Zach
Whitecloud
D · CGY · Defensive · Below average
- PAL
- 31
- WAR
- 0.1
- Value
- 25
- PTS
- 10
2025-26№ 160 / 325
Zach Whitecloud (Calgary Flames) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Zach Whitecloud
#28D
Calgary Flames
HEIGHT : 188 cm · WEIGHT : 95 kg · SHOOTS : R
Born : November 27, 1996 · Brandon, Canada
Contract : $2,750,000 · 2022-23 → 2027-28 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA · Signing bonus $2,000,000
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Calgary Flames | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | Calgary Flames | 31 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2025-26 | Vegas Golden Knights | 47 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| 2024-25 | Vegas Golden Knights | 74 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 37 |
| 2023-24 | Vegas Golden Knights | 61 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 32 |
| 2022-23 | Vegas Golden Knights | 59 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 41 |
| 2021-22 | Vegas Golden Knights | 59 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 20 |
| 2020-21 | Vegas Golden Knights | 51 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 24 |
| 2019-20 | Vegas Golden Knights | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2017-18 | Vegas Golden Knights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 416 | 23 | 67 | 90 | 188 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Vegas Golden Knights | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 2023-24 | Vegas Golden Knights | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | Vegas Golden Knights | 22 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 21 |
| 2020-21 | Vegas Golden Knights | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 2019-20 | Vegas Golden Knights | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Playoff totals | 78 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 53 | |
Honours
- 🏆 Stanley Cuponce · 2022-23
Zach Whitecloud: our analysis
2025-26 season: 31 GP, 0 G, 10 A, 10 PTS, +2 +/-, 22:40 TOI. WAR 0.1 (160th of 325) · PAL 31, below average.
In 2025-26, Zach Whitecloud, 29, posts a PAL Rating of 31 out of 100 (below average), and his WAR of 0.1 ranks 160th among 325 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: penalty kill (93, among the best in the league). On the other hand, shooting (13, among the weakest in the league) and creation (13, among the weakest in the league) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+1.0); his biggest cost: EV offense (-2.3).
A marked decline: his PAL was 59 in 2024-25, against 31 now; his WAR went from 1.2 to 0.1.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 25 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Zach Whitecloud's story
Growing up between Brandon and Sioux Valley, Whitecloud was on skates almost as soon as he could walk; he learned his earliest hockey habits in small‑town Manitoba and moved through local programs into junior ranks. His first junior outing came in 2012–13 with Portage, and he won a more regular role the following season with the Virden Oil Capitals, progress that set the stage for a university path.
Whitecloud chose Bemidji State for his NCAA development, quickly standing out among the team’s blueliners in his freshman year and earning a development‑camp invite from the Los Angeles Kings prior to 2017–18. In his sophomore season he was honoured as a WCHA Scholar‑Athlete and named to the WCHA All‑Academic Team; he closed that campaign with 19 points and a team‑best 51 blocked shots, a stat line that helped make him visible to NHL clubs despite going undrafted.
As a college free agent he signed a three‑year entry‑level deal with the Vegas Golden Knights on 8 March 2018. His NHL debut came on 5 April 2018 against the Edmonton Oilers, finishing the game with a plus‑3 in 16:42 of ice time in a 4–3 loss. After being assigned to the Chicago Wolves for the 2018–19 season, he worked his way into a regular role with Vegas, earning a two‑year extension on 22 March 2020 and later a six‑year, $16.5‑million contract on 28 October 2021. His tenure with the Golden Knights reached its peak when the club won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
On the international front, Whitecloud was the youngest skater named to Team Canada for the 2017 Karjala Cup and was included on Canada’s pre‑Olympic roster prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics, though he did not make the final Olympic squad. Off the ice he contributed to his community by serving as a guest instructor at a hockey school in Brandon during the 2018 offseason.
