A generation ago, it felt like the best hope a short guy had of thriving in the NHL was in the crease. Today, the dynamic has largely flipped; if you’re under 6-feet tall, you might be able to challenge for a major trophy as a skater, but don’t even dream of donning that goalie equipment.
February — the shortest month of the year — begins on Saturday, which is reason enough in this corner to look around the league and highlight the performance of some vertically-challenged players.
To be sure, hockey has never required its heroes be behemoths. Wayne Gretzky played at 6-foot; Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic were captains of classic 1990s teams and played at 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11, respectively.
Still, when 5-foot-8 Martin St. Louis won the 2004 MVP and scoring title, it felt like he’d landed from outer space to show us something different was possible on a sheet of ice.
The shifting size conversation gets far more pronounced if you focus on defenceman. Sure, 5-foot-10 Phil Housley was feathering passes all over the ice in the 1990s, but the idea of building your defence corps around a player that size was out of the question.
Today, blue-liners like 5-foot-10 Quinn Hughes, 5-foot-11 Adam Fox and 6-foot Cale Makar are league-defining players who win Norris Trophies and sometimes thrust themselves into Hart Trophy talk. Lane Hutson, a 5-foot-9 rookie, is not only a Calder candidate, but has 26 points since Dec. 1. The only D-men in the NHL who have more in that stretch are Hughes (31) and Zach Werenski (30).
Flipping it around, the ’90s were littered with small goalies who made an enormous impact. John Vanbiesbrouck, listed at 5-foot-8, led the Panthers to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final; his former batterymate, 5-foot-11 Mike Richter, was the backbone of a 1994 Rangers team that won the Cup and 1996 American squad that won the World Cup of Hockey; 5-foot-9 Mike Vernon won the 1997 Conn Smythe Trophy for the Red Wings, who claimed the Cup again the next year with 5-foot-10 Chris Osgood. 5-foot-11 Curtis Joseph stole multiple playoff series for multiple teams and even dominant forces like Ed Belfour (six-foot) and Dominik Hasek (6-foot-1) had, more or less, everyday statures.
In 2025, the only sub-6-foot goalie in the entire league is 5-foot-11 Juuse Saros in Nashville. At 6-foot-4, Darren Puppa seemed like a padded, southpaw freak of nature in the ’90s; now, it feels like every team in the league has a 6-foot-5 goalie somewhere in the system.
All that is to say, height conversations remain part of hockey in one form or another. And, for this edition of the power rankings, we’re giving shine to every team’s short guys.
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1. Washington Capitals (34-11-5) Andrew Mangiapane, a pending-UFA, is likely a one-and-done with the Caps. The 5-foot-10 winger is a valued bottom-sixer, though, netting 10 goals so far and playing over 13 minutes per night.
2. Winnipeg Jets (35-14-3) It sure feels like a lot is riding on the shoulders of 5-foot-11 Cole Perfetti. The ups and downs are still there in his third full NHL season, but if he can become a reliable producer on the second line it will be a huge boon to Winnipeg’s short- and long-term fortunes.
3. Edmonton Oilers (32-15-3) Two small wingers — 5-foot-10 Viktor Arvidsson and 5-foot-11 Jeff Skinner — have been disappointments in their first seasons as Oilers.
4. Dallas Stars (32-17-1) Meet the rare team with two 5-foot-8 players in its forward group. Winger Logan Stankoven entered the season with Calder Trophy buzz and while he’s unlikely to be a finalist, there’s no question the Stars hit a grand slam with their 2021 second-rounder. Meanwhile, first-year Star Colin Blackwell has been seeing over 10 minutes a game as a fourth-liner.
5. Carolina Hurricanes (31-16-4) 5-foot-10 Seth Jarvis — who will suit up for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off — is really firing lately with 10 goals in his past 16 outings. 5-foot-11 blue-liner Shayne Gostisbehere is producing at a nice 53-point clip in Year 1 of a three-year UFA pact.
6. Minnesota Wild (30-17-4) There’s likely not a team in the league that has as many small guys playing big roles as the Wild. 5-foot-8 Mats Zuccarello — ‘The Hobbit’ — has been one of the best tiny guys in the league for years now and found a whole new gear in his 30s with the Wild. Minny’s captain is 5-foot-9 D-man Jared Spurgeon and 5-foot-9 centre Marco Rossi — the ninth-overall pick in 2020 — is having a breakout year. And, of course, injured star Kirill Kaprizov, who stands 5-foot-10, is one of the premier offensive skaters in the NHL when healthy.
7. Florida Panthers (30-19-3) Given their identify as a team that physically punished you, it’s not surprising the Cats are a big squad. The only guys under six-foot playing meaningful roles on this team are two 5-foot-11 wingers, Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich.
8. Vegas Golden Knights (31-15-5) First-year Knight Victor Olofsson has missed some time, but the 5-foot-11 winger is scoring at a 30-goal pace in 30 outings.
9. Toronto Maple Leafs (30-19-2) It sure feels like 5-foot-9 Nick Robertson could wind up on a new club before the trade deadline. 5-foot-10 Max Domi is having a fairly miserable three-goal season in the first year of a four-year contract. Meanwhile, two six-foot guys — Mitch Marner and William Nylander — are among the most lethal offensive players in the league.
10. New Jersey Devils (29-18-6) It does feel like there’s a question hanging over this club in terms of its long-term playoff potential with a forward group that skews small. Two of Jersey’s killers up front are 5-foot-10 winger Jesper Bratt and 5-foot-11 centre Jack Hughes. (I guess, at 6-foot-2, Luke Hughes snagged the length in that family.)
