Nikolai
Kovalenko
R · Balanced · Below average
- PAL
- 32
- WAR
- 0.6
- PTS
- 12
2024-25№ 221 / 596
Nikolai Kovalenko stats, profile and latest news: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats and headlines.
Nikolai Kovalenko
#15R
HEIGHT : 178 cm · WEIGHT : 82 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : October 16, 1999 · Raleigh, United States
Drafted : 2018 · COL · round 6, pick #171
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | San Jose Sharks | 29 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| 2024-25 | Colorado Avalanche | 28 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| NHL totals | 57 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 16 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Colorado Avalanche | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoff totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Nikolai Kovalenko: our analysis
2024-25 season: 29 GP, 3 G, 9 A, 12 PTS, -2 +/-, 12:40 TOI. WAR 0.6 (221st of 596) · PAL 32, below average.
In 2024-25, Nikolai Kovalenko, 27, posts a PAL Rating of 32 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of 0.6 ranks 221st among 596 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: discipline (86, among the best in the league). On the other hand, creation (16, well below average) and penalty kill (26, below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: penalties (+0.9).
Nikolai Kovalenko's story
Born in Raleigh while his father was playing in Carolina, Nikolai Kovalenko moved back to Russia at a young age and grew up in Yaroslavl. He developed through the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl system, shaping a skill-based approach to the right wing position rather than relying on the heavy style associated with his father.
Kovalenko rose through Loko’s junior ranks, making his MHL debut as a 16-year-old and improving each season. The 2017–18 campaign saw him total 10 goals and 31 points in 33 MHL games and earn an All-Star nod; that winter he also made his KHL debut on 27 February 2018 and featured in playoff action for Lokomotiv, while contributing in the MHL postseason as Loko captured the Kharlamov Cup.
Selected 171st overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2018 NHL Draft, Kovalenko remained in Russia to continue his professional development. He played for Lokomotiv, then Ak Bars Kazan, and signed with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in May 2022. Under Torpedo he emerged as a top scorer in 2022–23, posting career highs of 21 goals and 54 points in 56 games. In July 2023 he agreed to an entry-level deal with Colorado while remaining on loan with Torpedo for the 2023–24 season.
Kovalenko made his NHL debut on 28 April 2024 in a playoff game against the Winnipeg Jets. He began the 2024–25 season in North America, and on 9 December 2024 he was traded to the San Jose Sharks. Early in his San Jose tenure he registered a three-point performance on 12 December 2024, but injuries and later disagreements with the club curtailed his time in the NHL; after finishing the season without a qualifying offer, he returned to Russia.
Internationally, Kovalenko has represented Russia at junior levels: the 2015 U-17 Hockey Challenge, the 2018 World Junior A Challenge where he scored in the final and finished with three goals and five assists, and the 2019 World Junior Championship, where he scored a shorthanded game-winner against the Czech Republic and helped Russia claim bronze. His strengths lie in puck skills, offensive awareness and playmaking on the right wing.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 12:20
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:52
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:00
- Pts/GP
- 0.35
- EV points
- 16
- Hits
- 84
- Blocks
- 24
- Takeaways
- 16
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 47.8 %
- Off. zone starts
- 30.7 %
- Faceoffs
- 22.2 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
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 39 %
71
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 79
- Confidence 40 %
- ST
- Strength
- 71
- Confidence 44 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 64
- Confidence 50 %
- DU
- Durability
- 69
- Confidence 40 %
- CK
- Checking
- 81
- Confidence 44 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 25 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 84
- Confidence 44 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 77
- Confidence 39 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 66
- Confidence 39 %
- DF
- Defense
- 73
- Confidence 34 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 45
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating79
- Top speed (35 %)35.9 · 73
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)5.469 · 75
- Distance /60 (20 %)17.1 · 93
- Speed consistency (15 %)35.5 · 78
ST — Strength71
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)5.048 · 81
- Body mass (50 %)-1.442 · 60
EN — Endurance64
- Ice time per game (45 %)13.2 · 65
- Total ice time (20 %)628 · 60
- Shift length (15 %)44 · 68
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.9 · 69
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.47 · 63
DU — Durability69
- Share of games played (100 %)0.772 · 69
CK — Checking81
- Hits /60 (70 %)6.225 · 80
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)5.974 · 81
- Season volume (10 %)4.357 · 76
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.853 · 77
DI — Discipline84
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.051 · 86
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.727 · 71
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)1.02 · 85
PA — Passing77
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.709 · 76
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.493 · 77
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.062 · 72
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.912 · 82
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.594 · 79
SC — Scoring66
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.771 · 67
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.73 · 63
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.137 · 76
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.123 · 68
- xG per shot (10 %)0.079 · 75
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.9 · 62
DF — Defense73
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)-0.001 · 74
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.082 · 78
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.625 · 74
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.039 · 78
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.584 · 61
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.9 · 84
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.522 · 77
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)29.3 · 76
EX — Experience45
- Career regular-season games (65 %)57
- Career playoff games (25 %)21
- NHL seasons (10 %)24
OV — Overall71
- SC · Scoring (28 %)66
- PA · Passing (22 %)77
- DF · Defense (18 %)73
- SK · Skating (12 %)79
- EN · Endurance (8 %)64
- DI · Discipline (5 %)84
- ST · Strength (4 %)71
- CK · Checking (3 %)81
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.
