Zachary
L'Heureux
L · COL · Defensive · Very good
- PAL
- 75
- WAR
- 0.2
- Value
- 88
- PTS
- 5
2025-26№ 307 / 615
Zachary L'Heureux (Colorado Avalanche) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Zachary L'Heureux
#68LPlays: Left wing · 2% of faceoffs
Colorado Avalanche
HEIGHT : 180 cm · WEIGHT : 89 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : May 14, 2003 · Montréal, Canada
Drafted : 2021 · NSH · round 1, pick #27
Contract : $875,000 · 2026-27 → 2027-28 · Standard Contract (Extension) · RFA
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2025-26 | Nashville Predators | 25 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| 2024-25 | Nashville Predators | 62 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 63 |
| NHL totals | 90 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 91 | |
Zachary L'Heureux: our analysis
2025-26 season: 25 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 5 PTS, +3 +/-, 13:23 TOI. WAR 0.2 (307th of 615) · PAL 75, very good.
In 2025-26, Zachary L'Heureux, 23, posts a PAL Rating of 75 out of 100 (very good), and his WAR of 0.2 ranks 307th among 615 regulars, in the top half.
His strengths: defense (85, among the best in the league), penalty kill (85, among the best in the league) and creation (83, well above average). On the other hand, offense (22, well below average) holds him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+0.4); his biggest cost: finishing (-1.1).
A clear step forward: his PAL went from 40 in 2024-25 to 75; his WAR went from -0.8 to 0.2.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 88 (very good contract) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Zachary L'Heureux's story
Raised in Mercier on Montreal’s South Shore, Zachary L'Heureux began skating competitively as a child and first played for the Braves de Mercier in 2007. He moved through local development routes while attending École secondaire Louis‑Philippe‑Paré, joining the Grenadiers du Lac Saint‑Louis and later the Grenadiers de Châteauguay at the Midget AAA level.
In 2019 he represented Quebec at the Canada Winter Games and then stepped up to the QMJHL. L'Heureux spent the 2019–2020 season with the Moncton Wildcats before continuing his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads, where he refined the physical elements of his game and drew NHL interest.
Nashville selected him 27th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. On 28 July he signed a three‑year entry‑level contract with the Predators and was recalled to the NHL, making his debut on 22 October. He quickly became a fan favourite in Nashville. L'Heureux scored his first NHL goal on 17 November 2024 in a 5–3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. On 24 June 2026 he was traded, alongside Fedor Svechkov, to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Chase Bradley, Jack Drury and a 2029 third‑round pick.
Discipline has been a recurring theme in his career: he has faced suspensions in the QMJHL, AHL and NHL. One notable QMJHL suspension lasted 10 games for an incident involving a fan and a hockey stick. In 2023 he told a news outlet he was working to avoid further penalties, yet he received two additional AHL suspensions the following season. Excluding a 2025 NHL suspension, his record showed eleven suspensions that cost him 39 missed games.
On the ice, L'Heureux is known for a confrontational, high‑energy approach that models the agitator role — a player who seeks to unsettle opponents while contributing physically and consistently in the offensive zone.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 9:05
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:00
- SH TOI/GP
- 0:07
- Pts/GP
- 0.33
- EV points
- 1
- Hits
- 10
- Blocks
- 1
- Takeaways
- 0
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 65.2 %
- Off. zone starts
- 4.5 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
9between 1 and 18 (80% range)
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 5
- Games
- 32
So far: 1 pts in 3 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.27 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
Slightly up
- Points per game: 0.24 in 24-25, 0.20 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 40 → 75
Outlook, age included
↑ Trending upAge 23: 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.
Injured reserve· Upper Body· expected back November 27
OV · OverallConfidence 50 %
70
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 71
- Confidence 57 %
- ST
- Strength
- 79
- Confidence 56 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 63
- Confidence 67 %
- DU
- Durability
- 58
- Confidence 57 %
- CK
- Checking
- 86
- Confidence 56 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 88
- Confidence 34 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 71
- Confidence 56 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 64
- Confidence 50 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 72
- Confidence 50 %
- DF
- Defense
- 83
- Confidence 46 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 45
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating71
- Top speed (35 %)35.6 · 68
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)5.289 · 74
- Distance /60 (20 %)16.2 · 78
- Speed consistency (15 %)34.9 · 69
ST — Strength79
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)4.934 · 85
- Body mass (50 %)-0.435 · 72
EN — Endurance63
- Ice time per game (45 %)13.5 · 66
- Total ice time (20 %)328 · 35
- Shift length (15 %)44.2 · 67
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)12.4 · 68
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)1.868 · 70
DU — Durability58
- Share of games played (100 %)0.673 · 58
CK — Checking86
- Hits /60 (70 %)9.741 · 86
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)9.33 · 88
- Season volume (10 %)4.174 · 74
FG — Fighting88
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)1.525 · 88
DI — Discipline71
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)0.008 · 71
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.777 · 69
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.829 · 77
PA — Passing64
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.502 · 61
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.361 · 63
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.066 · 73
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)4.529 · 79
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.294 · 63
SC — Scoring72
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.776 · 65
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.892 · 76
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)-0.388 · 64
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)1.744 · 85
