GRIT & GF
Sam Malinski

Colorado Avalanche, Defence

Sam Malinski

  • Steady
  • Depth
Points, 2026–27
2
0 G, 2 A in 8 GP
Individual xG
0.6
0 goals from it
Ice time per game
16:26
10 shots on goal
xGF% at 5v5
55.7
share of chances while he's on

Sam Malinski has 0 goals and 2 assists (2 points) in 8 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2026–27, with 10 shots on goal and 16:26 of ice time a game. His Grit & GF rating for 2026–27 is 70.5 out of 100, provisional until he has 15 to 20 games.

8 games in. The methodology requires 15 to 20 games to be accurate, so this season's rating still leans on the league average for his position and will move.

GRIT & GF

70.5050100
Rated above 94% of defencemen
Goals above average
+0.7
Wins
+0.11
Physicality95thGF69thIntimidation20thChemistry93thClutch89th

Where the rating comes from

Weight × score in standard deviations. They sum to +0.24, which the normal curve turns into the rating.

Your weights

Under these weights he ranks above 94.2% of 223 rated players

The default weights are our call. Set your own; they get rescaled to add up to 100%.

Physicality

+1.42 SD · 95th percentile · weight 38% · +0.2 goals

What he does with his body: hits, blocks and takeaways (scaled toward per-game totals by his ice time), penalties drawn, and penalties taken against him.

  • Hitsper 60All situations, pulled toward average when the sample is small.3.158th pct
  • Blocked shotsper 60All situations.4.871th pct
  • Takeawaysper 60As recorded by the arena scorer, which varies by building.1.5298th pct
  • Penalties drawnper 60How often he gets under someone's skin enough to put his team on the power play.1.1498th pct
  • Penalties takenper 60Counts against him, at half the weight of penalties drawn.0.6566th pct
  • Ice time× position averagePer-game ice time against his position's average. Physical rates are scaled by this to the power 0.75.0.8029th pct

Percentiles are against 223 rated defencemen in 2026-27, on 126 minutes of his 5-on-5 time. Hits, blocks and takeaways count toward the rating and are worth zero goals until a study shows otherwise. Model grit-0.5.

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Game notes

Written the morning after from the night's stats, for games where he did something worth a sentence.

  1. vs DAL

    Wednesday, October 14

    Volume

    Sam Malinski had 9 shot attempts. Four got through to the goalie, and none went in. His average this season was 2.2. The Avalanche lost 3-2 to the Stars in a shootout.

  2. vs VGK

    Friday, May 22

    Volume

    Sam Malinski had 9 shot attempts. Three reached the net and none went in. His average this season was 5.1. The Avalanche lost 3-1 to the Golden Knights.

  3. vs SEA

    Thursday, April 16

    Volume

    Sam Malinski had 9 shot attempts. Four reached the net and none went in. His average this season was 5.0. It finished 2-0 for the Avalanche.

  4. at EDM

    Monday, April 13

    Ice time

    Sam Malinski played 23:55, about 6 minutes more than his average this season. He has 8 goals this season. The Avalanche beat the Oilers 2-1 in a shootout.

  5. at STL

    Tuesday, April 7

    Volume

    Sam Malinski had 11 shot attempts. Five reached the net and none went in. His average this season was 4.9. It finished 3-1 for the Avalanche.

  6. at DAL

    Saturday, April 4

    Volume

    Sam Malinski had 9 shot attempts. Three reached the net and none went in. His average this season was 4.9. He played 22:52, about 6 minutes over his average. The Avalanche beat the Stars 2-0.

  7. vs VAN

    Wednesday, April 1

    Big night

    Three points for Sam Malinski: two goals and one assist. He also had 10 shot attempts against an average of 4.8. The Avalanche fell 8-6 to the Canucks.

  8. at PIT

    Tuesday, March 24

    Drought over

    Sam Malinski scored for the first time in 38 games. That was his fourth goal of the season. He played 17:29 and had three shots on goal. It finished 6-2 for the Avalanche.

Player card

Percentile among 194 defencemen with enough games this season. 50 is the median.

Scoring

  • Ice time per game16:26
    23
  • Points per 600.91
    54
  • Goals per 600.00
    30
  • Individual xG per 600.26
    63
  • Shots per 604.6
    72

5-on-5 play

  • xG for per 60, on ice3.11
    84
  • xG against per 60, on ice2.47
    54
  • xGF%55.7%
    74

Physical

  • Hits per 603.2
    59
  • Blocks per 605.5
    70
  • Penalty minutes per 600.9
    67

Skating and shooting

NHL EDGE puck and player tracking, 2026–27. Percentiles are the league's, against all skaters.

Skating

  • Top speed21.3 mph
    67
  • Bursts over 20 mph11
    90
  • Distance skated19 mi
    45

Shooting

  • Hardest shot83.2 mph
    39
  • Shots on goal10
    68
  • Shooting %0.0%
    41

Zone time

  • Offensive zone time42.4%
    62
  • Offensive zone time, even strength42.9%
    60

Who he plays with

His most-used defence partners at 5-on-5 this season, with what happened while they were out together.

PartnerGamesTOIShot attemptsxGGoalsxG share
Brett Kulak862:3278–513.7–3.04–355%
Devon Toews824:5616–250.4–0.80–131%
Josh Manson814:2414–130.9–0.54–065%
Brent Burns89:0313–50.4–0.10–087%
Noah Juulsen67:4710–100.5–0.80–140%
Cale Makar76:3611–30.5–0.12–076%

Where he shoots from

His unblocked shots this season, attacking right. 0 goals from 16 attempts.

GoalShot or miss

Last 20 games

Columns are his individual expected goals, the quality of his own chances. Dots are goals he scored.

ixGGoal
0.000.100.200.30
04-1610-19

By season

SeasonGPGAPSOGixGTOI/GPHitsBlkxGF% 5v5
2026–278022100.616:2671255.7
2025–2682832401647.117:37469661.8
2024–2576510151153.715:575710750.2
2023–24233710311.214:14142247.1

Last 20 games

DateTOIGASOGixGHitsBlkPIM
2026-10-1914:400120.06540
2026-10-1614:230000.00110
2026-10-1416:130140.18020
2026-10-1319:070000.00002
2026-10-1018:240000.00110
2026-10-0718:370010.07000
2026-10-0315:370010.18010
2026-09-3014:270020.08030
2026-05-2614:160020.04020
2026-05-2412:570020.03000
2026-05-2220:400030.05010
2026-05-2020:310010.03010
2026-05-0918:560020.06110
2026-05-0520:570010.03120
2026-05-0320:151120.22300
2026-04-2620:270110.09110
2026-04-2318:510020.05010
2026-04-2120:410020.10050
2026-04-1919:470040.13140
2026-04-1619:570040.19212