Mikael
Pyyhtia
L · CBJ · Limited · Very poor
- PAL
- 3
- WAR
- -0.1
- Value
- 6
- PTS
- 7
2024-25№ 422 / 596
Mikael Pyyhtia (Columbus Blue Jackets) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Mikael Pyyhtia
#82LPlays: Left wing · 0% of faceoffs
Columbus Blue Jackets
HEIGHT : 183 cm · WEIGHT : 80 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : December 16, 2001 · Turku, Finland
Drafted : 2020 · CBJ · round 4, pick #114
Contract : $875,000 · 2026-27 → 2027-28 · Standard Contract (Extension) · RFA (Arb)
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 47 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 2023-24 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 71 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 | |
Mikael Pyyhtia: our analysis
2024-25 season: 47 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS, -11 +/-, 12:06 TOI. WAR -0.1 (422nd of 596) · PAL 3, very poor.
In 2024-25, Mikael Pyyhtia, 24, posts a PAL Rating of 3 out of 100 (very poor), and his WAR of -0.1 ranks 422nd among 596 regulars, in the bottom half.
His strengths: penalty kill (68, above average). On the other hand, possession (1, among the weakest in the league) and creation (1, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: finishing (+1.3); his biggest cost: EV offense (-1.7).
A slight dip from 2023-24, when his PAL was 9; his WAR, though, went from -0.3 to -0.1.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 6 (very poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Mikael Pyyhtia's story
Born 17 December 2001, Mikael Pyyhtiä emerged into the North American professional scene after being selected at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Columbus chose him in the fourth round, a draft position that set the path for his move into the Blue Jackets organization and their development pipeline.
In May 2022 he took a concrete step by signing a three-year entry-level contract with Columbus. That agreement placed him under NHL contract while he skated for the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League, the customary route for prospects who split time between the AHL and their NHL club.
Pyyhtiä made his NHL debut on 13 April 2023 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and registered an assist in that first game. His relationship with Columbus continued to evolve; as a restricted free agent he re-signed on 13 August 2025 to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2025–26 season, keeping him available to both the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate.
Athleticism runs in his family: his younger brother Niklas is a professional footballer, his older brother Tuomas plays hockey at an amateur level, and their father Tomi is a former footballer. Those facts sketch a sporting background that surrounds his career, without expanding into personal matters beyond the public record.
To date, Pyyhtiä's professional arc is defined by the standard progression for a recent draft pick—development in the AHL under an NHL contract, punctuated by his first NHL appearance and early point. The contracts and assignments recorded so far show an organization intent on monitoring his development closely while giving him opportunities at both levels.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 10:16
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:00
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:23
- Pts/GP
- 0.20
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 1
- Blocks
- 2
- Takeaways
- 1
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 58.2 %
- Off. zone starts
- 28.6 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
Prospect value
Scout Report Center →Rank
236
among all 32 teams' prospects
Rating
78/ 100
percentile among prospects at his position
Potential
45/ 80
Depth player
Ceiling: 1.9 WAR from age 21 to 26
NHL probability
28 %
of playing 200 NHL games from age 21 to 26
Expected WAR, age 21-26
1.4
the most likely outcome
NHLe
31
NHL points over 82 games, from 2025-26 (AHL, 59 games)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
3between 0 and 12 (80% range)
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 1
- Games
- 17
So far: 0 pts in 0 games. The team has played 16 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.16 pts per game (last season: 0.20).
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
- PAL Rating: 9 → 3
Outlook, age included
↗ Slightly upAge 24: 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, 2024-25
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 45 %
43
Replacement or prospect
- SK
- Skating
- 70
- Confidence 67 %
- ST
- Strength
- 64
- Confidence 50 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 65
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 46
- Confidence 67 %
- CK
- Checking
- 70
- Confidence 50 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 29 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 72
- Confidence 50 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 58
- Confidence 45 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 55
- Confidence 45 %
- DF
- Defense
- 69
- Confidence 40 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 43
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating70
- Top speed (35 %)35.7 · 70
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)5.982 · 78
- Distance /60 (20 %)16 · 69
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.4 · 63
ST — Strength64
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.313 · 75
- Body mass (50 %)-1.417 · 61
EN — Endurance65
- Ice time per game (45 %)13.3 · 66
- Total ice time (20 %)558 · 58
- Shift length (15 %)45.8 · 75
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.9 · 70
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.801 · 69
DU — Durability46
- Share of games played (100 %)0.588 · 46
CK — Checking70
- Hits /60 (70 %)3.754 · 71
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)3.639 · 74
- Season volume (10 %)3.258 · 60
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.837 · 77
DI — Discipline72
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.002 · 70
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.478 · 84
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.488 · 57
PA — Passing58
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.555 · 66
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.239 · 46
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.054 · 58
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.656 · 79
