Brady Tkachuk: A Top Point-Producing Enforcer
At a Glance
- Overview of PPE Index
- League & Teams
- Top 20 List
- Brady Tkachuk: Top PPE
Overview of the PPE Index
For you aspiring Data or Sports Analysts, there will come a day when you start creating your own metrics. Creating your own metric in hockey analytics can be valuable because it allows you to focus on specific aspects of the game that are not captured by traditional stats. This typically happens after you learn about the common hockey statistics (think Shot Percentage, PDO, etc.) and then start to see the analytical cracks in a sport or you want to measure specific parts of the game that don't have existing metrics.
For hockey, there's not a formal, accepted metric to analyze the prevalence of point-producing enforcers. You can use existing metrics, such as PIM, Total Points, etc., to measure for this unicorn of a player, but no accepted composite metric exists. Point-producing enforcers often provide physicality, intimidation, and scoring—roles that are rarely reflected together in a single stat. A custom metric could quantify their dual contributions, allowing teams, fans, and analysts to recognize their true impact.
So, for this week we decided to create our own metric called the Point-Producing Enforcer Index or PPE Index. To do this, we used Points, PIM and Fights and created a simple formula that weighted the three different statistics and created a value between 0 and 1. If a player scores higher on the PPE Index, this means they are more likely to be a gritty player that also gets points on the board.
Therefore, our goal for this week is to explore the top point-producing enforcers and see who is at the top. To do this, we collected three seasons worth of data – two full seasons (2022-2023 & 2023-2024) and the first part of the 2024-2025 season. This gave us both summary and trending views. We then analyzed the data at three levels: league, team and player.
If you're shy on time and just want to watch a YouTube video, then check out our quick-hit video below.
If you want to run your own analysis, you can find the data for this newsletter below. (The original source for the data was Hockey-Reference.com.)
After you download the data, you should see something like the below. There are 16 columns worth of data (metadata and statistics) across three seasons worth of data (or two full seasons and one partial season).
Let's jump into our findings.
League & Teams
Our first analysis analyzed how the PPE Index trended at the league level and then we looked at the trending at the team level and a team's average PPE Index.
League
When you look at the PPE Index at the league level, you can see a slight increase year-over-year. Remember that the index is measured between a value of 0 and 1, so 0.101 to 0.145 while an increase doesn't necessarily represent a high proportion of point-producing enforcers at the league level. For context, the average PPE Index for the Top 20 PPEs is 0.420, which is significantly higher than even the most recent number below of 0.145. That notwithstanding, we can't ignore the increase.
In some sense, this slight upward trend is encouraging. In a recent series we did on Vintage Hockey, we looked at 108 years of hockey data and found an upsurge in enforcers in the 70s, 80s and into the 90s. This was an amazing time to watch hockey. It was fast, gritty and lots of goal-scoring – we miss this era. So, perhaps this trend indicates there's a new breed of hockey player entering the fray – a more well-rounded skilled played who is both tough and can score.
Teams
When we drill into the league and look at the team level, you get a more granular picture of the PPE Index. Specifically, which teams are higher in terms of the average PPE Index and how they've been trending over the period for the dataset. What's interesting here is that the Stanley Cup finalists last season are both high on the list here. That is, Florida and Edmonton exhibit higher PPE propensity, with Florida trending slightly higher than Edmonton.
Of course it takes more than just a PPE Index to measure (or even predict) playoff success (e.g., goaltending); however, the deeper the playoffs run, the tougher a team needs to be and they need to convert on goals. So, the PPE Index could be useful as a predictor for depth of playoff run.
Top 20 List
We'll now go even more granular into our dataset and create a Top 20 list of players who were higher on the PPE Index. And there are a couple of interesting takeaways from this list. That is:
- Brady Tkachuk is significantly higher than others in this cohort; his average of 0.654 is an outlier, and he's trending up.
- Several players are trending up in or into the 0.400s, which could show players that are future contenders to the top spot on this list.
- Sidney Crosby, given his age, is both on this list and trending up. This could be a sign he is not slowing down anytime soon and is increasingly physical in a game that has a ton of fast, strong youth in it. It's pretty damn impressive.
