Lian
Bichsel
D · DAL · Balanced · Below average
- PAL
- 34
- WAR
- 0.7
- Value
- 45
- PTS
- 8
2025-26№ 92 / 325
Lian Bichsel (Dallas Stars) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Lian Bichsel
#6D
Dallas Stars
HEIGHT : 201 cm · WEIGHT : 108 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : May 17, 2004 · Olten, Switzerland
Drafted : 2022 · DAL · round 1, pick #18
Contract : $950,000 · 2023-24 → 2026-27 · Entry-Level Contract · RFA · Signing bonus $95,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Dallas Stars | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 2025-26 | Dallas Stars | 50 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 37 |
| 2024-25 | Dallas Stars | 38 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 41 |
| NHL totals | 105 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 94 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Dallas Stars | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | Dallas Stars | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| Playoff totals | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 | |
Lian Bichsel: our analysis
2025-26 season: 50 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 8 PTS, +6 +/-, 15:40 TOI. WAR 0.7 (92nd of 325) · PAL 34, below average.
In 2025-26, Lian Bichsel, 22, posts a PAL Rating of 34 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of 0.7 ranks 92nd among 325 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: shooting (68, above average), discipline (67, above average) and power play (63, above average). On the other hand, creation (17, well below average) and possession (24, well below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+2.7); his biggest cost: EV offense (-0.8).
An improvement on 2024-25, when his PAL was 28; his WAR went from 0.1 to 0.7.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 45 (fair value) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Lian Bichsel's story
Raised in the junior systems of HC Olten and later EHC Biel, Lian Bichsel developed quickly as a tall, mobile blueliner. He moved into Biel’s under-15 group and spent three seasons with the club’s youth program before making his senior debut in Switzerland’s National League, appearing in four games in 2020–21.
To accelerate his development he signed with the junior organization of Leksands IF in Sweden on 24 May 2021. After beginning in the J20 ranks, he earned promotion to the SHL and on 21 January 2022 secured a two-year rookie contract with Leksands. In his first full SHL season he played 29 games, scoring once and finishing with three points, then settled into a third-pairing role the following year alongside veteran Jonas Ahnelöv.
Bichsel’s season in Sweden drew NHL attention and the Dallas Stars selected him 18th overall in the 2022 draft. Dallas signed him to a three-year entry-level deal on 6 May 2023, but a broken ankle in May delayed his North American preparation. He attended Stars training camp and was assigned to the Texas Stars in the AHL to start 2023–24. In the AHL he recorded an assist in his debut and scored his first goal on 6 November. A disciplinary incident on 19 October led to a game misconduct and a three-game suspension.
Internationally, Bichsel has worn Swiss colours across youth levels: he played at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic festival with the under-17s, took part in the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament with the under-18s, and appeared at the 2021 U18 World Championship, where he was named among Switzerland’s three best players. He was also one of Switzerland’s top three players at the 2023 World Junior Championship and made his senior debut during the Euro Hockey Tour in February 2023.
In plain terms, Bichsel is a large, two-way defender shaped by Swiss and Swedish systems: he reads the game defensively, moves the puck out of danger and can join the attack when opportunities arise, showing steady adaptation as he transitions through junior, European pro and North American pro hockey.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 16:19
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:01
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:33
- Pts/GP
- 0.06
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 39
- Blocks
- 24
- Takeaways
- 2
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 45.8 %
- Off. zone starts
- 24.2 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
7between 1 and 13 (80% range)
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 5
- Games
- 60
So far: 1 pts in 17 games. The team has played 17 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.15 pts per game (last season: 0.16).
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.
Trend
Stable
- Points per game: 0.24 in 24-25, 0.16 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 28 → 34
Outlook, age included
↗ Slightly upAge 22: usually still improving
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 56 %
74
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 71
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 98
- Confidence 61 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 63
- Confidence 67 %
- DU
- Durability
- 62
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 93
- Confidence 61 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 84
- Confidence 34 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 61
- Confidence 61 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 64
- Confidence 56 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 79
- Confidence 56 %
- DF
- Defense
- 76
- Confidence 51 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 60
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating71
- Top speed (35 %)34.8 · 66
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.661 · 72
- Distance /60 (20 %)14.4 · 79
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.3 · 72
ST — Strength98
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)7.504 · 92
- Body mass (50 %)2.329 · 94
EN — Endurance63
- Ice time per game (45 %)16.7 · 62
- Total ice time (20 %)770 · 63
- Shift length (15 %)47.6 · 76
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)15.6 · 65
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.468 · 59
DU — Durability62
- Share of games played (100 %)0.703 · 62
CK — Checking93
- Hits /60 (70 %)9.008 · 93
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)8.239 · 94
- Season volume (10 %)4.942 · 89
FG — Fighting84
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)1.119 · 84
DI — Discipline61
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.082 · 61
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)1.147 · 51
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.671 · 89
PA — Passing64
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.266 · 63
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.302 · 59
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.033 · 70
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.303 · 80
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.191 · 69
SC — Scoring79
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.297 · 81