What characterizes his on‑ice game is a blend of dependable defence and a willingness to chip in offensively from the back end: blocking shots, sustaining possession in defensive pairings and logging meaningful minutes have been recurring elements of his progression from junior hockey to the NHL.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 20:31
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:01
- SH TOI/GP
- 3:26
- Pts/GP
- 0.17
- EV points
- 3
- Hits
- 29
- Blocks
- 33
- Takeaways
- 5
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 51.1 %
- Off. zone starts
- 27.7 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
16between 6 and 25 (80% range)
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 12
- Games
- 78
So far: 3 pts in 18 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.21 pts per game (last season: 0.22).
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: 0.23 in 23-24, 0.22 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 59 → 31
Outlook, age included
↘ Slight declineAge 29: prime years
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 83 %
70
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 63
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 86
- Confidence 86 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 75
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 77
- Confidence 77 %
- CK
- Checking
- 84
- Confidence 86 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 76
- Confidence 63 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 75
- Confidence 86 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 63
- Confidence 83 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 62
- Confidence 83 %
- DF
- Defense
- 79
- Confidence 80 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 83
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating63
- Top speed (35 %)34.6 · 62
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)1.585 · 71
- Distance /60 (20 %)13.9 · 68
- Speed consistency (15 %)33.9 · 66
ST — Strength86
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)6.626 · 87
- Body mass (50 %)0.499 · 77
EN — Endurance75
- Ice time per game (45 %)18.7 · 74
- Total ice time (20 %)1,553 · 79
- Shift length (15 %)47.4 · 75
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)17 · 73
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.952 · 69
DU — Durability77
- Share of games played (100 %)0.831 · 77
CK — Checking84
- Hits /60 (70 %)4.968 · 84
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)4.446 · 85
- Season volume (10 %)4.828 · 86
FG — Fighting76
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.842 · 76
DI — Discipline75
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.041 · 75
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.621 · 76
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.382 · 75
PA — Passing63
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.266 · 62
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.337 · 66
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)-0.06 · 67
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.109 · 74
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.211 · 73
SC — Scoring62
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.149 · 64
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.153 · 62
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.132 · 72
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.06 · 65
- xG per shot (10 %)0.034 · 68
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)8.387 · 65
DF — Defense79
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.068 · 79
- Relative xG against (20 %)0.027 · 72
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.576 · 77
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.166 · 87
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.973 · 76
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)58.3 · 74
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)5.229 · 82
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience83
- Career regular-season games (65 %)84
- Career playoff games (25 %)82
- NHL seasons (10 %)78
OV — Overall70
- DF · Defense (30 %)79
- PA · Passing (22 %)63
- SK · Skating (12 %)63
- SC · Scoring (12 %)62
- EN · Endurance (9 %)75
- ST · Strength (6 %)86
- DI · Discipline (5 %)75
- CK · Checking (4 %)84
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 70 | 63 | 62 | 79 |
| 2024-25 | 78 | 67 | 74 | 83 |
| 2023-24 | 80 | 67 | 74 | 86 |
| 2022-23 | 72 | 73 | 79 | 74 |
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
160 of 325
PAL Rating
31/ 100
Performance · Below average
171 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
25/ 100
Poor return
2.75 M$ · expected PAL 55
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 10
- Defense
- 61
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 15
- Creation
- 13
- Shooting
- 13
- Possession
- 22
- Defense
- 52
- Discipline
- 38
- Power play
- 29
- Penalty kill
- 93
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 | CGY | 0.1 | 31 | 25 | 2.75 M$ |
| 2024-25 | VGK | 1.2 | 59 | 53 | 2.75 M$ |
| 2023-24 | VGK | 0.4 | 71 | 64 | 2.75 M$ |
| 2022-23 | VGK | 0.1 | 33 | 23 | 2.75 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
15/ 100
Low
better than 15% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
24/ 100
Below average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
