Carolina Hurricanes · #21 · Defence

Alexander Nikishin

Age 25 · Shoots left · 6′3″ · 218 lb · Born Orel, RUS

Drafted 2020, #69 overall by Carolina

Next game · Thu 8 Octvs Vancouver · 7:00 PM ET0 P in the last 2 vs VANGame preview →
Games812025-26 · missed 1
Goals11T-12th on CAR
Assists22T-10th on CAR
Points3311th on CAR
P / GP0.41T-304th in the NHL
Shots1229.0% shooting
TOI / GP18:119th on CAR

Alexander Nikishin scored 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 81 games in 2025-26, 11th on Carolina. Against Vancouver: 0 points in the last 2 meetings.

This season

2026-27 regular season · 0 games

Carolina have played 4 games and Alexander Nikishin has not dressed yet (out, contract dispute). Next game on Thursday 8 October against Vancouver. 2025-26 in full below.

Last season

2025-26 regular season · 81 games
2025-26 · The season

33 points in 81 games on a team that finished 2nd

Where he ranks among NHL defencemen with 40+ games, then his scoring rate through the season in ten-game blocks.

Percentile among NHL defencemen

Hits13290th
Goals / 600.4588th
PP points1084th
Shooting %9.0%82nd
Shots / GP1.5173rd
Takeaways2673rd
Points / GP0.4169th
Assists / 600.9068th
Penalty differential−553rd
Blocked shots9450th
Ice time18:1137th

Bars show the percentile against 201 defencemen with 40+ games in 2025-26; the thin line marks the league median.

Points per game · rolling blocks

0.40.51–100.311–200.321–300.531–400.441–500.251–600.661–700.471–801.081–81

Dashed line: season average (0.4). Dark blocks sit at or above it.

Points3311th on CAR
Points per game0.41T-304th in NHL
Goals11T-287th in NHL
Assists22T-10th on CAR
Shooting %9.0%Below avg (11.1%)
Ice time18:119th on CAR
Stats hub

Ice time and special teams

A top-four defenceman who plays on the power play

Even-strength, power-play and shorthanded minutes, and how much of Carolina's power play went through him.

Ice time by strength

Even strength15:40
Power play1:26
Shorthanded1:05
Total18:11

22.5 shifts a game, averaging 49 seconds each.

Special teams

PP goals4T-6th on CAR
PP assists67th on CAR
PP points107th on CAR · T-172nd NHL
SH goals1
PP points / 605.147th on CAR

Power-play involvement

Goals on the PP60Carolina total
Involved in10goals or assists
Share16.7%of every CAR PPG
PP TOI share30.5%of CAR PP time

Team power-play goals from the season team report; involvement is his power-play points.


Scoring detail

The power play drives the goal total

How the 11 goals and 22 assists were scored: when, at what strength, in what game state, and per 60 minutes.

Goal detail

Game-winning goals1T-12th on CAR
Overtime goals1T-3rd on CAR
First goal of the game0
Empty-net goals0
Even-strength goals6
Power-play goals4
Shorthanded goals1

Goals by period

1st1
2nd3
3rd6
Overtime1

Goals by game state

Tied1
Leading7
Trailing3

1 of 11 goals broke a tie; 3 came with Carolina trailing.

Assists

Primary12 · 55%
Secondary10 · 45%

Primary assists are the stronger playmaking signal.

Rates per 60

Points / 601.34
Goals / 600.45
Shots / 605.0
ES points / 601.0923 ES points
PP points / 605.1410 PP points

Shot locations

Most attempts from the wing, goals from the wing

Every attempt, attacking right, from the games with a stored shot map.

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

By zone

Crease3 att · 0 G
Slot74 att · 2 G
Wing127 att · 6 G
Point111 att · 3 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

318 attempts across the 81 games with a stored shot map.

Expected goals (ixG)7.7383rd
Goals11
Goals vs expected+3.3
Unblocked attempts196
xG per attempt.039
ixG per 600.31

2025-26 · 81 games. Rank among all skaters by ixG.

Every unblocked attempt he took, weighed by its chance of scoring from that spot, shot type and strength. Above zero is finishing better than the chances.

xG leaders

2025-26 · Skating and shot power

Hardest shot in the 93rd percentile of defencemen: 99.40 mph

How fast he skated, how far, how hard he shot and where on the ice his shifts were spent, against the average NHL defenceman.

