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Zach Whitecloud

#28 · Defence · Calgary Flames

Born Nov 28, 1996 in Brandon, Manitoba, CAN (age 29) · 6'2", 210 lb · Shoots right

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2022-23

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2023-24. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Nate Schmidt WPG · 14 P in 63 GP Zach Bogosian MIN · 14 P in 65 GP Jordan Harris MTL · 14 P in 56 GP Urho Vaakanainen ANA · 14 P in 68 GP Ryan Graves PIT · 14 P in 70 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0510152017-18: 0 points017-182019-20: 1 points119-202020-21: 12 points1220-212021-22: 19 points1921-222022-23: 12 points1222-232023-24: 14 points1423-242024-25: 13 points1324-252025-26: 17 points1725-262026-27: 0 points026-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2017-18 VGK 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0.00 $925K
2019-20 VGK 16 0 1 1 3 4 9 10 0.06 $925K
2020-21 VGK 51 2 10 12 9 24 54 85 0.24 $725K
2021-22 VGK 59 8 11 19 21 20 94 98 0.32 $725K
2022-23 VGK 59 5 7 12 10 41 64 90 0.20 $2.75M
2023-24 VGK 61 2 12 14 -3 32 51 129 0.23 $2.75M
2024-25 VGK 74 4 9 13 7 37 72 117 0.18 $2.75M
2025-26 VGK 47 2 5 7 -8 20 33 73 0.15 $2.75M
2025-26 CGY 31 0 10 10 2 10 34 51 0.32
2026-27 CGY 5 0 0 0 -6 0 3 9 0.00 $2.75M
9 seasons Career 404 23 65 88 38 188 414 662 0.22

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2019-20 VGK 17 1 0 1 1 6 18 44 0.06
2020-21 VGK 19 1 3 4 3 16 16 31 0.21
2022-23 VGK 22 2 6 8 14 21 19 37 0.36
2023-24 VGK 6 0 0 0 0 2 4 9 0.00
2024-25 VGK 11 0 2 2 -3 8 8 28 0.18
5 seasons Playoffs 75 4 11 15 15 53 65 149 0.20

2023-24 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
61 2 12 14 -3 32 51 129 0.23 3.9 17:35

Contract

$2.75MCap hitends in 2028, then UFA
$196KCap dollars per point14 points in 61 games
$501KCap dollars per goal above replacement5.5 goals above replacement
$4.9MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.1MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 718 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct 28, 2021, as an extension of the contract he was on: 6 years and $16.5M, beginning in 2022-23. It runs through 2027-28, with 4 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2022-23 $2.75M $1M $2M $3M
2023-24 $2.75M $3M $0 $3M
2024-25 $2.75M $2.75M $0 $2.75M
2025-26 $2.75M $2.75M $0 $2.75M
2026-27 $2.75M $2.5M $0 $2.5M
2027-28 $2.75M $2.5M $0 $2.5M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Oct 28, 2021 Vegas Golden Knights Extension 2022-23 to 2027-28 6 $16.5M $2.75M
Mar 22, 2020 Vegas Golden Knights Extension 2020-21 to 2021-22 2 $1.45M $725K
Mar 8, 2018 Vegas Golden Knights Entry-level 2017-18 to 2019-20 3 $4.475M $925K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2023-24 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2023-24 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-0.2Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.5Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence-0.2Even-strength defence-0.2Power play0.0Penalty kill-0.1Penalties+0.0

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on.

-202462017-182020-212022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

46.9Corsi for %82 attempts for, 93 against
-2.3CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
44.5Expected goals for %3.0 expected for, 3.7 against
+3.2xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %2 for, 2 against
100.6PDO5.6% shooting + 95.0% saves
13Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Alec Martinez · Zach Whitecloud541:1940.228.60-2
Noah Hanifin · Zach Whitecloud225:3750.047.31-0
Nicolas Hague · Zach Whitecloud113:4652.249.40-0
Shea Theodore · Zach Whitecloud31:3866.787.70-0

