Nic
Dowd
C · VGK · Defensive · Around average
- PAL
- 44
- WAR
- -0.1
- Value
- 37
- PTS
- 5
2025-26№ 483 / 615
Nic Dowd (Vegas Golden Knights) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Nic Dowd
#26CPlays: Centre · 95% of faceoffs
Vegas Golden Knights
HEIGHT : 188 cm · WEIGHT : 88 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : May 26, 1990 · Huntsville, United States
Drafted : 2009 · LAK · round 7, pick #198
Contract : $3,000,000 · 2025-26 → 2026-27 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA · Signing bonus $2,000,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Vegas Golden Knights | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 2025-26 | Vegas Golden Knights | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 2025-26 | Washington Capitals | 55 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 53 |
| 2024-25 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 56 |
| 2023-24 | Washington Capitals | 64 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 47 |
| 2022-23 | Washington Capitals | 65 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 26 |
| 2021-22 | Washington Capitals | 64 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 44 |
| 2020-21 | Washington Capitals | 56 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 31 |
| 2019-20 | Washington Capitals | 56 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 28 |
| 2018-19 | Washington Capitals | 64 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 20 |
| 2017-18 | Vancouver Canucks | 40 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| 2017-18 | Los Angeles Kings | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 2016-17 | Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 25 |
| 2015-16 | Los Angeles Kings | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 675 | 89 | 111 | 200 | 393 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Vegas Golden Knights | 22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 2024-25 | Washington Capitals | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 2023-24 | Washington Capitals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021-22 | Washington Capitals | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | Washington Capitals | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | Washington Capitals | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | Washington Capitals | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Playoff totals | 62 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 40 | |
Nic Dowd: our analysis
2025-26 season: 20 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS, +2 +/-, 11:46 TOI. WAR -0.1 (483rd of 615) · PAL 44, around average.
In 2025-26, Nic Dowd, 36, posts a PAL Rating of 44 out of 100 (around average), and his WAR of -0.1 ranks 483rd among 615 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: penalty kill (94, among the best in the league) and defense (93, among the best in the league). On the other hand, offense (3, among the weakest in the league) and creation (4, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+3.0); his biggest cost: finishing (-3.2).
A marked decline: his PAL was 86 in 2024-25, against 44 now; his WAR went from 1.6 to -0.1.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 37 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Nic Dowd's story
Growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, Nic Dowd left his Southern hometown to chase higher levels of junior hockey, moving to play with the Wenatchee Wild in the NAHL and then the Indiana Ice in the USHL before heading to college.
Selected 198th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Dowd opted for the NCAA route and joined St. Cloud State. His senior season earned him a spot on the inaugural All‑NCHC First Team and a nomination as a Hobey Baker finalist; he finished his college career with 52 goals and 69 assists for 121 points in 155 games.
The Kings signed him on April 1, 2014, and he began his pro career with their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, helping that club capture the Calder Cup in 2014–15. Dowd made his NHL debut on March 22, 2016, appearing in five games that season; his first NHL goal came on October 20, 2016, against the Dallas Stars.
On December 7, 2017, Los Angeles traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jordan Subban; he finished that campaign with three goals in 40 games for Vancouver. As a free agent Dowd signed with the Washington Capitals on July 1, 2018, agreeing to a one‑year deal and later earning multiple contract extensions, including agreements in April 2019, November 2021 and April 2025.
In Washington he commonly skated at centre on the fourth line alongside Garnet Hathaway and Carl Hagelin, a role that defined much of his NHL presence. Midway through his eighth season with the Capitals he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5, 2026, and two days later made his debut for Vegas, logging just over 13 minutes in a 4–2 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 11:43
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:01
- SH TOI/GP
- 1:16
- Pts/GP
- 0.16
- EV points
- 3
- Hits
- 43
- Blocks
- 12
- Takeaways
- 6
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 40.0 %
- Off. zone starts
- 21.2 %
- Faceoffs
- 43.9 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
18between 5 and 30 (80% range)
- Goals
- 3
- Assists
- 14
- Games
- 79
So far: 3 pts in 19 games. The team has played 19 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.24 pts per game (last season: 0.28).