Tracking percentile among NHL defencemen

Offensive-zone time47.3%98th
Defensive-zone time34.8%98th
Average shot, mph74.297th
90+ mph shots3997th
Hardest shot, mph99.4093rd
Distance / 60, mi8.8084th
22+ mph bursts382nd
20+ mph bursts6578th
Top speed, mph22.3867th
Distance skated, mi216.055th

Bars show the percentile against 193 defencemen with 40+ games in 2025-26; the thin line marks the median. Higher is better on every row: less defensive-zone time ranks higher.

Top speed, mph22.38Defenceman average 22.09
Hardest shot, mph99.40Defenceman average 92.6
Distance skated216.0 mi4.08 mi in his longest game
Offensive-zone starts42.4%23.7% defensive · 33.9% neutral

Where his shifts were spent

47.3%All situations34.8%
OffensiveNeutralDefensive

Share of his time on ice in each zone.

Fastest moments

22+ mph3 · avg 1.9
20-22 mph62 · avg 46
18-20 mph296 · avg 267

Bursts per speed band, against the defenceman average.

Hardest shots

100+ mph0 · avg 0.1
90-99 mph39 · avg 6.4
80-89 mph69 · avg 33
70-79 mph121 · avg 72

Shot attempts per speed band.


Physical play, discipline and faceoffs

Takes more penalties than he draws

Possession events, penalties drawn against penalties taken, and faceoffs.

Possession and physical

Takeaways269th on CAR
Giveaways87
TK / GV ratio0.30
Hits1325th on CAR
Blocked shots942nd on CAR

Discipline

Penalty minutes33
Minors14
Majors1
Penalties drawn10
Net penalties−5drawn minus taken

Consistency

A point in one game of three (30 of 81)

How often he scores, how long the streaks run.

How often he scores

Games with a point3037% of games
Multi-point games34%
Goals in11 games14%
Pointless games5163%

Streaks

Longest point streak4 games9 Oct – 16 Oct
Longest goal streak2 games
Longest pointless run7 games
Final ten4 in 10point in 4

Game log

Against Vancouver, a point in zero of two

Full game log →
DateOpponentResultGAPSOG+/-TOI
4 Mar 2026@VANW 6-40000015:46
14 Nov 2025vsVANW 4-3 OT0003016:09

Splits · 2025-26

Better at home

Home and road

SplitGPPP/GP
Home41180.44
Road40150.38

By opponent

SplitGPPP/GP
vs Vancouver200.00
vs Metropolitan26140.54
vs Western Conf.3190.29

By month

SplitGPPP/GP
October1050.50
November1440.29
December1450.36
January1570.47
February510.20
March1570.47
April840.50

Contract

Unsigned restricted free agent

Alexander Nikishin has no NHL contract for 2026-27 yet. His previous deal ended in the summer, and his club holds his rights while the two sides negotiate.


With Carolina

One season · 2025-26 to 2025-26
Linemates and opponents

Sebastian Aho sets him up more than anyone

Built from goal and assist records: who assists on his goals, whose goals he assists, and his scoring against each opponent.

Who sets him up

Sebastian Aho7
Seth Jarvis3
Nikolaj Ehlers2
Shayne Gostisbehere1
Mark Jankowski1

Assists on his 11 goals, 2025-26.

Who he sets up

Andrei Svechnikov4
Nikolaj Ehlers4
Mark Jankowski4
Jackson Blake3
Taylor Hall2

Scorers on his 22 assists.

By opponent

2025-26 · top 6 by P/GP

Anaheim2 P in 21.00 P/GP
Philadelphia3 P in 40.75 P/GP
Pittsburgh3 P in 40.75 P/GP
NY Islanders2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Boston2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Toronto2 P in 30.67 P/GP

since 1990-91 · regular season

Points33110th for Carolina
Goals11108th
Assists22110th
Games played81140th
Team history

Career

Regular season and playoffs
Career · regular season

One season, all with the Hurricanes

Career · regular season

SeasonTeamGPGAPP/GPSH%Points
2025-26CAR811122330.419.0%
Career811122330.419.0%

Season rows reconcile with the official career totals.

Draft

2020Carolina · round 3#69

Teammates in the stats

2025-26 · CAR points

Games21
Goals0
Points20.10 P/GP
Game-winning goals0
Career page

Updated after every final · through 6 Oct