18/ 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, 191 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 28
- Shot selection
- 27
- Penalties drawn
- 11
- Puck management
- 89
Defense
- Takeaways
- 11
- Discipline
- 43
- Safe zone exits
- 23
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 | CGY | 15 | 24 | 18 |
| 2024-25 | VGK | 33 | 58 | 21 |
| 2023-24 | VGK | 58 | 80 | 33 |
| 2022-23 | VGK | 58 | 54 | 57 |
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
-0.6 to 0.8 — 90% interval
160 of 325 defensemen
+0.6 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- -2.3
- EV defense
- +1.0
- Power play
- -0.0
- Penalty kill
- +1.0
- Shooting
- -1.0
- Penalties
- -1.4
- Average → replacement
- +3.3
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | CGY | 79 | 0.1 | -0.6 to 0.8 | 160/325 |
| 2024-25 | VGK | 71 | 1.2 | 0.4 to 1.8 | 42/314 |
| 2023-24 | VGK | 61 | 0.4 | -0.1 to 1.0 | 95/316 |
| 2022-23 | VGK | 59 | 0.1 | -0.7 to 1.0 | 148/334 |
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
- 145.3 km/h65th percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 33.8 km/h43rd percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 647th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 38.7 %15th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 76.3 km70th percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 5.32 km63rd percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 41.6 %42nd percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 18.3 %63rd percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 43.0 %16th percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1659th percentile | 049th percentile | 0.0 %27th percentile |
| High danger | 051st percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %0th percentile |
| Mid range | 136th percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 1280th 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
PHI
ANA
SEA
SJS
COL
EDM
TOR
DET
MIN
CAR
VGK
VANZach Whitecloud: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Zach Whitecloud have in 2026-27?
Zach Whitecloud has 1 goal and 3 points (2 assists) in 18 games in 2026-27.
How old is Zach Whitecloud?
Zach Whitecloud is 29 years old: he was born on November 28, 1996.
How tall is Zach Whitecloud, and how much does he weigh?
Zach Whitecloud is 6'2" (188 cm) and weighs 209 lb (95 kg).
Where is Zach Whitecloud from?
Canada: Zach Whitecloud was born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.
What team does Zach Whitecloud play for?
Zach Whitecloud plays for the Calgary Flames in the NHL, at D, wearing number 28.
Is Zach Whitecloud injured?
No: Zach Whitecloud is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Zach Whitecloud?
Zach Whitecloud produced 0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 160th of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 31 out of 100: below average for his position.
How much does Zach Whitecloud make?
Zach Whitecloud earns $2.8M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 25 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Zach Whitecloud's contract end?
Zach Whitecloud's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent.
Is Zach Whitecloud overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 25 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Zach Whitecloud a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 160th 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 Zach Whitecloud getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 59 in 2024-25 to 31 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Zach Whitecloud played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Zach Whitecloud has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).
What are Zach Whitecloud's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Zach Whitecloud has 416 games, 23 goals, 67 assists and 90 points. His best season: 2021-22, with 19 points in 59 games.
Is Zach Whitecloud better at home or on the road?
No real difference: in 2026-27, he averages 0.20 points per game at home (2 in 10 games) and 0.13 on the road (1 in 8 games).
How does Zach Whitecloud perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Zach Whitecloud has 78 games and 17 points in his career. His pace (0.22 points per game) is similar to his regular-season pace (0.22).
Which player is most similar to Zach Whitecloud?
Kevin Bahl: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Kevin Bahl's page →Is Zach Whitecloud a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 16 points in 2026-27, or 0.21 points per game.
What is Zach Whitecloud's nationality?
Zach Whitecloud is Canadian. Internationally: Team Canada — youngest skater selected for the 2017 Karjala Cup; named to the pre‑Olympic roster before the 2018 Winter Olympics but did not make the final team.
What awards has Zach Whitecloud won?
WCHA Scholar‑Athlete 2017–18 ; Named to the WCHA All‑Academic Team 2017–18.
How many championships has Zach Whitecloud won?
1: Stanley Cup 2023 — Vegas Golden Knights.
Where did Zach Whitecloud play before turning pro?
Virden Oil Capitals (junior) then Bemidji State University — played at Bemidji State and was at the university during the 2017–18 season.
How many points is Zach Whitecloud projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 16 points in 78 games in 2026-27 (6 to 25 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Calgary Flames teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)