What does D mean in hockey?

D is a defenseman in hockey. One of the two skaters behind the forwards, who defends in front of his own net and starts the attack with the first pass.

What a defenseman looks like

547 defensemen are on NHL rosters right now, and the median one is 6' 2" and 200 lb.

On rosters
547
Median height
6' 2"
Median weight
200 lb
Median age
25

A defenseman’s points are mostly assists: the position’s scoring leaders usually record two to four assists for every goal.

Points at the position, 2025-26

The median defenseman with a figure at all posted 15 points. These five led the position.

  1. 1Evan BouchardEDM95
  2. 2Zach WerenskiCBJ81
  3. 3Cale MakarCOL79
  4. 4Lane HutsonMTL78
  5. 5Quinn Hughes76
Every NHL player →

The rest of the NHL roster