🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Zack Ostapchuk

SJS · Age 23.2 · 🇨🇦 Canada · 6′3″, 205 lb · Draft 2021, 39th overall (OTT)
SJSteam
C,LWposition
160position rank
568skater rank
-28overall
-62offense
35peripherals

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

Per 82 GP2026-27projection2025-2659 GPH240 GPH119 GPPrev 356 GP · 1y
TOI10.2710.099.8510.069.42
PP TOI0.040.040.040.020.06
G36651
A54364
PTS81010126
PPP00000
SOG5361586438
PIM7762832366
Hits182195180242161
Blocks4140492031

Sample: 59 GP · 517 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
Above his 3-year rate
iSH%
9.6822-2323-2424-2525-26

iSH% ran 143% above his 3-year rate last season (9.68 against 3.99).

Second-half surge
PIM
7722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

Penalty minutes ran at a 83 pace in the second half after 23 in the first, per 82 games.

Second-half fade
1A/60
3-yr 0.120.00Q1Q2Q3Q4

1A/60 finished the year 56% below where it started (0.42 in the first half, 0.18 in the second). The projection leans on how the season ended, so the second half counts for more.

Above his 3-year rate
SOG/60
4.7522-2323-2424-2525-26

SOG/60 ran 58% above his 3-year rate last season (4.75 against 3.01).

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 Zack Ostapchuk 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 · Ryan Warsofsky (SJS)
Last year: Ryan Warsofsky full season — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI10.2710.099.42+7%
5v5 TOI8.928.788.90-1%
PP TOI0.040.040.06-45%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  3 · 16 · 19 · 21
TOI*
3-yr 9.4210.02Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
3-yr 8.908.81Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
3-yr 0.060.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
*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
10.2722-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
8.9222-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
0.0422-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

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/604.894.753.01+58%
G/600.370.460.12+283%
iSH%7.529.683.99+143%
ixG/600.560.40+40%
iCF/608.116.14+32%
iSCF/605.683.73+52%
iHDCF/603.361.81+86%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  3 · 16 · 19 · 21
SOG/60
3-yr 3.015.19Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
3-yr 3.996.17Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
3-yr 0.400.55Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
3-yr 6.148.75Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
3-yr 3.735.84Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
3-yr 1.813.24Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
4.7522-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
9.6822-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
0.5622-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
8.1122-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
5.6822-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
3.3622-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
5322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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 0.56 (43rd pct league-wide) up on the 3-yr 0.40 — the shot quality is real, so the projected goal rate leans on chances, not a hot %.
TailwindShot volume up 58% (5v5 SOG/60 4.75 vs 3.01) — volume is the repeatable half, so this raises the goal ceiling.
TailwindAge 23 — still on the up-slope of the scoring curve.

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%7.037.624.31+77%
IPP46.8546.3650.00-7%
1A/600.180.230.12+92%
2A/600.160.000.24-100%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  3 · 16 · 19 · 21
1A/60
3-yr 0.120.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
3-yr 0.240.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.2322-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
822-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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)
RiskOn-ice SH% hot at 7.6% vs a 4.3% 3-yr mark — teammate finishing regresses (~8% is league-normal), so some assists come off.
TailwindShot-driving up (5v5 iCF/60 8.11 vs 6.14) — real creation underneath, so don't over-regress the helpers.
TailwindHigh-danger setups up (iHDCF/60 3.36 vs 1.81) — 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 TOI0.040.040.06-45%
PP iSH%0.000.00n/a
PP SOG/6025.2628.570.00
PP ixG/601.580.00
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  3 · 16 · 19 · 21
PP TOI/GP
3-yr 0.060.06Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
3-yr 0.0050.70Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
3-yr 0.002.80Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
0.0422-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
28.5722-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
1.5822-2323-2424-2525-26
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 (Ryan Warsofsky) — carries the elevated finish (2nd half 0.0, Q4 0.1) over the full-year 0.0; age 23 riser — small growth bias) — 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/606.194.985.42-8%
Hits/6014.9116.1013.13+23%
Blks/602.742.552.41+6%
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  3 · 16 · 19 · 21
PIMs/60
3-yr 5.4210.70Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
3-yr 13.1314.91Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
3-yr 2.412.92Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
4.9822-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
16.1022-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
2.5522-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
7722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
18222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
4122-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
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 (95th pct) and role-stable — a bankable hits floor (14.91/60 projected).
TailwindBlocks surging late: Q4 2.92/60 and 2nd-half 3.33 vs a 2.55 season rate (2.41 3-yr) (50th pct league-wide) — reads as a real role/confidence step, so projected UP to 2.74/60, weighting the finish over the 3-yr baseline.
TailwindFights / takes majors (0.35/60) — a real PIM source, valuable in banger and PIM formats.