- xG per shot (10 %)0.082 · 80
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)13.5 · 71
DF — Defense83
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.036 · 79
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.274 · 91
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.462 · 83
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)0.063 · 84
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.71 · 71
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)59.2 · 71
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)2.952 · 84
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience45
- Career regular-season games (65 %)63
- Career playoff games (25 %)0
- NHL seasons (10 %)37
OV — Overall70
- SC · Scoring (28 %)72
- PA · Passing (22 %)64
- DF · Defense (18 %)83
- SK · Skating (12 %)71
- EN · Endurance (8 %)63
- DI · Discipline (5 %)71
- ST · Strength (4 %)79
- CK · Checking (3 %)86
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 83 |
| 2024-25 | 68 | 78 | 65 | 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
0.2
wins above replacement
307 of 615
PAL Rating
75/ 100
Performance · Very good
108 of 476 at the position
Value Rating
88/ 100
Very good contract
0.86 M$ · expected PAL 35
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 54
- Defense
- 86
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 22
- Creation
- 83
- Shooting
- 62
- Possession
- 72
- Defense
- 85
- Discipline
- 72
- Power play
- 49
- Penalty kill
- 85
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 | NSH | 0.2 | 75 | 88 | 0.86 M$ |
| 2024-25 | NSH | -0.8 | 40 | 58 | 0.86 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
48/ 100
Average
better than 48% of forwards, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
73/ 100
Very good
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
26/ 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, 219 of 424 forwards.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 3
- Shot selection
- 90
- Penalties drawn
- 49
- Puck management
- 68
Defense
- Takeaways
- 67
- Discipline
- 38
- Safe zone exits
- 11
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 | NSH | 48 | 73 | 26 |
| 2024-25 | NSH | 31 | 67 | 18 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
0.2
wins above replacement
-0.4 to 0.9 — 90% interval
307 of 615 forwards
+0.9 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +0.2
- EV defense
- +0.4
- Power play
- +0.0
- Penalty kill
- +0.1
- Shooting
- -1.1
- Penalties
- +0.3
- Average → replacement
- +0.9
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | NSH | 25 | 0.2 | -0.4 to 0.9 | 307/615 |
| 2024-25 | NSH | 58 | -0.8 | -1.2 to -0.2 | 581/596 |
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/h47th percentileleague avg. 130.1 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 32.3 km/h3rd percentileleague avg. 35.2 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 12nd percentileleague avg. 21
- Offensive zone time
- 47.5 %95th percentileleague avg. 43.1 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 7.0 km5th percentileleague avg. 52.2 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 2.85 km7th percentileleague avg. 4.52 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 47.9 %99th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.7 %33rd percentileleague avg. 16.8 %
- Defensive zone time
- 34.8 %96th percentileleague avg. 40.1 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 620th percentile | 024th percentile | 0.0 %3rd percentile |
| High danger | 327th percentile | 034th percentile | 0.0 %10th percentile |
| Mid range | 227th percentile | 054th percentile | 0.0 %32nd percentile |
| Long range | 031st percentile | 092nd percentile | 0.0 %0th 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
TOR
CGY
WPGZachary L'Heureux: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Zachary L'Heureux have in 2026-27?
Zachary L'Heureux has 0 goals and 1 point (1 assist) in 3 games in 2026-27.
How old is Zachary L'Heureux?
Zachary L'Heureux is 23 years old: he was born on May 15, 2003.
How tall is Zachary L'Heureux, and how much does he weigh?
Zachary L'Heureux is 5'11" (180 cm) and weighs 196 lb (89 kg).
Where is Zachary L'Heureux from?
Canada: Zachary L'Heureux was born in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
What team does Zachary L'Heureux play for?
Zachary L'Heureux plays for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL, at L, wearing number 68.
Is Zachary L'Heureux injured?
Yes: Zachary L'Heureux is on injured reserve (upper body). He is expected back around November 27.
How good is Zachary L'Heureux?
Zachary L'Heureux produced 0.2 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 307th of 615 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 75 out of 100: very good for his position.
How much does Zachary L'Heureux make?
Zachary L'Heureux earns $863K for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 88 out of 100 (very good contract): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Zachary L'Heureux's contract end?
Zachary L'Heureux's contract runs through the 2027-28 season; he will then be a restricted free agent.
Is Zachary L'Heureux overpaid?
No, he gives more than he costs. His Value rating is 88 out of 100 (very good contract), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Zachary L'Heureux a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 307th 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 Zachary L'Heureux getting better?
Yes: his PAL rating went from 40 in 2024-25 to 75 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Zachary L'Heureux played lately?
Over his last 3 games, Zachary L'Heureux has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Zachary L'Heureux's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Zachary L'Heureux has 90 games, 9 goals, 12 assists and 21 points. His best season: 2024-25, with 15 points in 62 games.
Where was Zachary L'Heureux drafted?
Zachary L'Heureux was drafted 27th overall (round 1) by Nashville Predators in 2021.
How does Zachary L'Heureux perform in the playoffs?
Zachary L'Heureux has not played in the NHL playoffs yet.
Which player is most similar to Zachary L'Heureux?
Jordan Staal: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Jordan Staal's page →Is Zachary L'Heureux a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 9 points in 2026-27, or 0.28 points per game.
What is Zachary L'Heureux's nationality?
Zachary L'Heureux is Canadian.
How many points is Zachary L'Heureux projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 9 points in 32 games in 2026-27 (1 to 18 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Colorado Avalanche teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)