Toronto Maple Leafs · #3 · Defence

Nick Blankenburg

Age 28 · Shoots right · 5′9″ · 179 lb · Born Washington, Michigan, USA

Undrafted

Next game · Thu 8 Octat Vegas · 10:00 PM ET2 P in the last 3 vs VGKGame preview →
Games612025-26 · missed 21
Goals8T-13th on TOR
Assists1613th on TOR
Points2414th on TOR
P / GP0.39314th in the NHL
Shots7211.1% shooting
TOI / GP16:4813th on TOR

Nick Blankenburg scored 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) in 61 games in 2025-26, 14th on Toronto. Against Vegas: 2 points in the last 3 meetings.

This season

2026-27 regular season · 0 games

Toronto have played 4 games and Nick Blankenburg has not dressed yet. Next game on Thursday 8 October at Vegas. 2025-26 in full below.

Last season

2025-26 regular season · 61 games
2025-26 · The season

24 points in 61 games

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

Percentile among NHL defencemen

Penalty differential+797th
Shooting %11.1%94th
Goals / 600.4791st
PP points778th
Assists / 600.9472nd
Points / GP0.3968th
Shots / GP1.1850th
Hits5549th
Takeaways1744th
Ice time16:4821st
Blocked shots5915th

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

0.40.61–100.811–200.321–300.331–400.141–500.251–601.061–61

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

Points2414th on TOR
Points per game0.39314th in NHL
Goals8T-344th in NHL
Assists1613th on TOR
Shooting %11.1%Above avg (11.1%)
Ice time16:4813th on TOR
Stats hub

Ice time and special teams

A third-pair defenceman who plays on the power play

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

Ice time by strength

Even strength14:03
Power play1:25
Shorthanded1:19
Total16:48

21.3 shifts a game, averaging 47 seconds each.

Special teams

PP goals36th on TOR
PP assists49th on TOR
PP points78th on TOR · T-211th NHL
SH goals0
PP points / 604.854th on TOR

Scoring detail

The power play drives the goal total

How the 8 goals and 16 assists were scored: when, at what strength, in what game state, and per 60 minutes.

Goal detail

Game-winning goals1T-12th on TOR
Overtime goals0T-6th on TOR
First goal of the game1
Empty-net goals0
Even-strength goals5
Power-play goals3

Goals by period

1st0
2nd3
3rd5
Overtime0

Goals by game state

Tied1
Leading0
Trailing7

1 of 8 goals broke a tie; 7 came with Toronto trailing.

Assists

Primary10 · 63%
Secondary6 · 38%

Primary assists are the stronger playmaking signal.

Rates per 60

Points / 601.41
Goals / 600.47
Shots / 604.2
ES points / 601.1917 ES points
PP points / 604.857 PP points

Shot locations

Most attempts from the point, goals from the point

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

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

By zone

Crease8 att · 1 G
Slot53 att · 2 G
Wing52 att · 0 G
Point77 att · 5 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

191 attempts across the 56 games with a stored shot map.

Expected goals (ixG)5.0493rd
Goals8
Goals vs expected+3.0
Unblocked attempts121
xG per attempt.041
ixG per 600.29

2025-26 · 61 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

Distance per 60 in the 62nd percentile of defencemen: 8.61 miles

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 time45.3%91st
Defensive-zone time37.1%90th
Distance / 60, mi8.6162nd
Average shot, mph66.236th
20+ mph bursts2733rd
Hardest shot, mph89.9728th
22+ mph bursts022nd
Top speed, mph21.4019th
Distance skated, mi147.118th
90+ mph shots014th

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, mph21.40Defenceman average 22.09
Hardest shot, mph89.97Defenceman average 92.6
Distance skated147.1 mi3.27 mi in his longest game
Offensive-zone starts33.0%33.3% defensive · 33.6% neutral

Where his shifts were spent

45.3%All situations37.1%
OffensiveNeutralDefensive

Share of his time on ice in each zone.

Fastest moments

22+ mph0 · avg 1.9
20-22 mph27 · avg 46
18-20 mph214 · avg 267

Bursts per speed band, against the defenceman average.

Hardest shots

100+ mph0 · avg 0.1
90-99 mph0 · avg 6.4
80-89 mph18 · avg 33
70-79 mph74 · avg 72

Shot attempts per speed band.


Physical play, discipline and faceoffs

Draws more penalties than he takes

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

Possession and physical

Takeaways1711th on TOR
Giveaways55
TK / GV ratio0.31
Hits5515th on TOR
Blocked shots598th on TOR

Discipline

Penalty minutes10
Minors4
Majors0
Penalties drawn11
Net penalties+7drawn minus taken

Faceoffs

Taken20.0 a game
Won0
Win %0.0%
Offensive zone0 of 0

A winger: fewer than one draw a game.


Consistency

A point in one game of three (21 of 61)

How often he scores, how long the streaks run.

How often he scores

Games with a point2134% of games
Multi-point games35%
Goals in8 games13%
Pointless games4066%

Streaks

Longest point streak5 games1 Nov – 8 Nov
Longest goal streak2 games
Longest pointless run12 games
Final ten3 in 10point in 3

Game log

Against Vegas, a point in two of three

Full game log →
DateOpponentResultGAPSOG+/-TOI
11 Apr 2026vsVGKOTL 2-3 OT1012+114:06
17 Jan 2026@VGKL 2-70000−317:38
31 Dec 2025@VGKW 4-20110018:17

Splits · 2025-26

Better at home, and at his best against the next opponent

Home and road

SplitGPPP/GP
Road30100.33
Home31140.45

By opponent

SplitGPPP/GP
vs Vegas320.67
vs Atlantic850.63
vs Western Conf.40170.43

By month

SplitGPPP/GP
October200.00
November13110.85
December1460.43
January1440.29
February400.00
March500.00
April930.33

Contract

Final season of his deal: an unrestricted free agent next summer

In 2025-26 he scored 17.1 points per $1M of cap hit, 15th of 191 defencemen with 40 or more games and a current contract.

Cap hit$1.4M1.3% of the $104M ceiling
Term1 yearYear 1 of 1
Expires2026-27UFA at 29
Cap value$1.4MCap hit × 1 years

Cap hit is the average annual charge against the salary cap, not a yearly salary; cap value is cap hit times the years of the deal, not a reported total. As of 1 Oct 2026.


With Toronto

Linemates and opponents

Michael Bunting 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

Michael Bunting3
Erik Haula2
Luke Evangelista2
Matthew Wood1
Ryan O'Reilly1

Assists on his 8 goals, 2025-26.

Who he sets up

Steven Stamkos6
Michael Bunting3
Matthew Wood1
Ryan O'Reilly1
Nicolas Hague1

Scorers on his 16 assists.

By opponent

2025-26 · top 6 by P/GP

Detroit2 P in 21.00 P/GP
Minnesota2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Dallas2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Vegas2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Edmonton2 P in 30.67 P/GP
Philadelphia1 P in 20.50 P/GP

Career

Regular season and playoffs
Career · regular season

Five seasons, with 3 clubs

Career · regular season

SeasonTeamGPGAPP/GPSH%Points
2021-22CBJ71230.437.7%
2022-23CBJ36410140.398.0%
2023-24CBJ121010.0810.0%
2024-25NSH60412160.274.8%
2025-26COL, NSH61816240.3911.1%
Career1761840580.337.9%

Season rows reconcile with the official career totals.

Teammates in the stats

2025-26 · TOR points

Games5
Goals1
Points10.20 P/GP
Game-winning goals0
Career page

Updated after every final · through 6 Oct