Gabriel PageauNYI · 74 GP4
4thDylan DeMeloWPG · 82 GP2
5thEsa LindellDAL · 82 GP2
6thDarnell NurseEDM · 82 GP2
7thJonas SiegenthalerNJD · 82 GP2
8thFilip HronekVAN · 82 GP2
9thEvan BouchardEDM · 82 GP2
10thOliver KapanenMTL · 82 GP2

The full ranked table, with filters, follows.

What SH Assists measures

This board ranks NHL skaters 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. 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, 152 skaters qualify for this board; the median is 1 and Mikael Backlund leads at 4.

SH Assists 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.

152 qualified

Show

NHL Shorthanded Assists Leaders, 2025-26, All situations
#	Player	Team	SH A	GP			Pctl
1	Mikael BacklundFCGY	CGY	4	82	27th	93rd	99	12%
2	Sebastian AhoFCAR	CAR	4	79	93rd	99th	99	100%
3	Jean-Gabriel PageauFNYI	NYI	4	74	32nd	57th	99	13%▲1.8
4	Dylan DeMeloDWPG	WPG	2	82	36th	84th	85	5.7%
5	Esa LindellDDAL	DAL	2	82	82nd	94th	85	28%▼4.1
6	Darnell NurseDEDM	EDM	2	82	48th	61st	85	60%▼2.7
7	Jonas SiegenthalerDNJD	NJD	2	82	44th	66th	85	0.2%▼3
8	Filip HronekDVAN	VAN	2	82	5th	83rd	85	94%
9	Evan BouchardDEDM	EDM	2	82	86th	96th	85	100%
10	Oliver KapanenFMTL	MTL	2	82	56th	55th	85	26%▼0.8
11	Travis SanheimDPHI	PHI	2	81	79th	93rd	85	65%▼0.6
12	Adrian KempeFLAK	LAK	2	81	78th	81st	85	95%▼0.9
13	Sean WalkerDCAR	CAR	2	81	96th	79th	85	71%▲7.7
14	Owen PowerDBUF	BUF	2	81	61st	68th	85	75%▲5
15	Chandler StephensonFSEA	SEA	2	80	9th	97th	85	27%▲3.3
16	Christian DvorakFPHI	PHI	2	80	82nd	88th	85	15%▲1.7
17	Parker WotherspoonDPIT	PIT	2	80	66th	81st	85	13%▼1.6
18	Kevin StenlundFUTA	UTA	2	80	79th	24th	85	0.2%
19	Alex TuchFBUF	BUF	2	79	68th	79th	85	94%
20	Nick PerbixDNSH	NSH	2	79	24th	84th	85	0.1%
21	Simon HolmstromFNYI	NYI	2	79	28th	63rd	85	14%▼0.8
22	J.J. MoserDTBL	TBL	2	79	90th	92nd	85	16%▼2.5
23	Mikhail SergachevDUTA	UTA	2	78	83rd	89th	85	100%▲1.4
24	Mattias SamuelssonDBUF	BUF	2	78	68th	76th	85	81%▲4.9
25	Ilya MikheyevFCHI	CHI	2	77	4th	92nd	85	6.7%▼0.8
26	Zach WerenskiDCBJ	CBJ	2	75	70th	82nd	85	100%
27	Ryan PoehlingFANA	ANA	2	75	51st	34th	85	5.8%
28	Jack EichelFVGK	VGK	2	74	97th	97th	85	100%
29	Josh AndersonFMTL	MTL	2	72	47th	45th	85	22%▲11
30	K'Andre MillerDCAR	CAR	2	72	96th	87th	85	58%▼1.8
31	Shane PintoFOTT	OTT	2	72	93rd	93rd	85	45%▲1
32	Anthony CirelliFTBL	TBL	2	71	95th	85th	85	44%▼2.2
33	Seth JarvisFCAR	CAR	2	71	92nd	99th	85	94%▲1.1
34	Tyler KlevenDOTT	OTT	2	70	97th	23rd	85	23%▲11
35	Adam HenriqueFEDM	EDM	2	65	44th	21st	85	0.4%
36	Anton LundellFFLA	FLA	2	64	63rd	98th	85	40%▼1.8
37	Troy TerryFANA	ANA	2	61	75th	72nd	85	44%▼1
38	Drew HellesonDANA	ANA	2	60	61st	45th	85	8.8%
39	Radek FaksaFDAL	DAL	2	58	64th	7th	85	0.1%
40	Yan KuznetsovDCGY	CGY	2	57	17th	59th	85	6.4%
41	Nick FolignoFCHI	CHI	2	54	8th	23rd	85	3.3%
42	Rasmus RistolainenDPHI	PHI	2	44	78th	90th	85	7.4%▼0.8
43	Jaccob SlavinDCAR	CAR	2	39	92nd	98th	85	26%▲4.9
44	Alex KillornFANA	ANA	1	82	57th	51st	36	5.1%
45	Ian ColeDUTA	UTA	1	82	81st	24th	36	3.3%▼0.8
46	Brian DumoulinDLAK	LAK	1	82	71st	37th	36	0.1%
47	Brenden DillonDNJD	NJD	1	82	35th	42nd	36	7.3%▼1.6
48	Cam FowlerDSTL	STL	1	82	57th	49th	36	15%▲2.3
49	Joel EdmundsonDLAK	LAK	1	82	79th	62nd	36	3.2%
50	Mark ScheifeleFWPG	WPG	1	82	45th	95th	36	98%▼0.6