But at the end of the day, this list in its current form is all about Brady Tkachuk. The difference between him and the closest player is 0.183. Said another way, he's 18.3% more of a point-producing enforcer than the closest player to him in the Top 20 list. That's significant.
So, what makes him special?
Brady Tkachuk: Top PPE
Brady Tkachuk was selected fourth overall by the Senators in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL, Tkachuk played college hockey for the Boston University Terriers, earning All-Hockey East Rookie Team honors.
He now stands out as the NHL’s premier point-producing enforcer. In the 2023-2024 season, he amassed 74 points (37 goals and 37 assists) and accumulated 134 penalty minutes, ranking second in the league for penalty minutes. Tkachuk’s unique combination of offensive production and physical play underscores his dual role as both a leading scorer and a formidable enforcer in today’s NHL.
Brady is also part of a strong family franchise, one that dominates the high point, high penalty paradigm. Brady is the son of former NHL player Keith Tkachuk and the younger brother of Matthew Tkachuk, who plays for the Florida Panthers.
Brady Tkachuk stands out in the NHL as a rare blend of physical enforcer and prolific point producer, embodying the classic power forward role with a modern twist. Several factors contribute to his exceptional performance in this capacity.
Physicality
Tkachuk is renowned for his gritty style of play, consistently ranking among league leaders in hits and penalty minutes. His willingness to engage physically, including dropping the gloves when necessary, establishes him as a formidable enforcer on the ice. According to the NHL Trade Talk:
“Brady is Brady,” Green said, acknowledging that Tkachuk’s competitive nature drives him to defend his teammates. Whether it’s stepping in after a blindside hit or responding to an intentional headshot, Tkachuk doesn’t hesitate to get involved. Green appreciates this leadership and commitment but also recognizes that it comes with its challenges.
Offense
Beyond his physicality, Tkachuk possesses significant offensive talent. He has achieved solid point-per-game seasons, highlighting his ability to contribute consistently to his team's scoring. For instance, he recorded a career-high 83 points in the 2022-23 season. The Hockey News cites tenacity, grit and size as key to his offensive prowess and his potential to exceed his brother's play.
When the Senators selected him fourth overall in 2018, there was plenty of chatter that the younger Tkachuk had even more potential than his older brother, who was selected sixth overall by the Calgary Flames in 2016. He possessed all the tenacity and grit of Matthew Tkachuk but with a perceived edge in playmaking and shooting ability, along with his larger 6-foot-4 frame. He had all the tools to dominate in ways his brother might not.
Leadership
As the captain of the Ottawa Senators, Tkachuk leads by example, balancing his aggressive play with disciplined leadership. His passion and commitment inspire teammates, making him a central figure in the locker room. According to the Hockey News, in a recent game with the Detroit Red Wings, Tkachuk challenged the entire Red Wings' bench to fight by shouting "Who wants it? Who f—ing wants it?" at the bench.
It was a wild rallying cry, but the Sens went on to crush Detroit by a combined total of 12-3 over the two games, with Tkachuk responsible for two of those goals – not to mention a lot of the menace on the ice those two nights. It's that kind of passion that makes Brady Tkachuk not only one of the best players in the NHL, but an even better leader.
Versatility
Tkachuk's ability to excel in various facets of the game—scoring, physical play, and leadership—makes him a versatile asset. This adaptability allows him to impact games in multiple ways, setting him apart from peers who may specialize in only one area.
In summary, Tkachuk's unique combination of high-level offensive production and physicality is uncommon in today's NHL. While other players may excel in either scoring or enforcing, Tkachuk's proficiency in both areas distinguishes him, making him a valuable and rare asset in the league.
Summary
In this week's newsletter, we introduced a new metric called the Point-Producing Enforcer Index (or PPE Index). This metric is meant to measure a player's ability when it comes to being both a physical player and goal scorer. It uses Points, PIM and Fights as the statistics within its composition.
We then applied the PPE Index at the league, team and player level. We found that there is a slight year-over-year increase in point-producing enforcer type play at the league level, and we found that Florida and Edmonton, the two finalists for last year's Stanley Cup, were in the top three teams with the highest PPE Index.
We then found that Brady Tkachuk leads the league with the highest PPE Index, running across the last three years, so broke down some of the areas that helped him achieve this high-mark index.
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