Drew Helleson
Anaheim Ducks Defense
Six foot three, a second-round pedigree, and the worst underlying season of any regular here.
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 60 | 2 | 13 | 15 | -4 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 5.1 | 16:58 |
| Career | 119 | 7 | 22 | 29 | +2 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 6.6 | 16:36 |
Last Season
Two goals and 13 assists in 60 games, minus-four, at 16:58 a night. A hundred and nineteen career games and this was the first in which he was a full-time NHL defenceman.
The Finesse Game
Thin. Thirty-nine shots in 60 games and two goals, from a median distance of 54 feet — 74 per cent of his attempts came from beyond forty. He is standing at the point and putting it toward the net, which is all that is being asked, and it is also all he offers.
The thirteen assists are mostly secondary. He is not a puck-mover and the club does not use him as one.
The Physical Game
The best part of his game. Six foot three, 208, long stick, and he defends the front of his net properly. Twenty penalty minutes in 60 games.
The Intangibles
The report and the numbers do not agree about him, and the numbers are harsher. He was on for 46.1 per cent of the expected goals — 19th percentile in the league, the lowest figure of any Anaheim regular — and the shot attempts were near even at 49.3 per cent, which means the chances he gave up were worse than the ones he helped create.
Some context is owed: this club finished 29th in the NHL in even-strength expected goals against, so no defenceman here looks good, and he drew hard minutes without a partner who could carry him. But 19th percentile is 19th percentile. At 25, with three seasons of games behind him, this is the year he has to move that number or accept what he is.