Keaton
Middleton
D · COL · Defensive · Below average
- PAL
- 32
- WAR
- -0.3
- Value
- 56
- PTS
- 2
2024-25№ 267 / 314
Keaton Middleton (Colorado Avalanche) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Keaton Middleton
HEIGHT : 198 cm · WEIGHT : 109 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : February 9, 1998 · Edmonton, Canada
Drafted : 2016 · TOR · round 4, pick #101
Contract : $775,000 · 2025-26 → 2026-27 · Two-Way Contract (Extension) · UFA
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | Colorado Avalanche | 41 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| 2020-21 | Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| NHL totals | 47 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 36 | |
Keaton Middleton: our analysis
2024-25 season: 41 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, 0 +/-, 11:29 TOI. WAR -0.3 (267th of 314) · PAL 32, below average.
In 2024-25, Keaton Middleton, 28, posts a PAL Rating of 32 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of -0.3 ranks 267th among 314 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: creation (73, above average), power play (70, above average) and defense (68, above average). On the other hand, discipline (5, among the weakest in the league) and offense (5, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+0.3); his biggest cost: finishing (-1.4).
Contract-wise, his Value score of 56 (good value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Keaton Middleton's story
Taken 50th overall in the 2014 OHL Priority Draft, Keaton Middleton developed through minor-midget stints with the Huron Perth Lakers and the Stratford Cullitons before signing with the Saginaw Spirit on 26 April 2014. He arrived in major junior for 2014–15 and over successive seasons carved out a reputation as a physically assertive defenceman, eventually wearing the Spirit’s captaincy in his final two years while also increasing his offensive contributions.
Middleton’s junior play led to his selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round, 101st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. When the Leafs did not offer him an NHL contract, he turned professional by agreeing to a one-year AHL deal with the San Jose Barracuda on 19 September 2018. He debuted in the AHL on 5 October 2018 and scored his first pro goal on 27 October, closing his rookie campaign with 61 games played, six goals and 13 points.
After another season split by the pandemic, Middleton signed with the Colorado Eagles on 8 July 2020. His play in the Eagles’ lineup earned him a two-year, two-way NHL contract with the Colorado Avalanche on 30 March 2021 and led to his NHL debut on 9 April 2021 in a 2–0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Although he was scoreless across three NHL appearances that season, he continued to shuttle between the AHL and NHL, contributing regularly for the Eagles in 2021–22 and again in 2022–23.
Colorado extended Middleton’s ties to the organization multiple times, re-signing him to a one-year, two-way deal on 21 July 2022 and then to a two-year extension on 25 February 2023. In the 2024–25 campaign his NHL role expanded markedly: he appeared in 41 games for the Avalanche, usually deployed in a shut-down third-pairing capacity amid injuries to the regular roster, and was re-signed to another two-year contract on 2 January 2025.
On the ice, Middleton’s game is defined by physicality and defensive reliability. He combines size with a straightforward defensive approach, focusing on clearing the front of the net, making simple plays under pressure and providing dependable minutes on the back end for both his AHL and NHL teams.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 10:45
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:00
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:13
- Pts/GP
- 0.33
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 6
- Blocks
- 1
- Takeaways
- 0
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 44.7 %
- Off. zone starts
- 9.5 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
1between 0 and 5 (80% range)
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 1
- Games
- 14
So far: 0 pts in 0 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.09 pts per game (last season: 0.33).
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, 2024-25
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 29 %
71
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 74
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 89
- Confidence 34 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 46
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 62
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 86
- Confidence 34 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 86
- Confidence 19 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 58
- Confidence 34 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 69
- Confidence 29 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 70
- Confidence 29 %
- DF
- Defense
- 80
- Confidence 26 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 41
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating74
- Top speed (35 %)34.8 · 68
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.612 · 72
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.7 · 82
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.3 · 74
ST — Strength89
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.673 · 70
- Body mass (50 %)2.409 · 95
EN — Endurance46
- Ice time per game (45 %)15.3 · 48
- Total ice time (20 %)416 · 47
- Shift length (15 %)45.8 · 70
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)14.4 · 55
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.621 · 63
DU — Durability62
- Share of games played (100 %)0.716 · 62
CK — Checking86
- Hits /60 (70 %)5.899 · 86
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)6.206 · 89
- Season volume (10 %)4.143 · 76
FG — Fighting86
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)1.212 · 86
DI — Discipline58
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.085 · 58
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.839 · 62
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.352 · 73
PA — Passing69
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.301 · 68
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.331 · 67
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0 · 77
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.212 · 69
SC — Scoring70
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.141 · 63
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.217 · 78
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.155 · 65
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.067 · 70
- xG per shot (10 %)0.033 · 69
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.9 · 83
DF — Defense80
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.031 · 76
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.195 · 85
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.373 · 87
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.007 · 77
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-2.002 · 65
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)57.3 · 82
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)4.601 · 73
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)29.3 · 76
EX — Experience41
- Career regular-season games (65 %)54
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)61
OV — Overall71
- DF · Defense (30 %)80
- PA · Passing (22 %)69
- SK · Skating (12 %)74
- SC · Scoring (12 %)70
- EN · Endurance (9 %)46
- ST · Strength (6 %)89
- DI · Discipline (5 %)58
- CK · Checking (4 %)86
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2024-25
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.
