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Zach Werenski

Position	Left Defense	Current Team	Columbus Blue Jackets
Shoots	Left	Current Contract	6 years
Height	6'2"	Expires	2027-28
Weight (lbs)	214	Expiry Age (Jun 30)	30
Age	28 (July 19, 1997)	Expiry Status	UFA
Drafted	2015, Round 1, Overall 8 (CBJ)

Date	Team	Transaction
Jul 29, 2021	Columbus Blue Jackets	Signed 6 years @ $9.583M AAV starting in 2022-23
Sep 9, 2019	Columbus Blue Jackets	Signed 3 years @ $5.000M AAV starting in 2019-20
Mar 29, 2016	Columbus Blue Jackets	Signed to an entry level contract.

Status History Coming Soon

2025-26 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20252026/zach-werenski-8478460.png

2024-25 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20242025/zach-werenski-8478460.png

2023-24 Player Card

URL: https://www.thestanleycap.com/cdn/player_cards/20232024/zach-werenski-8478460.png

About Player Cards

Player cards present an infographic of a players performance. In this case it shows the player performance over a 3 season span. Each square is separated into three separate sub-boxes with the two smaller boxes on top representing the past two seasons and the larger box on the bottom representing the current or most recent season. This allows the reader to guage how consistent a player has been, and if early in the season it can help identify whether a players performance may be impacted by small sample size and subject to regression or is consistent with recent past performance.

Notes and Definitions

The numbers represent percentiles so the higher the better.
Percentiles are determined by comparing Forwards to Forwards and Defensemen to Defensemen.
Bursts/mi are calculated from NHL Edge Data are are speed bursts above 20mpg per mile skated. The NHL doesn't adjust for ice time so the players that skate more will naturally have more bursts over 20, or at least more opportunity to have more. The NHL also does not provide ice time in the context of NHL Edge Statistics, however, it does provide distance skated. By adjusting for distance skated it will have a similar effect to adjusting for ice time but also adjust for situationional effect. For example, Players don't typically skate as much on the PK, mostly within the defensive zone, so don't get significant opportunity in that ice time to get speed bursts above 20mph. Adjusting with miles skates would account for this better than adjusting with ice time.
Sh%AE is Shooting Percentage above Expected (Sh% - xSh%) and is an indicator of how good a shooter is at converting chances into goals.
Relative statistics are On Ice - Off Ice statistics and can be an indicator of whether the player makes his teammates better or worse.
All data is 5v5 except Shooting Hardest and Average, Skating Top Speed and Bursts/mi which are all situations, ES Average which is even strength (NHL doesn't give a specific definition).

Data Sources

Salary data is from TheStanleyCap.com
Shooting and Skating (except Sh%AE) are from NHL Edge
Other statistics are from Puckalytics.com and derived from data from NHL.com

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5v5 Individual Stats

Season	Team(s)	GP	TOI	G/60	A/60	Pts/60	xG/60	GAE/60	Sh%	xSh%	Sh%AE	%SA Rush	%SA Reb.
2016-17	CBJ	78	1249:04	0.24	0.72	0.96	0.27	-0.03	3.85	4.33	-0.49	0.56	2.26
2017-18	CBJ	77	1408:37	0.43	0.51	0.94	0.36	0.07	6.25	5.29	0.96	0.94	2.83
2018-19	CBJ	82	1473:42	0.33	0.69	1.02	0.29	0.04	6.20	5.43	0.77	2.63	1.05
2019-20	CBJ	63	1116:48	0.54	0.48	1.02	0.38	0.16	7.69	5.38	2.31	2.33	4.07
2020-21	CBJ	35	664:47	0.54	0.72	1.26	0.29	0.25	8.96	4.77	4.18	0.00	4.55
2021-22	CBJ	68	1311:50	0.27	0.73	1.01	0.41	-0.13	3.87	5.75	-1.88	2.26	2.26
2022-23	CBJ	13	243:03	0.74	0.74	1.48	0.31	0.43	9.68	4.10	5.57	2.44	0.00
2023-24	CBJ	70	1310:23	0.37	1.47	1.83	0.35	0.01	5.06	4.91	0.16	1.39	4.63
2024-25	CBJ	81	1692:28	0.53	1.17	1.70	0.45	0.08	6.76	5.78	0.98	1.53	3.99
2025-26	CBJ	13	262:37	0.69	0.69	1.37	0.34	0.35	9.68	4.74	4.94	0.00	0.00

