Average Height and Weight of Hockey Players (NHL 2024)
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their positions in the pros. It helped give many players the extra motivation needed to gain weight when they were able to compare themselves to guys at the next level.
This is the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took the active rosters for the 2023-2024 NHL hockey season, almost 800 players total and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of each position across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest players as well regardless of position. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random hockey knowledge.
Average Height of an NHL Player by Position
The average height of an NHL Hockey Player in 2024 is 6’1 1/2″ (73.45 inches).
| Average NHL Player Height (in inches) | |
| Overall | 73.45 |
| Goalie | 74.96 |
| Defenseman | 73.92 |
| Left Wing | 72.89 |
| Center | 73.01 |
| Right Wing | 72.83 |
Average Weight of an NHL Player by Position
The average NHL Hockey Player in 2024 weighs 199.54 pounds.
| Average NHL Player Weight (in pounds) | |
| Overall | 199.54 |
| Goalie | 199.89 |
| Defenseman | 202.84 |
| Left Wing | 198.66 |
| Center | 196.90 |
| Right Wing | 198.03 |
Who Are The Tallest Players in the NHL?
There are over 20 players listed at 6’6″, but only 7 players are 6’7″ or taller. 6 of the 7 are Defensemen along with 1 Goalie.
| Player | Hgt | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Myers | 6’8″ | D | Canucks |
| Mads Sogaard | 6’7″ | G | Senators |
| Jani Hakanpää | 6’7″ | D | Stars |
| Vincent Desharnais | 6’7″ | D | Oilers |
| Logan Stanley | 6’7″ | D | Jets |
| Victor Hedman | 6’7″ | D | Lightning |
| Jamie Oleksiak | 6’7″ | D | Kraken |
Who are the Shortest Players in the NHL?
There are ten players listed at 5’8″. All are forwards, 8 right wings, 1 left wing and 1 center.
| Player | Hgt | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kailer Yamamoto | 5’8″ | RW | Kraken |
| Matthew Phillips | 5’8″ | RW | Capitals |
| Bobby Brink | 5’8″ | RW | Flyers |
| Cam Atkinson | 5’8″ | RW | Flyers |
| Cole Caufield | 5’8″ | RW | Canadiens |
| Conor Sheary | 5’8″ | LW | Lightning |
| Alex DeBrincat | 5’8″ | RW | Red Wings |
| Mats Zuccarello | 5’8″ | RW | Wild |
| Tyler Johnson | 5’8″ | C | Blackhawks |
| Justin Danforth | 5’8″ | RW | Blue Jackets |
Who are the Heaviest Players in the NHL?
7 players in the NHL weigh 240 pounds or over.
| Player | Wgt | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Oleksiak | 257 | D | Kraken |
| Nikita Zadorov | 248 | D | Canucks |
| Victor Hedman | 246 | D | Lightning |
| Anthony Stolarz | 243 | G | Panthers |
| Nicolas Hague | 240 | D | Knights |
| Dmitri Voronkov | 240 | LW | Blue Jackets |
| Zack MacEwen | 240 | RW | Senators |
Who are the Lightest Players in the NHL?
There are only 7 guys (out of over 800) who weigh less than 170 pounds.
| Player | Wgt | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kailer Yamamoto | 153 | RW | Kraken |
| Matthew Phillips | 160 | RW | Capitals |
| Johnny Gaudreau | 163 | LW | Blue Jackets |
| Conor Garland | 165 | RW | Canucks |
| Jared Spurgeon | 166 | D | Wild |
| Cole Guttman | 167 | C | Blackhawks |
| Bobby Brink | 169 | RW | Flyers |
Historical Numbers
I started doing this publically for the 2022-23 season. I’m going to keep a log of the averages each season here. This could be very interesting to watch over the course of the next five to ten years.
Height
| Position | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 73.34 | 73.45 |
| Left Wing | 72.79 | 72.89 |
| Center | 72.99 | 73.01 |
| Right Wing | 72.90 | 72.83 |
| Defensemen | 73.76 | 73.92 |
| Goalie | 74.68 | 74.96 |
Weight
| Position | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 199.54 | 200.32 |
| Left Wing | 198.66 | 200.43 |
| Center | 196.90 | 196.99 |
| Right Wing | 198.03 | 198.96 |
| Defensemen | 202.84 | 203.33 |
| Goalie | 199.89 | 201.78 |
Final Thoughts
So, what did I learn?
In some sports, like football and basketball, there is a tremendous difference between the heights and weights of different position groups. Think of the difference between the size of an offensive lineman and a cornerback.
However, in hockey, the difference between a forward and a defenseman or even a forward and a goalie is relatively small. On average, each position is around 6’1″ to 6’3″ and roughly 200 pounds.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a vast difference between players individually though. Looking at the tallest and shortest players above along with the heaviest and lightest illustrates that perfectly.
There are guys playing the same position that are almost an entire foot difference in height and sometimes close to an almost 100-pound difference in weight!
That’s always crazy to me that you can have so many different body types that have all made it to the highest level in their sport. It truly goes to show that there is so much more to achieving athletic success than simply how tall you are.
Other Positions
Finally, if you’d like to see a further breakdown of each position:
