NHL & WHA Yearly Playoff Leaders and Records for Assists

Active players are listed in bold.
Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame are marked with an asterisk (*).

NHL Leaders

NHL Leaders Table
Year Player A
2026 Mitch Marner 18
  Jack Eichel 18
2025 Connor McDavid 26
2024 Connor McDavid 34
2023 Jack Eichel 20
2022 Leon Draisaitl 25
2021 Nikita Kucherov 24
2020 Nikita Kucherov 27
2019 Alex Pietrangelo 16
  Torey Krug 16
2018 Evgeny Kuznetsov 20
2017 Sidney Crosby 19
2016 Logan Couture 20
2015 Duncan Keith* 18
  Ryan Getzlaf 18
2014 Anže Kopitar 21
2013 David Krejčí 17
2012 Anže Kopitar 12
  Drew Doughty 12
  Dustin Brown 12
2011 Henrik Sedin* 19
2010 Jonathan Toews 22
2009 Evgeni Malkin 22
2008 Sidney Crosby 21
2007 Jason Spezza 15
  Dany Heatley 15
2006 Eric Staal 19
2004 Martin St. Louis* 15
2003 Scott Niedermayer* 16
2002 Peter Forsberg* 18
2001 Milan Hejduk 16
2000 Mike Modano* 13
  Brett Hull* 13
  Patrik Eliáš 13
1999 Mike Modano* 18
1998 Steve Yzerman* 18
1997 Joe Sakic* 17
1996 Sergei Fedorov* 18
1995 Sergei Fedorov* 17
1994 Brian Leetch* 23
1993 Wayne Gretzky* 25
  Doug Gilmour* 25
1992 Ron Francis* 19
1991 Mario Lemieux* 28
1990 Mark Messier* 22
1989 Al MacInnis* 24
1988 Wayne Gretzky* 31
1987 Wayne Gretzky* 29
1986 Al MacInnis* 15
1985 Wayne Gretzky* 30
1984 Wayne Gretzky* 22
1983 Wayne Gretzky* 26
1982 Bryan Trottier* 23
1981 Bryan Trottier* 18
  Mike Bossy* 18
1980 Ken Linseman 18
1979 Don Maloney 13
  Guy Lafleur* 13
1978 Larry Robinson* 17
1977 Guy Lafleur* 17
1976 Denis Potvin* 14
  Bobby Clarke* 14
1975 Jude Drouin 12
  Bobby Clarke* 12
1974 Bobby Orr* 14
1973 Pat Stapleton 15
  Dennis Hull 15
1972 Bobby Orr* 19
1971 Jean Béliveau* 16
1970 Phil Esposito* 14
1969 Phil Esposito* 10
  Jean Béliveau* 10
1968 Dave Balon 9
1967 Bob Pulford* 10
1966 Alex Delvecchio* 11
1965 J.C. Tremblay 9
  Chico Maki 9
1964 Frank Mahovlich* 11
1963 Norm Ullman* 12
1962 Stan Mikita* 15
1961 Pierre Pilote* 12
1960 Bernie Geoffrion* 10
1959 Dickie Moore* 12
1958 Fleming Mackell 14
1957 Bert Olmstead* 9
1956 Bert Olmstead* 10
1955 Ted Lindsay* 12
1954 Dickie Moore* 8
  Jean Béliveau* 8
1953 Fleming Mackell 7
1952 Metro Prystai 5
  Gordie Howe* 5
1951 Max Bentley* 11
1950 Ed Slowinski 6
  George Gee 6
1949 Ted Lindsay* 6
  Ted Kennedy* 6
1948 Pete Horeck 7
  Max Bentley* 7
1947 Toe Blake* 7
1946 Elmer Lach* 12
1945 Joe Carveth 6
1944 Elmer Lach* 11
  Toe Blake* 11
1943 Flash Hollett 9
1942 Billy Taylor 8
  Wally Stanowski 8
  Syl Apps* 8
1941 Syd Howe* 7
1940 Neil Colville* 7
1939 Bill Cowley* 11
1938 Roger Jenkins 6
1937 Marty Barry* 7
1936 Bill Thoms 5
1935 Charlie Conacher* 4
1934 Doc Romnes 7
  Larry Aurie 7
1933 Art Somers 4
  Murray Murdoch 4
1932 Joe Primeau* 6
  Frank Boucher* 6
1931 Howie Morenz* 4
  Aurele Joliat* 4
  Dit Clapper* 4
1930 Cooney Weiland* 5
1929 Paul Thompson 2
  Ace Bailey* 2
1928 Bill Cook* 3
  Frank Boucher* 3
1927 Percy Galbraith 3
1926 Nels Stewart* 2
  Jesse Spring 2
  Duke McCurry 2
1925 Sprague Cleghorn* 2
1924 Frank Nighbor* 1
  Howie Morenz* 1
  Aurele Joliat* 1
  Georges Boucher* 1
1923 Louis Berlinguette 2
1922 Harry Cameron* 2
1921 Frank Nighbor* 3
1919 Didier Pitre* 3
  Jack McDonald 3
  Louis Berlinguette 3
1918 Newsy Lalonde* 2
  Harry Cameron* 2

WHA Leaders

WHA Leaders Table
Year Player A
1979 Terry Ruskowski 12
1978 Ulf Nilsson 13
1977 Serge Bernier 22
1976 Ulf Nilsson 19
1975 Larry Lund 13
  Fran Huck 13
  Christian Bordeleau 13
1974 Poul Popiel 14
  Larry Lund 14
  Gordie Howe* 14
  Ralph Backstrom 14
1973 Bobby Hull* 16
  Jim Dorey 16