NHL Assists Leaders: Defensemen 2017-18

Leaders: Assists: defense, 2017-18

1stJohn KlingbergDAL · 82 GP59Share
2ndBrent BurnsSJS · 82 GP55Share
3rdJohn CarlsonWSH · 82 GP53Share
4thErik KarlssonOTT · 71 GP53Share
5thShayne GostisbeherePHI · 78 GP52Share
6thDrew DoughtyLAK · 82 GP50Share
7thKeith YandleFLA · 82 GP48Share
8thJake GardinerTOR · 82 GP47Share
9thVictor HedmanTBL · 77 GP46Share
10thMorgan RiellyTOR · 76 GP46Share

The full ranked table, with filters, follows.

What Assists: defense measures

This board ranks defensemen only by assists. Total assists this season, all situations.

Totals reward games played and ice time as much as skill; see the per-60 version for the rate view.

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 leagues that split positions, use it to fill your defense slots, and check the per-60 board for defensemen getting more out of fewer minutes. In 2017-18, 305 defensemen qualify for this board; the median is 10 and John Klingberg leads at 59.

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

2017-18

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

Show

NHL Assists Leaders: Defensemen, 2017-18, All situations
#	Player	Team	A	GP	Per game	G	PTS		Pctl
1	John KlingbergDDAL	DAL	59	82	0.72	8	67	24:04	100	0.1%
2	Brent BurnsDSJS	SJS	55	82	0.67	12	67	25:15	100	44%▼2.7
3	John CarlsonDWSH	WSH	53	82	0.65	15	68	24:47	99	98%
4	Erik KarlssonDOTT	OTT	53	71	0.75	9	62	26:44	99	95%
5	Shayne GostisbehereDPHI	PHI	52	78	0.67	13	65	21:27	99	96%▲0.6
6	Drew DoughtyDLAK	LAK	50	82	0.61	10	60	26:50	98	18%▼1.9
7	Keith YandleDFLA	FLA	48	82	0.59	8	56	24:29	98	—
8	Jake GardinerDTOR	TOR	47	82	0.57	5	52	22:32	98	—
9	Victor HedmanDTBL	TBL	46	77	0.60	17	63	25:51	97	84%▼1
10	Morgan RiellyDTOR	TOR	46	76	0.61	6	52	21:36	97	73%▼2.9
11	Ryan SuterDMIN	MIN	45	78	0.58	6	51	26:47	97	—
12	Torey KrugDBOS	BOS	45	76	0.59	14	59	20:24	97	0.0%
13	P.K. SubbanDNSH	NSH	43	82	0.52	16	59	24:07	96	—
14	Tyson BarrieDCOL	COL	43	68	0.63	14	57	22:42	96	—
15	Kris LetangDPIT	PIT	42	79	0.53	9	51	25:20	95	54%▼2.9
16	Seth JonesDCBJ	CBJ	41	78	0.53	16	57	24:36	95	90%▲15
17	Will ButcherDNJD	NJD	39	81	0.48	5	44	16:04	94	—
18	Alex PietrangeloDSTL	STL	39	78	0.50	15	54	25:44	94	3.2%
19	Roman JosiDNSH	NSH	39	75	0.52	14	53	24:28	94	98%
20	Dustin ByfuglienDWPG	WPG	37	69	0.54	8	45	24:20	94	—
21	Mathew DumbaDMIN	MIN	36	82	0.44	14	50	23:49	93	0.1%
22	Rasmus RistolainenDBUF	BUF	35	73	0.48	6	41	26:30	93	7.4%▼0.8
23	Jake MuzzinDLAK	LAK	34	74	0.46	8	42	21:39	93	—
24	Nick LeddyDNYI	NYI	32	80	0.40	10	42	22:25	92	0.1%
25	Colin MillerDVGK	VGK	31	82	0.38	10	41	19:21	92	0.0%
26	Mikhail SergachevDTBL	TBL	31	79	0.39	9	40	15:22	92	100%▲1.4
27	Nate SchmidtDVGK	VGK	31	76	0.41	5	36	22:14	92	4.9%
28	Duncan KeithDCHI	CHI	30	82	0.37	2	32	23:50	91	—
29	Jeff PetryDMTL	MTL	30	82	0.37	12	42	23:30	91	0.1%
30	Tyler MyersDWPG	WPG	30	82	0.37	6	36	21:26	91	3.3%
31	Josh MansonDANA	ANA	30	80	0.38	7	37	20:21	91	44%▲7.6
32	Colton ParaykoDSTL	STL	29	82	0.35	6	35	22:37	90	40%▲3.3
33	Oliver Ekman-LarssonDARI	ARI	28	82	0.34	14	42	23:41	89	29%▼4.2
34	Justin BraunDSJS	SJS	28	81	0.35	5	33	21:20	89	—
35	TJ BrodieDCGY	CGY	28	73	0.38	4	32	23:41	89	—
36	Sami VatanenDNJD	NJD	28	72	0.39	4	32	22:24	89	—
37	Alexander EdlerDVAN	VAN	28	70	0.40	6	34	24:17	89	—
38	Jared SpurgeonDMIN	MIN	28	61	0.46	9	37	24:33	89	44%▼8
39	Dougie HamiltonDCGY	CGY	27	82	0.33	17	44	21:32	88	82%▼0.9
40	Mark GiordanoDCGY	CGY	25	82	0.30	13	38	24:47	87	—
41	Mike GreenDDET	DET	25	66	0.38	8	33	22:05	87	—
42	Ryan McDonaghDTBL	TBL	25	63	0.40	4	29	23:20	87	5.7%▼0.8
43	Charlie McAvoyDBOS	BOS	25	63	0.40	7	32	22:09	87	97%▲1.3
44	Ivan ProvorovDPHI	PHI	24	82	0.29	17	41	24:09	86	31%▼1.3
45	Mattias EkholmDNSH	NSH	24	81	0.30	10	34	23:35	86	68%
46	Cam FowlerDANA	ANA	24	67	0.36	8	32	24:51	86	15%▲2.3
47	Brandon MontourDANA	ANA	23	80	0.29	9	32	20:28	84	85%
48	Niklas KronwallDDET	DET	23	79	0.29	4	27	18:31	84	—
49	Alex GoligoskiDARI	ARI	23	78	0.29	12	35	23:17	84	—
50	Justin FaulkDCAR	CAR	23	76	0.30	8	31	22:16	84	54%▲4.7