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
Slight decline
- Points per game: 0.34 in 23-24, 0.28 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 86 → 44
Outlook, age included
↓ DecliningAge 36: the age when production usually declines
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 80 %
66
Depth
- SK
- Skating
- 65
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 81
- Confidence 83 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 73
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 79
- Confidence 77 %
- CK
- Checking
- 83
- Confidence 83 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 77
- Confidence 64 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 55
- Confidence 83 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- 77
- Confidence 91 %
- PA
- Passing
- 60
- Confidence 80 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 59
- Confidence 80 %
- DF
- Defense
- 91
- Confidence 77 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 86
- Confidence 8 %
- EX
- Experience
- 87
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating65
- Top speed (35 %)35.4 · 62
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)4.552 · 67
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.3 · 73
- Speed consistency (15 %)35 · 69
ST — Strength81
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)5.152 · 84
- Body mass (50 %)-0.27 · 75
EN — Endurance73
- Ice time per game (45 %)14.5 · 73
- Total ice time (20 %)1,069 · 75
- Shift length (15 %)42.5 · 65
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)13.3 · 73
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)2.405 · 75
DU — Durability79
- Share of games played (100 %)0.845 · 79
CK — Checking83
- Hits /60 (70 %)6.82 · 82
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)5.802 · 84
- Season volume (10 %)4.949 · 85
FG — Fighting77
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.868 · 77
DI — Discipline55
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.029 · 56
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)1.165 · 49
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.993 · 86
FO — Faceoffs77
- Faceoff % (85 %)49.6 · 75
- Faceoffs /60 (15 %)53.1 · 89
PA — Passing60
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.385 · 48
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.516 · 77
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.067 · 61
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.528 · 76
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.28 · 62
SC — Scoring59
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.588 · 62
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.558 · 49
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.078 · 77
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.784 · 48
- xG per shot (10 %)0.082 · 74
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)8.806 · 49
DF — Defense91
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.158 · 92
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.274 · 89
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.458 · 83
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.13 · 87
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-0.96 · 85
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)56.1 · 83
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.594 · 88
PS — Penalty shot86
- Shootouts (60 %)34.4 · 88
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience87
- Career regular-season games (65 %)92
- Career playoff games (25 %)78
- NHL seasons (10 %)84
OV — Overall66
- SC · Scoring (20 %)59
- PA · Passing (20 %)60
- DF · Defense (20 %)91
- SK · Skating (12 %)65
- FO · Faceoffs (10 %)77
- EN · Endurance (8 %)73
- DI · Discipline (5 %)55
- ST · Strength (3 %)81
- CK · Checking (2 %)83
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 66 | 65 | 59 | 91 |
| 2024-25 | 76 | 64 | 70 | 93 |
| 2023-24 | 75 | 66 | 73 | 88 |
| 2022-23 | 81 | 67 | 77 | 89 |
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
-0.1
wins above replacement
483 of 615
PAL Rating
44/ 100
Performance · Around average
253 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
37/ 100
Poor return
3.00 M$ · expected PAL 54
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 3
- Defense
- 94
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 3
- Creation
- 4
- Shooting
- 5
- Possession
- 35
- Defense
- 93
- Discipline
- 5
- Power play
- 23
- Penalty kill
- 94
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 | VGK | -0.1 | 44 | 37 | 3.00 M$ |
| 2024-25 | WSH | 1.6 | 86 | 94 | 1.30 M$ |
| 2023-24 | WSH | 1.4 | 57 | 63 | 1.30 M$ |
| 2022-23 | WSH | 2.1 | 86 | 92 | 1.30 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
3/ 100
Low
better than 3% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
28/ 100
Below average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
5/ 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, 410 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 0
- Shot selection
- 41
- Penalties drawn
- 85
- Puck management
- 31
Defense
- Takeaways
- 59
- Discipline
- 2
- Safe zone exits
- 37
