Jacob Middleton

Jacob Middleton

28-Year-Old DefensemanD
Minnesota Wild
2024 Fantasy Outlook
After a 2023-24 season in which he set new personal bests with seven goals and 18 assists, eclipsing the 20-point threshold for the first time in his NHL career, Middleton cashed in by signing a four-year, $17.4 million contract extension with the Wild this offseason. Even without a power-play role -- the 28-year-old blueliner has just one career point with the man advantage -- he still managed to reach the 25-point mark and should be capable of doing so again in 2024-25. In addition to his modest offensive contributions, Middleton should offer decent fantasy value in formats that utilize hits and blocked shots after racking up 147 and 161, respectively, last year. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $17.4 million contract extension with the Wild in July of 2024.
Notches assist in Friday's win
DMinnesota Wild
November 1, 2024
Middleton provided an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and four blocked shots in Friday's 5-3 win over the Lightning.
ANALYSIS
Middleton's improbably good start to the campaign continued when he set up Brock Faber's go-ahead goal in the third period. The helper gave Middleton a five-game point streak (one goal, six assists), which is the longest streak of his career. He's up to eight points, 15 shots on net, 15 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 10 contests. At this point, he's worth a look in standard fantasy formats, and he'll return solid value in formats that reward non-scoring production throughout the campaign.
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NHL Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2024 NHL Game Log
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2023 NHL Game Log
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2021 NHL Game Log
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2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    20:20
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    0:08
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    1:14
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
19:02
0:06
2:03
2023–24
19:49
0:02
2:17
2024–25
20:20
0:08
1:14
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Wild Power Play Depth Chart
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2020
2019
Middleton skated in a bottom-four role in his first full season with Minnesota last year. He tallied three goals and 15 points in 79 contests. The 27-year-old blueliner was much more useful in non-scoring categories; he racked up 115 hits, 155 blocked shots and 72 PIM while averaging 19:02 of ice time per game. Middleton could see a slightly larger role after the Wild's defensive group was shaken up a bit this offseason. Even with additional minutes, he's not expected to see any power-play time and shouldn't be expected to record more than 15-20 points.
An up-and-down guy the prior three years, Middleton finally secured a full-time NHL job last season, playing in 45 games with San Jose before a trade to the Wild. He posted just four goals and 14 points in 66 games between the two stops, although Middleton did add 118 hits and 124 blocks. Clearly impressed with what they saw, Minnesota signed Middleton, a pending unrestricted free agent, to a three-year, $7.35 million extension in July. It should ensure a top-four role for the 26-year-old this coming season, although Middleton won't be of much use in fantasy circles.
Middleton has skated in just 13 NHL games over the past two seasons, racking up three helpers over that span. The 25-year-old blueliner, a seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2014, is exiting prospect status, but he has yet to make a name for himself at the NHL level. He'll get a chance to compete for a bottom-pairing job in 2020-21, but he'll have to fend off the likes of Nicolas Meloche and Ryan Merkley for the position. Middleton shouldn't be expected to have a sudden surge of offense, which makes him a non-factor in the fantasy game.
Middleton is in an interesting spot within the Sharks organization, as he's entering the final year of his entry-level contract and seemingly on the brink of seizing a substantial role in the NHL. The right-shot defenseman had just one cup of coffee with the parent club last year, adding an assist over three games, but his minor-league campaign went fairly well based on an output of five goals, 14 assists and a plus-16 rating through 57 contests. Long term, he projects to be a fixture on the bottom pair with additional utility in the traditional defensive categories such as hits and blocked shots. While there's no real need to stash Middleton in dynasty leagues, he has the potential to emerge as a viable fantasy option down the road.
More Fantasy News
Finds twine in loss
DMinnesota Wild
October 26, 2024
Middleton scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Flyers.
ANALYSIS
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Three helpers against Florida
DMinnesota Wild
October 23, 2024
Middleton notched three assists while adding three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Panthers.
ANALYSIS
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Scores Minnesota's lone goal
DMinnesota Wild
October 13, 2024
Middleton netted his first goal of the season in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss against Winnipeg.
ANALYSIS
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Available for Opening Night
DMinnesota Wild
October 9, 2024
Middleton (bruise) will be available for Thursday's Opening Night matchup against the Blue Jackets, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Practices Monday
DMinnesota Wild
Bruise
October 8, 2024
Middleton (bruise) took part in Monday's practice session, John Shipley of The Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Extension imminent
DMinnesota Wild
July 6, 2022
Middleton is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Wild with a cap hit around $2.4 million in the near future, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.
ANALYSIS
Middleton was deemed an offseason priority for the Wild to re-sign by general manager Bill Guerin, and it appears he'll quickly follow through on that commitment. Middleton will likely play in a top-four role as a defensive-minded blueliner. His signing may indicate the Wild are in line for another move involving a defenseman -- they'll have eight NHL blueliners under contract, but Calen Addison would be most likely to head to AHL Iowa if that's the group they head into the season with.
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