What is Penalties Drawn?

The number of times a player drew a penalty by drawing an opponent into a rules violation.

What this tells us

When this player is on the ice, he's drawing penalties — getting the other team to break the rules. A player who draws many penalties is either skilled at drawing fouls (drawing defenders into trips or hooks) or spends a lot of time in front of the net where contact is inevitable. Higher is better, since a penalty gives your team a power-play chance.

Limitations

Penalties drawn doesn't tell you *how* a player drew the penalty — whether through skill, size, or just being in the right (or wrong) place. A player who camps in front of the net will draw more penalties than a perimeter player, even if the perimeter player is more skilled at baiting defenders. Also depends heavily on referee discretion and how the game is being called that night.

Example

A power-forward or net-front presence typically draws 1–2 penalties per 60 minutes of ice time. A perimeter player or defenseman might draw 0.5–1 per 60.