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 | VGK | 3 | 28 | 5 |
| 2024-25 | WSH | 36 | 49 | 34 |
| 2023-24 | WSH | 1 | 40 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | WSH | 23 | 79 | 6 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.1
wins above replacement
-0.9 to 0.5 — 90% interval
483 of 615 forwards
-0.8 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -2.4
- EV defense
- +3.0
- Power play
- -0.0
- Penalty kill
- +0.5
- Shooting
- -3.2
- Penalties
- -1.5
- Average → replacement
- +2.8
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | VGK | 75 | -0.1 | -0.9 to 0.5 | 483/615 |
| 2024-25 | WSH | 79 | 1.6 | 0.7 to 2.6 | 97/596 |
| 2023-24 | WSH | 64 | 1.4 | 0.5 to 2.6 | 110/608 |
| 2022-23 | WSH | 65 | 2.1 | 0.5 to 3.5 | 55/617 |
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
- 121.2 km/h15th percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 34.7 km/h37th percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 822nd percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 37.8 %11th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 56.0 km45th percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 4.34 km42nd percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 39.2 %18th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.1 %52nd percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 44.1 %10th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 517th percentile | 024th percentile | 0.0 %3rd percentile |
| High danger | 115th percentile | 034th percentile | 0.0 %10th percentile |
| Mid range | 334th percentile | 054th percentile | 0.0 %32nd percentile |
| Long range | 153rd percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %87th 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
BUF
DET
PIT
BOS
NJD
OTT
CBJ
STL
TBL
CGY
NSH
MIN
LAK
TOR
SEA
VAN
ANA
CHINic Dowd: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Nic Dowd have in 2026-27?
Nic Dowd has 0 goals and 3 points (3 assists) in 19 games in 2026-27.
How old is Nic Dowd?
Nic Dowd is 36 years old: he was born on May 27, 1990.
How tall is Nic Dowd, and how much does he weigh?
Nic Dowd is 6'2" (188 cm) and weighs 194 lb (88 kg).
Where is Nic Dowd from?
United States: Nic Dowd was born in Huntsville, Alabama, United States.
What team does Nic Dowd play for?
Nic Dowd plays for the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL, at C, wearing number 26.
Is Nic Dowd injured?
No: Nic Dowd is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Nic Dowd?
Nic Dowd produced -0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 483rd of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 44 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does Nic Dowd make?
Nic Dowd earns $3.0M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 37 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Nic Dowd's contract end?
Nic Dowd's contract runs through the 2026-27 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Nic Dowd overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 37 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Nic Dowd a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 483rd 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 Nic Dowd getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 86 in 2024-25 to 44 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Nic Dowd played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Nic Dowd has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Nic Dowd's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Nic Dowd has 675 games, 89 goals, 111 assists and 200 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 27 points in 82 games.
Where was Nic Dowd drafted?
Nic Dowd was drafted 198th overall (round 7) by Los Angeles Kings in 2009.
Is Nic Dowd better at home or on the road?
At home: in 2026-27, he averages 0.22 points per game at home (2 in 9 games) and 0.10 on the road (1 in 10 games).
How does Nic Dowd perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Nic Dowd has 62 games and 10 points in his career. His pace (0.16 points per game) is lower than his regular-season pace (0.30).
Which player is most similar to Nic Dowd?
Jason Dickinson: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Jason Dickinson's page →Is Nic Dowd a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 18 points in 2026-27, or 0.23 points per game.
Is Nic Dowd married?
Yes, married to Paige Dowd (formerly Kraemer) in 2017.
What is Nic Dowd's nationality?
Nic Dowd is American.
What awards has Nic Dowd won?
Selected to the inaugural 2013–14 All‑NCHC First Team ; Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (2013–14 season).
Where did Nic Dowd play before turning pro?
Played for the Wenatchee Wild (NAHL), then the Indiana Ice, before joining the St. Cloud State Huskies (NCHC); senior season 2013–14.
How many points is Nic Dowd projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 18 points in 79 games in 2026-27 (5 to 30 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Vegas Golden Knights teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)