5v5 On Ice Stats

Season	Team(s)	GP	TOI	SAF/60	GF/60	xGF/60	SAA/60	GA/60	xGA/60	GF%	xGF%	xGF Rel	xGA Rel	xGF% Rel
2016-17	CBJ	78	1249:04	43.09	2.55	2.46	38.52	1.97	2.41	56.38	50.56	-0.10	-0.11	0.14
2017-18	CBJ	77	1408:37	49.92	2.77	2.92	40.38	2.09	2.52	57.02	53.69	0.27	0.04	1.97
2018-19	CBJ	82	1473:42	44.91	2.73	2.69	42.63	2.89	2.62	48.55	50.64	0.14	0.30	-1.64
2019-20	CBJ	63	1116:48	43.73	2.58	2.43	40.51	1.99	2.30	56.47	51.30	0.16	0.14	0.12
2020-21	CBJ	35	664:47	42.87	2.35	2.22	41.61	2.44	2.37	49.06	48.39	0.19	0.02	2.05
2021-22	CBJ	68	1311:50	44.91	2.33	2.62	47.84	3.34	2.99	41.13	46.69	0.40	0.14	2.95
2022-23	CBJ	13	243:03	43.94	3.46	2.60	42.46	4.20	2.40	45.16	52.00	0.74	-0.84	15.51
2023-24	CBJ	70	1310:23	45.70	3.53	2.70	48.99	3.07	2.97	53.47	47.64	0.47	0.26	2.42
2024-25	CBJ	81	1692:28	47.19	3.05	2.73	41.34	2.27	2.39	57.33	53.37	0.71	-0.17	9.14
2025-26	CBJ	13	262:37	52.32	3.66	3.10	47.29	1.83	2.87	66.67	51.92	0.67	0.13	4.90

NHL Edge Stats

		Skating				Shooting					Zone Time
Season	GP	Top Speed	Bursts>20/mi	Avg. Speed	ES Avg. Speed	Top Speed	Avg. Speed	%Long Range	%Mid Range	%High Danger	ES DZ%	ES NZ%	ES OZ%
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Legend

Percentile 0-25

Percentile 25-50

Percentile 50-75

Percentile 75-100

Forwards are compared with forwards and Defensemen are are compared with Defensemen.

5v5 Defense Pairs

Season

Season	Teammate	Team	TOI	GF/60	GA/60	GF%	xGF/60	xGA/60	xGF%	xGF Rel	xGA Rel	xGF% Rel
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Glossary

Type	Statistic	Definition
Individual	G/60	Goals Against per 60 minutes.
Individual	A/60	Assists per 60 minutes.
Individual	Pts/60	Points per 60 minutes.
Individual	xG/60	Expected Goals per 60 minutes.
Individual	GAE/60	Goals Above Expected (G/60 - xG/60).
Individual	Sh%	Shooting Percentage.
Individual	xSh%	Expected Shooting Percentage.
Individual	Sh%AE	Shooting percentage above expected (Sh% - xSh%).
Individual	%SA Rush	Percentage of shot attempts determined to be on the rush.
Individual	%SA Reb.	Percentage of shot attempts determined to be from rebounds.
On Ice	SAF/60	Shot Attempts For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	GF/60	Goals For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	xGF/60	Expected Goals For per 60 minutes.
On Ice	SAA/60	Shot Attempts Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	GA/60	Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	xGA/60	Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (lower is better).
On Ice	GF%	Goals For Percentage = Goals For / (Goals For + Goals Against)
On Ice	xGF%	Expected Goals For Percentage = Expected Goals For / (Expected Goals For + Expected Goals Against)
On Ice	xGF Rel	xGF/60 when On Ice - xGF/60 when not On Ice.
On Ice	xGA Rel	xGA/60 when On Ice - xGA/60 when not On Ice (lower is better).
On Ice	xGF% Rel	xGF% when On Ice - xGF% when not On Ice.

