Axel
Sandin-Pellikka
D · DET · Offensive · Below average
- PAL
- 30
- WAR
- 0.5
- Value
- 42
- PTS
- 21
2025-26№ 99 / 325
Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka
HEIGHT : 183 cm · WEIGHT : 86 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : March 10, 2005 · Gallivare, Sweden
Drafted : 2023 · DET · round 1, pick #17
Contract : $950,000 · 2024-25 → 2027-28 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA · Signing bonus $95,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Detroit Red Wings | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | Detroit Red Wings | 68 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 18 |
| NHL totals | 75 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 22 | |
Axel Sandin-Pellikka: our analysis
2025-26 season: 68 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 PTS, -20 +/-, 16:13 TOI. WAR 0.5 (99th of 325) · PAL 30, below average.
In 2025-26, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, 21, posts a PAL Rating of 30 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of 0.5 ranks 99th among 325 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: shooting (80, well above average), power play (77, well above average) and offense (73, above average). On the other hand, defense (7, among the weakest in the league) and possession (21, well below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+3.2); his biggest cost: EV defense (-1.3).
Contract-wise, his Value score of 42 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka's story
Axel Sandin-Pellikka’s first steps into senior hockey came through Skellefteå AIK, the club where he developed and eventually appeared in the SHL during the 2022–23 season. Born 11 March 2005, he rose through that organization’s ranks and used his early opportunities in Sweden’s top league to draw attention from scouts and national coaches.
At junior level he compiled several eye-catching achievements. He led TV‑Pucken defensemen in points in 2020–2021, and in J20 Nationell’s 2022–23 campaign he topped the scoring charts among defensemen with 16 goals while being named the league’s best defenseman. Those campaigns contributed to his standing in prospect lists: ahead of the 2023 draft the NHL Central Scouting service placed him seventh among European skaters.
Selected 17th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, Sandin-Pellikka delivered a breakout senior season in 2023–24 with Skellefteå AIK. He scored 10 goals and totalled 18 points in 39 SHL games, the highest goal total among under‑19 players, and received the Salming Trophy as the league’s top Swedish-born defenseman. He also added seven points in 14 playoff games as Skellefteå captured the Le Mat Trophy as SHL champions.
On 6 May 2024 he signed a three‑year entry-level contract with Detroit, stepping toward the NHL while already carrying significant professional experience. Internationally, he was part of Sweden’s squad at the 2024 World Junior Championship and earned a silver medal, after earlier appearances at tournaments such as the Hlinka‑Gretzky Cup and the IIHF U18s where he also collected silver and individual honours.
In practical terms his game blends mobility and an offensive bent from the blue line. He looks for opportunities to drive play up ice and finish sequences, showing a knack for goal scoring uncommon for defenders his age, while maintaining the position discipline that made him valuable in both club playoffs and youth international competitions.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 12:42
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:54
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:48
- Pts/GP
- 0.14
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 3
- Blocks
- 7
- Takeaways
- 1
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 54.1 %
- Off. zone starts
- 39.4 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Prospect value
Scout Report Center →Rank
24
among all 32 teams' prospects
Rating
97/ 100
percentile among prospects at his position
Potential
75/ 80
First line or top pair
Ceiling: 6.0 WAR from age 21 to 26
NHL probability
78 %
of playing 200 NHL games from age 21 to 26
Expected WAR, age 21-26
2.4
the most likely outcome
NHLe
19
NHL points over 82 games, from 2025-26 (AHL, 6 games)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
17between 6 and 27 (80% range)
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 12
- Games
- 56
So far: 1 pts in 7 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.33 pts per game (last season: 0.31).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 52 %
66
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 73
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 77
- Confidence 58 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 69
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 74
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 63
- Confidence 58 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 30 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 76
- Confidence 58 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 77
- Confidence 52 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 81
- Confidence 52 %
- DF
- Defense
- 58
- Confidence 48 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 41
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating73
- Top speed (35 %)35 · 69
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.751 · 74
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.3 · 78
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.5 · 75
ST — Strength77
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)6.978 · 89
- Body mass (50 %)-0.755 · 62
EN — Endurance69
- Ice time per game (45 %)17.2 · 65
- Total ice time (20 %)1,090 · 70
- Shift length (15 %)47.3 · 75
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)16.8 · 71
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.255 · 74
DU — Durability74
- Share of games played (100 %)0.808 · 74
CK — Checking63
- Hits /60 (70 %)1.818 · 63
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)1.999 · 69
- Season volume (10 %)2.89 · 60
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.853 · 77
DI — Discipline76
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.038 · 76
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.549 · 79
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.324 · 68
PA — Passing77
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.397 · 78
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.414 · 75
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.024 · 71
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.914 · 69
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.323 · 81
SC — Scoring81
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.338 · 85