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.421 · 70
SC — Scoring55
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.647 · 58
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.583 · 38
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.224 · 77
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.844 · 47
- xG per shot (10 %)0.077 · 69
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.3 · 57
DF — Defense69
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.074 · 62
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.099 · 78
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.754 · 66
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.016 · 61
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.269 · 69
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)61.9 · 61
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.581 · 89
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)29.3 · 76
EX — Experience43
- Career regular-season games (65 %)59
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)47
OV — Overall43
- SC · Scoring (28 %)55
- PA · Passing (22 %)58
- DF · Defense (18 %)69
- SK · Skating (12 %)70
- EN · Endurance (8 %)65
- DI · Discipline (5 %)72
- ST · Strength (4 %)64
- CK · Checking (3 %)70
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 43 | 70 | 55 | 69 |
| 2023-24 | 62 | 67 | 66 | 66 |
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
3/ 100
Performance · Very poor
435 of 451 at the position
Value Rating
6/ 100
Very poor return
0.90 M$ · expected PAL 31
ProfileLimitedBelow average at both ends
- Offense
- 2
- Defense
- 19
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 8
- Creation
- 1
- Shooting
- 18
- Possession
- 1
- Defense
- 35
- Discipline
- 30
- Power play
- 29
- Penalty kill
- 68
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | CBJ | -0.1 | 3 | 6 | 0.90 M$ |
| 2023-24 | CBJ | -0.3 | 9 | 17 | 0.90 M$ |
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
6/ 100
Low
better than 6% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
2/ 100
Low
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
37/ 100
Below 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, 374 of 399 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 27
- Shot selection
- 5
- Penalties drawn
- 5
- Puck management
- 27
Defense
- Takeaways
- 46
- Discipline
- 83
- Safe zone exits
- 6
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 6 | 2 | 37 |
| 2023-24 | CBJ | 35 | 11 | 68 |
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
-0.2 to 0.3 — 90% interval
367 of 615 forwards
+0.2 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -0.2
- EV defense
- -0.1
- Power play
- 0.0
- Penalty kill
- -0.0
- Shooting
- +0.3
- Penalties
- 0.0
- Average → replacement
- +0.1
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CBJ | 5 | 0.0 | -0.2 to 0.3 | 367/615 |
| 2024-25 | CBJ | 47 | -0.1 | -0.7 to 0.8 | 422/596 |
| 2023-24 | CBJ | 17 | -0.3 | -0.5 to -0.2 | 524/608 |
| 2022-23 | CBJ | 2 | -0.1 | -0.2 to -0.0 | 445/617 |
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
- 135.5 km/h45th percentileleague avg. 134.6 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 34.6 km/h21st percentileleague avg. 35.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1017th percentileleague avg. 75
- Offensive zone time
- 44.9 %84th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 13.4 km12th percentileleague avg. 198.8 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 3.28 km12th percentileleague avg. 4.70 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 45.0 %96th percentileleague avg. 42.0 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.7 %42nd percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 37.3 %84th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 614th percentile | 116th percentile | 16.7 %84th percentile |
| High danger | 214th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 17th percentile | 130th percentile | 100.0 %100th 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
VAN
CGY
UTA
COL
VGKMikael Pyyhtia: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Mikael Pyyhtia have in 2025-26?
Mikael Pyyhtia has 1 goal and 1 point (0 assists) in 5 games in 2025-26.
How old is Mikael Pyyhtia?
Mikael Pyyhtia is 24 years old: he was born on December 17, 2001.
How tall is Mikael Pyyhtia, and how much does he weigh?
Mikael Pyyhtia is 6'0" (183 cm) and weighs 176 lb (80 kg).
Where is Mikael Pyyhtia from?
Finland: Mikael Pyyhtia was born in Turku, Finland.
What team does Mikael Pyyhtia play for?
Mikael Pyyhtia plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL, at L, wearing number 82.
Is Mikael Pyyhtia injured?
No: Mikael Pyyhtia is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Mikael Pyyhtia?
Mikael Pyyhtia produced 0.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 367th of 615 players at his position in the NHL.
How much does Mikael Pyyhtia make?
Mikael Pyyhtia carries a cap hit of $875K per season, on a contract worth $1.8M in total over 2 years.
When does Mikael Pyyhtia's contract end?
Mikael Pyyhtia's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Mikael Pyyhtia a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 367th of 615 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Mikael Pyyhtia getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 9 in 2023-24 to 3 in 2024-25 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Mikael Pyyhtia played lately?
Over his last 5 games, Mikael Pyyhtia has 1 point (1 goal, 0 assists).
What are Mikael Pyyhtia's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Mikael Pyyhtia has 71 games, 5 goals, 6 assists and 11 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 7 points in 47 games.
Where was Mikael Pyyhtia drafted?
Mikael Pyyhtia was drafted 114th overall (round 4) by Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020.
How does Mikael Pyyhtia perform in the playoffs?
Mikael Pyyhtia has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Is Mikael Pyyhtia a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 3 points in 2026-27, or 0.18 points per game.
Does Mikael Pyyhtia have siblings?
Yes: his younger brother Niklas (professional footballer), his older brother Tuomas (amateur ice hockey player).
Is Mikael Pyyhtia related to anyone famous?
Yes: Tomi (father, former footballer).
What is Mikael Pyyhtia's nationality?
Mikael Pyyhtia is Finnish.
How many points is Mikael Pyyhtia projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 3 points in 17 games in 2026-27 (0 to 12 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)