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.151 · 61
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.779 · 90
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.083 · 71
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 73
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)8.751 · 67
DF — Defense76
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.043 · 77
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.02 · 73
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.613 · 76
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.001 · 76
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.902 · 77
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)55.6 · 86
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.64 · 62
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience60
- Career regular-season games (65 %)63
- Career playoff games (25 %)61
- NHL seasons (10 %)37
OV — Overall74
- DF · Defense (30 %)76
- PA · Passing (22 %)64
- SK · Skating (12 %)71
- SC · Scoring (12 %)79
- EN · Endurance (9 %)63
- ST · Strength (6 %)98
- DI · Discipline (5 %)61
- CK · Checking (4 %)93
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 74 | 71 | 79 | 76 |
| 2024-25 | 81 | 79 | 79 | 79 |
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
0.7
wins above replacement
92 of 325
PAL Rating
34/ 100
Performance · Below average
164 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
45/ 100
Fair value
0.92 M$ · expected PAL 39
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 34
- Defense
- 40
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 39
- Creation
- 17
- Shooting
- 68
- Possession
- 24
- Defense
- 52
- Discipline
- 67
- Power play
- 63
- Penalty kill
- 36
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | DAL | 0.7 | 34 | 45 | 0.92 M$ |
| 2024-25 | DAL | 0.1 | 28 | 47 | 0.92 M$ |
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
32/ 100
Below average
better than 32% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
62/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
12/ 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, 152 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 20
- Shot selection
- 42
- Penalties drawn
- 92
- Puck management
- 37
Defense
- Takeaways
- 73
- Discipline
- 8
- Safe zone exits
- 20
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.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | DAL | 32 | 62 | 12 |
| 2024-25 | DAL | 2 | 68 | 0 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.7
wins above replacement
0.0 to 1.4 — 90% interval
92 of 325 defensemen
+3.6 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.8
- EV defense
- +0.7
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- +0.0
- Shooting
- +2.7
- Penalties
- -0.7
- Average → replacement
- +1.6
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | DAL | 50 | 0.7 | 0.0 to 1.4 | 92/325 |
| 2024-25 | DAL | 34 | 0.1 | -0.4 to 0.9 | 159/314 |
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
- 147.2 km/h71st percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 34.0 km/h50th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1377th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 40.8 %45th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 62.1 km50th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.79 km41st percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 41.2 %37th percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.5 %19th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 41.8 %34th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1037th percentile | 049th percentile | 0.0 %27th percentile |
| High danger | 051st percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 251st percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 756th 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
SJS
CBJ
WSH
MTL
NJD
NYI
WPG
BOS
CHI
COL
PIT
BUF
NSH
STLLian Bichsel: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Lian Bichsel have in 2026-27?
Lian Bichsel has 0 goals and 1 point (1 assist) in 17 games in 2026-27.
How old is Lian Bichsel?
Lian Bichsel is 22 years old: he was born on May 18, 2004.
How tall is Lian Bichsel, and how much does he weigh?
Lian Bichsel is 6'7" (201 cm) and weighs 238 lb (108 kg).
Where is Lian Bichsel from?
Switzerland: Lian Bichsel was born in Olten, Switzerland.
What team does Lian Bichsel play for?
Lian Bichsel plays for the Dallas Stars in the NHL, at D, wearing number 6.
Is Lian Bichsel injured?
No: Lian Bichsel is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Lian Bichsel?
Lian Bichsel produced 0.7 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 92nd of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 34 out of 100: below average for his position.
How much does Lian Bichsel make?
Lian Bichsel earns $918K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 45 out of 100 (fair value): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Lian Bichsel's contract end?
Lian Bichsel's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Lian Bichsel overpaid?
Neither: he delivers about what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 45 out of 100 (fair value), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Lian Bichsel a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 92nd of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Lian Bichsel getting better?
Yes: his PAL rating went from 28 in 2024-25 to 34 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Lian Bichsel played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Lian Bichsel has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Lian Bichsel's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Lian Bichsel has 105 games, 8 goals, 10 assists and 18 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 9 points in 38 games.
Where was Lian Bichsel drafted?
Lian Bichsel was drafted 18th overall (round 1) by Dallas Stars in 2022.
Is Lian Bichsel better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2026-27, he averages 0.10 points per game at home (1 in 10 games) and 0.00 on the road (0 in 7 games).
How does Lian Bichsel perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Lian Bichsel has 24 games and 1 point in his career. His pace (0.04 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.17).
Which player is most similar to Lian Bichsel?
Matthew Kessel: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Matthew Kessel's page →Is Lian Bichsel a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 7 points in 2026-27, or 0.12 points per game.
Does Lian Bichsel have siblings?
Yes: his brother Joel (plays professional football for 1. FC Saarbrücken in the 3. Liga (Germany)).
What is Lian Bichsel's nationality?
Lian Bichsel is Swiss.
Where did Lian Bichsel play before turning pro?
junior development with EHC Olten (his hometown club), then moved to EHC Biel from the under-15 level; signed with the junior club of Leksands IF (J20 Nationell) on 24 May 2021.
How many points is Lian Bichsel projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 7 points in 60 games in 2026-27 (1 to 13 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Dallas Stars teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)