Individual and On-Ice stats from Puckalytics.com (starting in 2015-16). NHL Edge Stats from edge.nhl.com (starting in 2021-22). Edge statistic definitions can be found at the Edge Stats Glossary.

News and Opinions

CBJ 3, STL 2: Werenski Stays Hot, Greaves Shines As Blue Jackets Beat Blues For Fourth Straight Win at 1st Ohio Battery (Sat Nov 1, 2025)
Blue Jackets’ Werenski & Mateychuk Big Part of Improved Defense at The Hockey Writers (Sat Nov 1, 2025)
Takeaways after the Blue Jackets rake up the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night at Union Blue (Thu Oct 30, 2025)
Three Things: Wood Shines in OT, Werenski Scores, Jackets Building Road Momentum at 1st Ohio Battery (Wed Oct 29, 2025)
CBJ 4, BUF 3: Miles Wood Scores in Overtime to Cap Two-goal Night, Propels Blue Jackets Another Road Win at 1st Ohio Battery (Tue Oct 28, 2025)
Blue Jackets game #2 recap: the good guys win a wild one in Minnesota at Union Blue (Sun Oct 12, 2025)
CBJ 7, MIN 4: Marchenko Hat Trick Propels Blue Jackets Scoring Outburst, Merzlikins Makes 48 Saves In Wild Columbus Win at 1st Ohio Battery (Sat Oct 11, 2025)
8 Days Until Opening Night At NWA: The History Of Jersey #8 at Yahoo Sports NHL (Sun Oct 5, 2025)
Chris Kreider affirme qu'un défenseur des Ducks est aussi bon que Zach Werenski at HABSolument Fan (Tue Sep 30, 2025)
Blue Jackets 2025-26 season preview, Zach Werenski has finally been recognized as one of the NHL's best players at Union Blue (Thu Sep 18, 2025)
Blue Jackets 2025-26 season preview, Dante Fabbro found a home at Union Blue (Thu Sep 4, 2025)
Blue Jackets’ Werenski Named to U.S. Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp at The Hockey Writers (Tue Aug 19, 2025)
Norris Trophy Odds for 2026: Makar, Hughes, Werenski Lead the Race at NHL Rumors (Wed Aug 13, 2025)
Zach Werenski should have been one of the first six players named to team USA for next year's Olympic Games at Union Blue (Mon Jun 16, 2025)
Blue Jackets 2024-25 season in review, Zach Werenski had maybe the best individual season in franchise history at Union Blue (Mon Jun 16, 2025)
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski finishes as runner up for the Norris Trophy at Union Blue (Wed Jun 11, 2025)
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski named a finalist for the Norris Trophy at Union Blue (Tue Apr 29, 2025)

Current Contract

Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Clause	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2022-23	25		$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$2,000,000	$8,000,000	$10,000,000	$10,000,000	RFA-arb
2023-24	26	NMC	$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$2,000,000	$10,000,000	$12,000,000	$12,000,000	UFA
2024-25	27	NMC	$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$2,000,000	$9,500,000	$11,500,000	$11,500,000	UFA
2025-26	28	NMC	$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$2,000,000	$7,500,000	$9,500,000	$9,500,000	UFA
2026-27	29	NMC	$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$6,250,000	$1,000,000	$7,250,000	$7,250,000	UFA
2027-28	30	M-NTC	$9,583,333	$9,583,333	-	$6,250,000	$1,000,000	$7,250,000	$7,250,000	UFA
Total					-	$20,500,000	$37,000,000	$57,500,000	$57,500,000

Signed: July 29, 2021

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets

GM: Jarmo Kekalainen

Exp. Status: UFA

Cap %: 11.62

Clause: In 2027-28 player submits a list of 10 teams he's willing to accept a trade to.

