SPORTSDLE · NHL
Build a Player — NHL edition: spin real stars’ traits into one forward, defenseman or goalie
Spin the wheel, take one trait from a real NHL star each time, then watch your player go through an 82-game season.
Same spins for everyone today. One build per position.
Loading 25 seasons of NHL stars…
How to play NHL Build a Player
- Pick a position. Forward, defenseman or goalie. Each has six traits, from Sniper and Playmaker to Reflexes and Shutouts.
- Spin the wheel. It lands on a real NHL player in one of his seasons from 2000-01 to 2025-26. Stars come up more often.
- Take one trait from him. Tap an open trait: your player gets his rating there, a percentile among every season at the position since 2000-01. You can’t take it back.
- Use your 2 re-spins wisely. Don’t like the player on the wheel? Spin again, twice per build.
- Play the season. Fill all six traits and your player plays 82 games: a full stat line, his team’s record, trophies like the Hart and the Art Ross, and where he ranks among every real season since 2000-01.
The traits, position by position
Every trait comes from a real stat line, so a spin always tells a true story: the player who gives you a trait really put up the number shown under it that season.
Forward (F)
- Sniper: Goals per game.
- Playmaker: Assists per game.
- Power play: Power-play points per game.
- Clutch: Game-winning goals per game; overtime winners count extra.
- Two-way: Plus-minus per game: on the ice for goals for, not against.
- Winner: His team’s points percentage that year.
Defenseman (D)
- Shot: Goals and shots on goal per game.
- Playmaker: Assists per game.
- Power play: Power-play points per game.
- Minutes: Average ice time per game.
- Shutdown: Plus-minus per game: on the ice for goals for, not against.
- Winner: His team’s points percentage that year.
Goalie (G)
- Reflexes: Save percentage.
- Lockdown: Goals-against average; lower is better.
- Shutouts: Shutouts per start.
- Workhorse: Share of his team’s games he started.
- Big games: Quality starts: the share of his starts that gave his team a real chance to win.
- Winner: His own record that year.
NHL Build a Player FAQ
- What is NHL Build a Player?
- A spin-the-wheel hockey game. Each spin lands on a real NHL player in one of his seasons from 2000-01 to 2025-26, and you take one trait from him: a forward’s finishing, a defenseman’s minutes, a goalie’s save percentage. After six traits your player plays an 82-game season, with a stat line, his team’s record and trophies, and you see where it ranks among every real season since 2000-01.
- Which players can come up on the wheel?
- Every regular season since 2000-01 by a front-line player who played at least 60% of the schedule: 2,957 forward seasons at 0.6 points per game or more, 1,463 defenseman seasons with 22+ minutes a night or 0.5 points per game, and 959 goalie seasons with 30 or more starts (scaled down for the shortened 2012-13, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons). Stars come up more often, and one player can only donate once per build.
- How are the ratings calculated?
- Each trait is a percentile among every season at the position since 2000-01, from 1 to 99. A 99 Sniper is one of the best goals-per-game seasons of the era; Lockdown is goals-against average, so lower is better; Winner is the team’s points percentage, or the goalie’s own record. Hits and blocked shots were not tracked before 2005-06, so no trait uses them: every rating means the same thing in every season.
- How is the season simulated?
- Each trait places your player in the real range of the matching stat: an elite Playmaker pulls his assists toward the best seasons since 2000-01, though never all the way, because no real player was the best at everything at once. A season-long form factor makes some years click more than others. The Art Ross and the Rocket Richard need the totals a usual league leader reaches over 82 games, and the team’s record (with overtime losses) comes from his level and his Winner trait.
- Is this the 84-0 build a player game?
- They are two Sportsdle hockey games built on the same spin. In 84-0, the roster spin lands on a random NHL team-season and you draft a whole lineup to chase a perfect season. In Build a Player, every spin lands on one player-season and you build a single player, trait by trait. Play both: the links are at the top of the page and after your season.
- What is the Daily build?
- Everyone gets the same spins each day, one build per position, so you can compare players with friends. It resets at midnight New York time. Free play gives you new spins every build, as many times as you like.
- Is NHL Build a Player free?
- Yes. It is free in your browser on a phone or computer, with no account and no limit on free builds.
Player data from the NHL stats API. Sportsdle is not affiliated with the NHL or its teams.