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

0Goalsnot counting empty-netters
0.1Expected goalsfrom 8 unblocked attempts
-0.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.09 expected goals per 60 minutes8th
Shot quality 1.8% chance per attempt1st
Finishing -0.1 goals above expected50thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 48 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.20.40.60.81Expected 0.1Goals 0

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 18, 2024 vs ANA L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 18:33
Apr 16, 2024 vs CHI W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16:22
Apr 14, 2024 vs COL W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 14:48
Apr 12, 2024 vs MIN W 7-2 0 1 1 3 2 2 0 15:54
Apr 10, 2024 @ EDM L 1-5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 5 16:00
Apr 8, 2024 @ VAN L 3-4 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 15:27
Apr 5, 2024 @ ARI L 4-7 0 1 1 -1 0 1 3 15:18
Mar 28, 2024 @ WPG W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 1 5 20:28
Mar 26, 2024 @ NSH L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 15:43
Mar 25, 2024 @ STL W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 17:05
Mar 23, 2024 vs CBJ W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 20:01
Mar 14, 2024 @ CGY L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 14:01
Mar 12, 2024 @ SEA W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 12:04
Mar 9, 2024 vs DET W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13:03
Mar 7, 2024 vs VAN L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:07
Mar 4, 2024 @ CBJ L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 19:12
Mar 2, 2024 @ BUF L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 17:15
Feb 29, 2024 @ BOS L 4-5 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 14:01
Feb 27, 2024 @ TOR W 6-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 16:01
Feb 24, 2024 @ OTT L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 0 2 14:16
Feb 22, 2024 vs TOR L 3-7 0 0 0 -1 2 0 3 18:38
Feb 20, 2024 vs NSH L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 15:16
Feb 19, 2024 @ SJS W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 19:01
Feb 17, 2024 vs CAR L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 19:41
Feb 12, 2024 vs MIN L 3-5 0 1 1 1 0 1 3 16:50
Feb 6, 2024 vs EDM W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 17:07
Jan 27, 2024 @ DET L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 19:23
Jan 26, 2024 @ NYR W 5-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 18:44
Jan 23, 2024 @ NYI W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 15:57
Jan 22, 2024 @ NJD L 5-6 (OT) 0 0 0 -3 2 1 3 18:11
Jan 20, 2024 vs PIT W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 16:05
Jan 18, 2024 vs NYR W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 19:57
Jan 15, 2024 vs NSH W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 18:40
Jan 13, 2024 vs CGY L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:39
Jan 11, 2024 vs BOS W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:08
Jan 10, 2024 @ COL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 17:29
Jan 4, 2024 vs FLA L 1-4 0 0 0 1 6 0 2 18:13
Jan 1, 2024 @ SEA L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 21:19
Dec 28, 2023 vs LAK W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 20:44
Dec 27, 2023 @ ANA L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18:06
Dec 23, 2023 @ FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 18:27
Dec 21, 2023 @ TBL L 4-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19:02
Dec 19, 2023 @ CAR L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 17:58
Dec 17, 2023 vs OTT W 6-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 20:42
Dec 15, 2023 vs BUF L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 21:22
Dec 12, 2023 vs CGY W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 23:00
Dec 10, 2023 vs SJS W 5-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 2 2 2 16:52
Dec 9, 2023 @ DAL W 6-1 1 1 2 3 0 2 1 21:00
Dec 6, 2023 @ STL W 6-3 1 0 1 1 2 1 3 15:30
Dec 4, 2023 vs STL L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 18:21
Dec 2, 2023 vs WSH W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 18:21
Nov 30, 2023 @ VAN W 4-1 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 20:27
Nov 28, 2023 @ EDM L 4-5 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 2 18:25
Nov 27, 2023 @ CGY L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 20:17
Nov 25, 2023 vs ARI L 0-2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 20:52
Nov 22, 2023 @ DAL W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 14:26
Nov 19, 2023 @ PIT L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 4 16:35
Nov 18, 2023 @ PHI L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16:55
Nov 16, 2023 @ MTL W 6-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 14:56
Nov 14, 2023 @ WSH L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 17:16
Nov 10, 2023 vs SJS W 5-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18:04