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.214 · 77
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.656 · 88
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.044 · 57
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 73
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.1 · 81
DF — Defense58
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.045 · 67
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.209 · 55
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.817 · 60
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.007 · 75
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.533 · 59
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)59.2 · 69
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.523 · 60
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience41
- Career regular-season games (65 %)60
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)24
OV — Overall66
- DF · Defense (30 %)58
- PA · Passing (22 %)77
- SK · Skating (12 %)73
- SC · Scoring (12 %)81
- EN · Endurance (9 %)69
- ST · Strength (6 %)77
- DI · Discipline (5 %)76
- CK · Checking (4 %)63
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
0.5
wins above replacement
99 of 325
PAL Rating
30/ 100
Performance · Below average
173 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
42/ 100
Poor return
0.92 M$ · expected PAL 39
ProfileOffensiveValue comes mostly from offense
- Offense
- 63
- Defense
- 6
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 73
- Creation
- 35
- Shooting
- 80
- Possession
- 21
- Defense
- 7
- Discipline
- 49
- Power play
- 77
- Penalty kill
- 30
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
42/ 100
Average
better than 42% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
36/ 100
Below average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
48/ 100
Average
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 130 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 40
- Shot selection
- 43
- Penalties drawn
- 34
- Puck management
- 57
Defense
- Takeaways
- 2
- Discipline
- 83
- Safe zone exits
- 53
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.5
wins above replacement
-0.3 to 1.3 — 90% interval
99 of 325 defensemen
+2.7 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.7
- EV defense
- -1.3
- Power play
- -0.1
- Penalty kill
- +0.0
- Shooting
- +3.2
- Penalties
- -0.7
- Average → replacement
- +2.3
In goals.
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 135.8 km/h33rd percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 33.8 km/h43rd percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 541st percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 47.2 %96th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 21.9 km18th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 3.88 km16th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 47.1 %98th percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 16.6 %1st percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 36.3 %93rd percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 624th percentile | 049th percentile | 0.0 %27th percentile |
| High danger | 051st percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 366th percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 115th percentile | 077th percentile | 0.0 %67th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
SEA
PHI
NJD
MTL
OTT
WPG
NYRAxel Sandin-Pellikka: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Axel Sandin-Pellikka have in 2026-27?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka has 0 goals and 1 point (1 assist) in 7 games in 2026-27.
How old is Axel Sandin-Pellikka?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka is 21 years old: he was born on March 11, 2005.
How tall is Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and how much does he weigh?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka is 6'0" (183 cm) and weighs 190 lb (86 kg).
Where is Axel Sandin-Pellikka from?
Sweden: Axel Sandin-Pellikka was born in Gallivare, Sweden.
What team does Axel Sandin-Pellikka play for?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka plays for the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL, at D, wearing number 44.
Is Axel Sandin-Pellikka injured?
No: Axel Sandin-Pellikka is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Axel Sandin-Pellikka?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka produced 0.5 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 99th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 30 out of 100: below average for his position.
How much does Axel Sandin-Pellikka make?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka earns $918K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 42 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Axel Sandin-Pellikka's contract end?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Axel Sandin-Pellikka overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 42 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Axel Sandin-Pellikka a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 99th of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
How has Axel Sandin-Pellikka played lately?
Over his last 7 games, Axel Sandin-Pellikka has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Axel Sandin-Pellikka's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Axel Sandin-Pellikka has 75 games, 7 goals, 15 assists and 22 points. His best season: 2025-26, with 21 points in 68 games.
Where was Axel Sandin-Pellikka drafted?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka was drafted 17th overall (round 1) by Detroit Red Wings in 2023.
How does Axel Sandin-Pellikka perform in the playoffs?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Axel Sandin-Pellikka?
Mason Lohrei: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Mason Lohrei's page →Is Axel Sandin-Pellikka a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 17 points in 2026-27, or 0.30 points per game.
What is Axel Sandin-Pellikka's nationality?
Axel Sandin-Pellikka is Swedish. Internationally: Sweden — silver medal at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
What awards has Axel Sandin-Pellikka won?
Salming Trophy (best Swedish-born defenseman in the SHL) — 2023–24 season.
How many championships has Axel Sandin-Pellikka won?
1: Le Mat Trophy with Skellefteå AIK — SHL championship 2023–24.
Where did Axel Sandin-Pellikka play before turning pro?
Youth in the Skellefteå AIK organization; made professional debut in the SHL in the 2022–23 season.
How many points is Axel Sandin-Pellikka projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 17 points in 56 games in 2026-27 (6 to 27 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Detroit Red Wings teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)