What is Assists per 60?

The average number of assists a player records in 60 minutes of ice time.

What this tells us

When a player logs 20 minutes in a game and picks up two assists, that's a pace of six assists per 60 minutes of full playing time. A/60 lets you compare assist rates across players who play different amounts — a 12-minute fourth-liner and a 22-minute first-liner on the same scale. Higher is better: it means the player is setting up goals at a faster rate.

Limitations

A/60 counts every assist the same way, whether it's a tape-to-tape pass to a wide-open teammate or a lucky deflection off a skate. It also doesn't account for *who* the player is passing to — a player on a high-scoring team will naturally rack up more assists than an equally skilled player on a lower-scoring team. Context matters: a star winger's A/60 will look different from a depth defenseman's, even if both are doing their job well.

Example

A top-line playmaking center typically posts A/60 between 1.2 and 1.6. A depth forward or shutdown center might sit closer to 0.5–0.8. Compare the same player across seasons to spot improvement or decline in his setup play.