PAL Rating
32/ 100
Performance · Below average
163 of 253 at the position
Value Rating
56/ 100
Good value
0.78 M$ · expected PAL 28
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 36
- Defense
- 64
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 5
- Creation
- 73
- Shooting
- 21
- Possession
- 64
- Defense
- 68
- Discipline
- 5
- Power play
- 70
- Penalty kill
- 40
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
Hockey IQ, 2024-25
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
14/ 100
Low
better than 14% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
41/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
9/ 100
Low
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, 198 of 231 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 23
- Shot selection
- 18
- Penalties drawn
- 52
- Puck management
- 98
Defense
- Takeaways
- 42
- Discipline
- 4
- Safe zone exits
- 68
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.
-0.0
wins above replacement
-0.1 to 0.0 — 90% interval
226 of 325 defensemen
-0.1 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.0
- EV defense
- +0.0
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- 0.0
- Penalties
- -0.2
- Average → replacement
- +0.1
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | COL | 3 | -0.0 | -0.1 to 0.0 | 226/325 |
| 2024-25 | COL | 37 | -0.3 | -0.4 to -0.1 | 267/314 |
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
- 125.2 km/h11th percentileleague avg. 143.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 30.3 km/h1st percentileleague avg. 34.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 00th percentileleague avg. 31
- Offensive zone time
- 36.4 %0th percentileleague avg. 42.3 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 7.0 km7th percentileleague avg. 214.3 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 2.72 km1st percentileleague avg. 5.23 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 36.4 %0th percentileleague avg. 42.1 %
- Neutral zone time
- 22.4 %100th percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 41.2 %37th percentileleague avg. 40.9 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| High danger | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Long range | 00th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2025-2026 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2025-26
DET
MTL
OTTKeaton Middleton: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Keaton Middleton have in 2025-26?
Keaton Middleton has 0 goals and 1 point (1 assist) in 3 games in 2025-26.
How old is Keaton Middleton?
Keaton Middleton is 28 years old: he was born on February 10, 1998.
How tall is Keaton Middleton, and how much does he weigh?
Keaton Middleton is 6'6" (198 cm) and weighs 240 lb (109 kg).
Where is Keaton Middleton from?
Canada: Keaton Middleton was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
What team does Keaton Middleton play for?
Keaton Middleton plays for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL, at D, wearing number 67.
Is Keaton Middleton injured?
No: Keaton Middleton is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Keaton Middleton?
Keaton Middleton produced -0.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 226th of 325 players at his position in the NHL.
How much does Keaton Middleton make?
Keaton Middleton carries a cap hit of $775K per season, on a contract worth $1.6M in total over 2 years.
When does Keaton Middleton's contract end?
Keaton Middleton's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Keaton Middleton a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 226th 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 Keaton Middleton played lately?
Over his last 3 games, Keaton Middleton has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Keaton Middleton's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Keaton Middleton has 47 games, 0 goals, 3 assists and 3 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 2 points in 41 games.
Where was Keaton Middleton drafted?
Keaton Middleton was drafted 101st overall (round 4) by Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.
How does Keaton Middleton perform in the playoffs?
Keaton Middleton has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Is Keaton Middleton a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 1 points in 2026-27, or 0.07 points per game.
Does Keaton Middleton have siblings?
Yes: his brother Jacob Middleton (plays defence for the Calgary Flames in the NHL).
What is Keaton Middleton's nationality?
Keaton Middleton is Canadian.
Where did Keaton Middleton play before turning pro?
Huron Perth Lakers (ALLIANCE U16); Stratford Cullitons (GOJHL); Saginaw Spirit (OHL) — major junior career 2014–2018.
How many points is Keaton Middleton projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 1 points in 14 games in 2026-27 (0 to 5 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Colorado Avalanche teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)