🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Cole Smith

CHI · Age 30.8 · 🇺🇸 USA · 6′3″, 195 lb · Undrafted
CHIteam
LW,RWposition
153position rank
454skater rank
-12overall
-53offense
41peripherals

Value over replacement, based on 82 games played.
Ideal for H2H 12-team banger category leagues, 16 roster spots.

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2663 GPH241 GPH122 GPPrev 3220 GP · 3y
TOI13.2913.2812.9413.1513.37
PP TOI0.060.060.070.030.05
G7109136
A957313
PTS1616161519
PPP00000
SOG8790889491
PIM6252456668
Hits219225206262221
Blocks2923252031

Sample: 63 GP · 692 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingLeft wing · league-wide (of 281)
offenseperipheralsvalue over replacement

Counts = projected deployment × projected /60 rate, per 82 GP. Rates regress off the process metric (ixG, shot-driving), not last year's finishing %. PP points = projected PP rate (anchored on the 2nd-half PP1 role, finishing regressed) × projected PP TOI.

Metrics worth highlighting

The charts that move this projection — where he broke from his own 3-year rate, where the season split in half, and where we’re taking the number next year
We project it down
G
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting goals 30% below last season, 10 to 7.

Second-half fade
PIM
6222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Penalty minutes ran at a 45 pace in the second half after 66 in the first, per 82 games.

Above his 3-year rate
ixG/60
0.8322-2323-2424-2525-26

ixG/60 ran 26% above his 3-year rate last season (0.83 against 0.66).

Second-half fade
HITS
21922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Hits ran at a 206 pace in the second half after 262 in the first, per 82 games.

Picked automatically from every chart on this card, ranked by how far each number moved. Each claim is measured off the chart drawn beside it.

Similar & complementary players

Similar makeup Forward
Closest across all seven categories — match % is the whole-profile fit
Complementary Forward
Same position, opposite profile — strong where Cole Smith is weak or average, light where he’s strong
  • Jack HughesC,LW · New Jersey Devilscovers 4
    fills: SOG, PPP, A, G
  • Jack EichelC · Vegas Golden Knightscovers 4
    fills: SOG, A, PPP, G
  • Artemi PanarinLW · Los Angeles Kingscovers 4
    fills: A, PPP, SOG, G
  • William NylanderRW · Toronto Maple Leafscovers 4
    fills: PPP, SOG, G, A
Profile shape — per-82 category values vs the league p99 for the position (same scale as the hero bars)
This player
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
the profile below
vs Similar
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
similar players hug the shape
vs Complementary
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
complements fill the gaps

Deployment

Deployment projection — next-year TOI & PP TOI vs the last two years (the role that drives every count)
Coaching
2026-27 · Jeff Blashill (CHI)
Last year (VGK, traded): Andrew Brunette NSH · pre-trade → John Tortorella VGK · acquired mid-season (small sample) — in-season change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI13.2913.2813.37-1%
5v5 TOI10.7011.0010.90+1%
PP TOI0.060.060.05+7%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  13 · 9 · 23 · 18
TOI*
3-yr 13.3711.81Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 10.909.80Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 0.050.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
*Total TOI by quarter reconstructs 5v5+PP quarterly totals plus a held-flat season PK/GP — NST has no all-strength quarterly export. Level is accurate; quarter-to-quarter movement comes from 5v5+PP.
By season — year over year
TOI
13.2922-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
10.7022-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
0.0622-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

Shooting — volume & conversion

How much and how well he shoots — volume (SOG), finishing (% vs chance quality), and the individual shot-quality funnel (iCF ⊇ iSCF ⊇ iHDCF).

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
SOG/604.944.945.15-4%
G/600.350.350.35-1%
iSH%6.997.096.83+4%
ixG/600.830.66+26%
iCF/6011.089.81+13%
iSCF/608.496.65+28%
iHDCF/605.203.75+39%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  13 · 9 · 23 · 18
SOG/60
3-yr 5.155.10Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 6.836.67Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 0.660.66Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 9.8111.56Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 6.658.16Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 3.752.72Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
4.9422-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
7.0922-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.8322-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
11.0822-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
8.4922-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
5.2022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
8722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindProcess rising: 5v5 ixG/60 0.83 (79th pct league-wide) up on the 3-yr 0.66 — the shot quality is real, so the projected goal rate leans on chances, not a hot %.

Assists — playmaking & on-ice offense

Primary vs secondary helpers, plus the on-ice offense and luck signals underneath them.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
on-ice SH%5.314.907.01-30%
IPP46.0042.9858.46-26%
1A/600.210.090.45-80%
2A/600.180.090.22-60%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  13 · 9 · 23 · 18
1A/60
3-yr 0.450.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.220.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.0922-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.0922-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
1622-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindIPP 43.0% sits below the 58.5% 3-yr mark — participation should rebound, nudging assists up.
TailwindShot-driving up (5v5 iCF/60 11.08 vs 9.81) — real creation underneath, so don't over-regress the helpers.
TailwindHigh-danger setups up (iHDCF/60 5.20 vs 3.75) — the dangerous chances that turn into primary assists are trending up.

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI0.060.060.05+7%
PP iSH%n/an/a
PP SOG/600.000.000.00
PP ixG/600.000.69-100%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  13 · 9 · 23 · 18
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 0.050.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 0.000.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 0.690.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
0.0622-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. PPG and PPA are the 2 halves of the PPP above them, split by the projection's own goal/assist mix. PP-only, so the halves are exact.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
ContextPP role steady at ~0.1 PP TOI/gp.

Physical — PIM · hits · blocks

Peripheral counting categories. Noisier and scorer-biased — read as role over the years, not pure talent.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PIMs/603.663.294.33-24%
Hits/6013.9313.9413.91+0%
Blks/601.441.211.35-10%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  13 · 9 · 23 · 18
PIMs/60
3-yr 4.333.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 13.9117.01Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 1.352.04Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
3.2922-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
13.9422-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
1.2122-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
6222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
21922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
2922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindElite hits volume (93rd pct) and role-stable — a bankable hits floor (13.93/60 projected).
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 2.04/60 and 2nd-half 1.47 vs a 1.21 season rate (1.35 3-yr) (8th pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 1.44/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.
TailwindFights / takes majors (0.17/60) — a real PIM source, valuable in banger and PIM formats.