11. Los Angeles Kings (26-16-6) Young 5-foot-10 blue-liner Jordan Spence has been playing over 17 minutes per night for the Kings. That might change a bit with fellow righty Drew Doughty back in the lineup, but Spence has shown he’s a keeper.
12. Colorado Avalanche (29-21-2) 5-foot-10 defenceman Samuel Girard is playing more than 21 minutes a night on Colorado’s second pair. Meanwhile, 5-foot-11 winger Artturi Lehkonen is quietly scoring at a 43-goal pace in 40 contests this season.
13. Ottawa Senators (26-20-4) 37-year-old Claude Giroux could still register close to 60 points this season. The 5-foot-11 winger has had a fantastic career.
14. Tampa Bay Lightning (26-20-3) There’s definitely a small-guy heritage in Tampa, the franchise that gave three short, undrafted guys — 5-foot-8 Martin St. Louis and Tyler Johnson, and 5-foot-9 Yanni Gourde — a chance to shine and were repaid in kind. Today, 5-foot-11 Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel team with 6-foot Nikita Kucherov to drive the offence.
15. Calgary Flames (24-18-7) Dustin Wolf, at 6-feet tall, is most definitely a small goalie for this era. He’s also a small goalie who could wind up a Calder finalist and a backbone of the Flames for years to come.
16. Columbus Blue Jackets (24-19-7) 5-foot-11 rookie defenceman Denton Mateychuk is one to watch in Ohio.
17. Boston Bruins (25-21-6) Brad Marchand, at 5-foot-9, is a signature undersized guy of the 2000s. Where will the pending-UFA’s final NHL chapter play out?
18. Detroit Red Wings (24-21-5) Year 2 in Detroit is going better for 5-foot-8 winger Alex DeBrincat, who could push up to 40 goals this year with a strong finish. 5-foot-11 Patrick Kane has been a north star for small guys with big NHL dreams since he entered the league nearly 20 years ago.
19. Vancouver Canucks (23-17-10) 5-foot-10 Quinn Hughes could be on the poster for what’s possible with a smaller frame in the NHL today. He could be a significant Hart Trophy contender this season.
20. New York Islanders (22-20-7) The Isles have two 5-foot-11 forwards — Casey Cizikas and Kyle Palmieri — who have always played much bigger than their frames.
21. New York Rangers (24-22-4) It’s kind of hilarious to say two 6-foot-1 goalies — Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick — form a small battery, but it’s true. Only four puckstoppers in the league who’ve played at least 15 games this year are shorter than the Rangers duo.
22. Montreal Canadiens (24-21-5) While the Habs have incorporated some size to the roster in the past couple years, this franchise continues to be defined by undersized players. Of course, it helps that 5-foot-9 Lane Hutson is having one of the best rookie seasons for a defenceman in recent memory and 5-foot-8 winger Cole Caufield is on pace for 41 goals. 5-foot-11 Nick Suzuki is a point-per-game centre who never gets pushed around and 5-foot-9 winger Brendan Gallagher is among the more inspirational small guys of the past decade.
23. Philadelphia Flyers (23-23-6) 5-foot-10 Travis Konecny is elevating to a new tier this season, tracking a 90-point campaign.
24. Anaheim Ducks (21-23-6) 5-foot-10 Olen Zellweger is a super-smart defenceman who should have a long, fruitful top-four career in Orange Country.
25. Utah Hockey Club (21-21-8) 5-foot-10 Clayton Keller has evolved into one of the better point-producing wingers in all of hockey.
26. Pittsburgh Penguins (21-24-8) Sidney Crosby is 5-foot-11, but because he’s got tree trunks for legs, we’ve never really thought of him as small. Still, it’s not like the guy had the physical advantage previous Penguins megastars Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr benefited from. At 6-feet tall, Erik Karlsson has done splendid offensive things from the back end in his career.
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27. St. Louis Blues (23-24-4) You’ve really defied the odds when you made the big time as a 5-foot-9 guy who was born in Wales and grew up in Australia. Well done, Nathan Walker.
28. Nashville Predators (18-24-7) Jonathan Marchessault won the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy with Vegas as a 5-foot-9 winger who came up big during the hardest time of year to do so.
29. Seattle Kraken (22-27-3) 5-foot-9 Yanni Gourde will be a hot commodity on the trade market thanks to his winning pedigree with Tampa. Seattle actually has a few key undersized guys, from injured captain Jordan Eberle (5-foot-11) to 6-foot centre and 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright to 6-foot defencemen Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour.
30. Buffalo Sabres (19-26-5) It hasn’t fully clicked yet for 5-foot-10 winger Zach Benson at the NHL level, but he’s still just 19 and nobody questions his skill.
31. Chicago Blackhawks (16-29-5) Sure, ideally you want your franchise centre to be 6-foot-2. Still, that’s no reason to believe 5-foot-10 Connor Bedard won’t eventually be a dominant force in the league. He’s a strong kid navigating a tough NHL landscape with not much in the way of support on a bad team.
32. San Jose Sharks (15-32-6) Macklin Celebrini joked at the NHL Scouting Combine last June that he was disappointed not to make it to six-foot after clocking in at, to be precise, 5-foot-11-and-three-quarters. Lord knows the 18-year-old pivot is not coming up short in his freshman season with the Sharks.
