🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Justin Kirkland

MIN · Age 30.0 · 🇨🇦 Canada · 6′3″, 183 lb · Draft 2014, 62nd overall (NSH)
MINteam
C,RWposition
169position rank
588skater rank
-30overall
-44offense
14peripherals

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

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2620 GPH210 GPH110 GPPrev 321 GP · 1y
TOI9.799.8210.379.339.70
PP TOI0.030.030.030.030.04
G74808
A1940923
PTS2688931
PPP00000
SOG3845573635
PIM36816-043
Hits163119115118176
Blocks6141491762

Sample: 20 GP · 162 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingCentre · league-wide (of 271)
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
Below his 3-year rate
1A/60
0.3722-2323-2424-2525-26

1A/60 ran 72% below his 3-year rate last season (0.37 against 1.34).

We project it up
BLK
6122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting blocks 49% above last season, 41 to 61.

Above his 3-year rate
iSCF/60
5.5522-2323-2424-2525-26

iSCF/60 ran 108% above his 3-year rate last season (5.55 against 2.67).

We project it up
HITS
16322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting hits 37% above last season, 119 to 163.

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 Justin Kirkland is weak or average, light where he’s strong
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 · John Hynes (MIN)
Last year (CGY, traded): Ryan Huska full season — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI9.799.829.70+1%
5v5 TOI8.318.118.55-5%
PP TOI0.030.030.04-31%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  9 · 1 · 10 · 0
TOI*
3-yr 9.7010.37Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 8.558.66Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 0.040.03Q1Q2Q3Q4
*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
9.7922-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
8.3122-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
0.0322-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

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/603.483.333.01+11%
G/600.500.370.67-45%
iSH%15.3511.1122.26-50%
ixG/600.510.37+38%
iCF/609.257.02+32%
iSCF/605.552.67+108%
iHDCF/603.331.67+99%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  9 · 1 · 10 · 0
SOG/60
3-yr 3.014.16Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 22.2616.59Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 0.370.40Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 7.028.32Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 2.674.85Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 1.672.77Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
3.3322-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
11.1122-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.5122-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
9.2522-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
5.5522-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
3.3322-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
3822-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
TailwindGoals projected UP: iSH% cratered to 11.1% vs 22.3% 3-yr while 5v5 ixG/60 0.51 (39th pct league-wide) held/rose — the chances say the finishing rebounds toward 15.3%, lifting the goal rate ~35%.
TailwindShot volume up 11% (5v5 SOG/60 3.33 vs 3.01) — volume is the repeatable half, so this raises the goal ceiling.
ContextTrajectory: 5v5 ixG/60 fell from 0.63 (1st half) to 0.40 (2nd) even though shot volume held — a chance-quality dip, not a volume one.

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%10.099.0914.92-39%
IPP41.3033.3379.94-58%
1A/600.780.371.34-72%
2A/600.440.000.67-100%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  9 · 1 · 10 · 0
1A/60
3-yr 1.340.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.670.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.3722-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
1922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
2622-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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 33.3% sits below the 79.9% 3-yr mark — participation should rebound, nudging assists up.
TailwindShot-driving up (5v5 iCF/60 9.25 vs 7.02) — real creation underneath, so don't over-regress the helpers.
TailwindHigh-danger setups up (iHDCF/60 3.33 vs 1.67) — 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 TOI0.030.030.04-31%
PP iSH%n/an/a
PP SOG/600.000.000.00
PP ixG/600.000.00
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  9 · 1 · 10 · 0
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 0.040.03Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 0.000.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 0.000.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
0.0322-2323-2424-2525-26
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)
TailwindPP role projected up: 0.0→0.0 PP TOI/gp (same coach (John Hynes) — carries the elevated finish (2nd half 0.0, Q4 0.0) over the full-year 0.0) — the biggest PPP lever.

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/601.000.743.68-80%
Hits/6013.1110.7314.70-27%
Blks/604.002.965.35-45%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  9 · 1 · 10 · 0
PIMs/60
3-yr 3.681.39Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 14.709.70Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 5.353.46Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
0.7422-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
10.7322-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
2.9622-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
3622-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
16322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
6122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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 (86th pct) and role-stable — a bankable hits floor (13.11/60 projected).
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 3.46/60 and 2nd-half 3.46 vs a 2.96 season rate (5.35 3-yr) (61st pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 4.00/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.