Previous Contracts (show) (hide)

Standard Contract (RFA) ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2019-20	22	$5,000,000	$5,000,000	-	-	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	RFA
2020-21	23	$5,000,000	$5,000,000	-	-	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	RFA-arb
2021-22	24	$5,000,000	$5,000,000	-	-	$7,000,000	$7,000,000	$7,000,000	RFA-arb
Total				-	-	$15,000,000	$15,000,000	$15,000,000

Signed: Sep 9, 2019

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets

GM: Jarmo Kekalainen

Exp. Status: RFA-arb

Cap %: 6.13

Entry Level Contract ( ) (0 ratings)

Season	Age*	Cap Hit	AAV	Perf. Bonus	Sign. Bonus	Salary	Compensation	Minors Salary	Status
2016-17	19	$925,000	$1,775,000	$850,000	$92,500	$832,500	$925,000	$70,000	ELC
2017-18	20	$925,000	$1,775,000	$850,000	$92,500	$832,500	$925,000	$70,000	ELC
2018-19	21	$925,000	$1,775,000	$850,000	$92,500	$832,500	$925,000	$70,000	ELC
Total				$2,550,000	$277,500	$2,497,500	$2,775,000	$210,000

Signed: Mar 29, 2016

Team: Columbus Blue Jackets

GM: Jarmo Kekalainen

Exp. Status: RFA

Career Statistics

			Regular Season									Playoffs
Season	League	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	Shots	Sh%	TOI/G	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	Shots	Sh%	TOI/G
2008-09	QC Int PW	Belle Tire	4	0	1	1
2009-10	T1EMBHL	Belle Tire Bantam Minor AAA	31	16	19	35		10
2010-11	T1EBHL	Belle Tire Bantam Major AAA	27	10	15	25		8
2011-12	T1EHL	Det. B. Tire U16	35	8	20	28		18				7	3	5	8		4
2012-13	HPHL	Det. L.C. U18	28	7	14	21		18
2013-14	USHL	USNTDP	35	6	13	19	-4	17	66	910.0
2013-14	U-17	USNTDP	16	2	11	13		25
2014-15	Big Ten	U. of Michigan	35	9	16	25		8
2014-15	WJC-A	USA	5	1	1	2	+3	2	4
2015-16	NCAA	Univ. of Michigan	36	11	25	36	+5	20
2015-16	WJC-20	USA U20	7	2	7	9	+10	4
2015-16	AHL	Lake Erie	7	1	0	1	+2		19	530.0		17	5	9	14	+8	2	39	1,280.0
2016-17	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	78	11	36	47	+17	14	188	5.8	20:55	3	1		1	-2		14	7.1	23:29
2017-18	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	77	16	21	37	+8	16	207	7.7	22:35	6	1	2	3		2	18	5.6	24:11
2018-19	WC	USA	2	0	0	0	-1
2018-19	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	82	11	33	44	-12	18	168	6.6	22:54	10	1	5	6	+3	9	15	6.7	26:37
2019-20	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	63	20	21	41	+9	10	187	10.7	23:59	10	1	2	3	+1	4	26	3.8	30:03
2020-21	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	35	7	13	20	-9	13	79	8.9	24:22
2021-22	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	68	11	37	48	-15	22	216	5.1	25:40
2022-23	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	13	3	5	8	-6		41	7.3	23:36
2023-24	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	70	11	46	57		22	202	5.4	24:27
2024-25	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	81	23	59	82	+12	31	298	7.7	26:45
2024-25	WC	USA	7	1	5	6	+9	2
2024-25	4 Nations	United States	4	0	6	6	+3	2	13	0.0	82:47
2025-26	NHL	Columbus Blue Jackets	10	3	5	8	+9		36	8.3	25:56
NHL Career			577	116	276	392	+13	146	1622	7.2	23:55	29	4	9	13	+2	15	73	5.5	26:58