WAR
0.6
wins above replacement
221 of 596
PAL Rating
32/ 100
Performance · Below average
286 of 451 at the position
Value Rating
—/ 100
Season cap hit unknown
ProfileBalancedNeither end dominates
- Offense
- 30
- Defense
- 42
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 41
- Creation
- 16
- Shooting
- 30
- Possession
- 44
- Defense
- 48
- Discipline
- 86
- Power play
- 58
- Penalty kill
- 26
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
WAR, 2024-25
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.6
wins above replacement
-0.2 to 1.2 — 90% interval
221 of 596 forwards
+2.8 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +0.3
- EV defense
- -0.0
- Power play
- +0.1
- Penalty kill
- 0.0
- Shooting
- +0.0
- Penalties
- +0.9
- Average → replacement
- +1.6
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
- 130.7 km/h25th percentileleague avg. 135.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 35.8 km/h49th percentileleague avg. 35.7 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 5748th percentileleague avg. 76
- Offensive zone time
- 41.5 %42nd percentileleague avg. 42.3 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 189.2 km43rd percentileleague avg. 204.5 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.70 km49th percentileleague avg. 4.67 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 40.9 %46th percentileleague avg. 41.3 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.2 %76th percentileleague avg. 17.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 40.3 %44th percentileleague avg. 39.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 4535th percentile | 744th percentile | 15.6 %74th percentile |
| High danger | 1736th percentile | 656th percentile | 35.3 %98th percentile |
| Mid range | 1135th percentile | 133rd percentile | 9.1 %30th percentile |
| Long range | 644th percentile | 00th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2024-2025 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Last 5 games
| Date | Opponent | G | A | PTS | +/- | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2025 | vs EDM | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 15:19 |
| April 14, 2025 | @ VAN | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 14:05 |
| April 13, 2025 | @ CGY | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 15:28 |
| April 11, 2025 | @EDM | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15:14 |
| April 9, 2025 | @ MIN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16:19 |
Nikolai Kovalenko: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Nikolai Kovalenko have in 2024-25?
Nikolai Kovalenko has 7 goals and 20 points (13 assists) in 57 games in 2024-25.
How old is Nikolai Kovalenko?
Nikolai Kovalenko is 27 years old: he was born on October 17, 1999.
How tall is Nikolai Kovalenko, and how much does he weigh?
Nikolai Kovalenko is 5'10" (178 cm) and weighs 181 lb (82 kg).
Where is Nikolai Kovalenko from?
United States: Nikolai Kovalenko was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.
How good is Nikolai Kovalenko?
Nikolai Kovalenko produced 0.6 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2024-25, 221st of 596 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 32 out of 100: below average for his position.
Is Nikolai Kovalenko a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 221st of 596 players at his position in the NHL in 2024-25. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
What are Nikolai Kovalenko's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Nikolai Kovalenko has 57 games, 7 goals, 13 assists and 20 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 12 points in 29 games.
Where was Nikolai Kovalenko drafted?
Nikolai Kovalenko was drafted 171st overall (round 6) by Colorado Avalanche in 2018.
How does Nikolai Kovalenko perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Nikolai Kovalenko has 2 games and 0 points in his career. His pace (0.00 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.35).
Is Nikolai Kovalenko related to anyone famous?
Yes: Andrei Kovalenko (father, former NHL player).
What is Nikolai Kovalenko's nationality?
Nikolai Kovalenko is Russian and American. Internationally: Russia — bronze medal at the 2019 World Junior Championship; represented Russia at the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2018 World Junior A Challenge (scored a key goal in the Final, 3 goals and 5 assists).
What awards has Nikolai Kovalenko won?
Selected to the MHL All-Star Game (2017–18 season) ; Named KHL best rookie of the week (twice during the 2018–19 season).
How many championships has Nikolai Kovalenko won?
1: Kharlamov Cup with Loko Yaroslavl (2017–18 season).
Where did Nikolai Kovalenko play before turning pro?
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey school; Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL (debut 2015–16, junior seasons 2016–17 and 2017–18).
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)