NHL Assists Leaders: Defensemen 2019-20

Leaders: Assists: defense, 2019-20

1stJohn CarlsonWSH · 69 GP60Share
2ndRoman JosiNSH · 69 GP49Share
3rdQuinn HughesVAN · 68 GP45Share
4thVictor HedmanTBL · 66 GP44Share
5thRyan SuterMIN · 69 GP40Share
6thKeith YandleFLA · 69 GP40Share
7thTorey KrugBOS · 61 GP40Share
8thNeal PionkWPG · 71 GP39Share
9thTony DeAngeloNYR · 68 GP38Share
10thCale MakarCOL · 57 GP38Share

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 2019-20, 302 defensemen qualify for this board; the median is 8 and John Carlson leads at 60.

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

2019-20

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

Show

NHL Assists Leaders: Defensemen, 2019-20, All situations
#	Player	Team	A	GP	Per game	G	PTS		Pctl
1	John CarlsonDWSH	WSH	60	69	0.87	15	75	24:38	100	98%
2	Roman JosiDNSH	NSH	49	69	0.71	16	65	25:47	100	98%
3	Quinn HughesDVAN	VAN	45	68	0.66	8	53	21:53	99	100%
4	Victor HedmanDTBL	TBL	44	66	0.67	11	55	24:04	99	84%▼1
5	Ryan SuterDMIN	MIN	40	69	0.58	8	48	24:38	98	—
6	Keith YandleDFLA	FLA	40	69	0.58	5	45	19:42	98	—
7	Torey KrugDBOS	BOS	40	61	0.66	9	49	20:29	98	0.0%
8	Neal PionkDWPG	WPG	39	71	0.55	6	45	23:23	98	61%▲31
9	Tony DeAngeloDNYR	NYR	38	68	0.56	15	53	19:17	97	19%▼0.8
10	Cale MakarDCOL	COL	38	57	0.67	12	50	21:01	97	100%
11	Alex PietrangeloDSTL	STL	36	70	0.51	16	52	24:11	96	3.2%
12	Aaron EkbladDFLA	FLA	36	67	0.54	5	41	22:59	96	42%▼0.8
13	Rasmus DahlinDBUF	BUF	36	59	0.61	4	40	19:18	96	99%▼0.5
14	Tyson BarrieDTOR	TOR	34	70	0.49	5	39	21:53	95	—
15	Adam FoxDNYR	NYR	34	70	0.49	8	42	18:54	95	99%
16	Erik KarlssonDSJS	SJS	34	56	0.61	6	40	24:31	95	95%
17	Shea TheodoreDVGK	VGK	33	71	0.46	13	46	22:14	94	90%▼2.7
18	Thomas ChabotDOTT	OTT	33	71	0.46	6	39	26:00	94	87%▼1.3
19	Brent BurnsDSJS	SJS	33	70	0.47	12	45	25:25	94	44%▼2.7
20	Samuel GirardDCOL	COL	30	70	0.43	4	34	21:19	93	28%▲5
21	Jaccob SlavinDCAR	CAR	30	68	0.44	6	36	23:24	93	26%▲4.9
22	Ryan EllisDNSH	NSH	30	49	0.61	8	38	23:30	93	—
23	Jeff PetryDMTL	MTL	29	71	0.41	11	40	23:39	92	0.1%
24	Oscar KlefbomDEDM	EDM	29	62	0.47	5	34	25:25	92	—
25	Kris LetangDPIT	PIT	29	61	0.48	15	44	25:44	92	54%▼2.9
26	Darnell NurseDEDM	EDM	28	71	0.39	5	33	23:27	91	60%▼2.7
27	Alex GoligoskiDARI	ARI	28	70	0.40	4	32	23:03	91	—
28	Drew DoughtyDLAK	LAK	28	67	0.42	7	35	25:49	91	18%▼1.9
29	Alexander EdlerDVAN	VAN	28	59	0.47	5	33	22:37	91	—
30	Rasmus RistolainenDBUF	BUF	27	69	0.39	6	33	22:48	90	7.4%▼0.8
31	Miro HeiskanenDDAL	DAL	27	68	0.40	8	35	23:46	90	100%▲1.5
32	Charlie McAvoyDBOS	BOS	27	67	0.40	5	32	23:10	90	97%▲1.3
33	Kevin ShattenkirkDTBL	TBL	26	70	0.37	8	34	18:54	89	—
34	Jonas BrodinDMIN	MIN	26	69	0.38	2	28	21:33	89	7.9%▲2.9
35	Josh MorrisseyDWPG	WPG	26	65	0.40	5	31	22:46	89	96%▼2.5
36	Mark GiordanoDCGY	CGY	26	60	0.43	5	31	23:53	89	—
37	John KlingbergDDAL	DAL	26	58	0.45	6	32	22:10	89	0.1%
38	Dougie HamiltonDCAR	CAR	26	47	0.55	14	40	23:17	89	82%▼0.9
39	Matt NiskanenDPHI	PHI	25	68	0.37	8	33	21:54	87	—
40	Mattias EkholmDNSH	NSH	25	68	0.37	8	33	23:22	87	68%
41	Ryan PulockDNYI	NYI	25	68	0.37	10	35	22:24	87	7.1%▼1
42	Mikhail SergachevDTBL	TBL	24	70	0.34	10	34	20:22	86	100%▲1.4
43	Duncan KeithDCHI	CHI	24	61	0.39	3	27	24:23	86	—
44	Nate SchmidtDVGK	VGK	24	59	0.41	7	31	21:41	86	4.9%
45	Seth JonesDCBJ	CBJ	24	56	0.43	6	30	25:17	86	90%▲15
46	Morgan RiellyDTOR	TOR	24	47	0.51	3	27	24:12	86	73%▼2.9
47	Dmitry OrlovDWSH	WSH	23	69	0.33	4	27	22:10	84	33%▲7.5
48	Damon SeversonDNJD	NJD	23	69	0.33	8	31	22:58	84	22%▲12
49	Ivan ProvorovDPHI	PHI	23	69	0.33	13	36	24:51	84	31%▼1.3
50	Erik GustafssonDCGY	CGY	23	66	0.35	6	29	20:23	84	3.2%