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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →A healthy scratch is a player the coach chooses not to dress for a particular game even though the player is healthy. The player does not participate and gets no ice time in that game, but the scratch by itself does not mean the player has been released or removed from the club’s playing roster.
What “healthy scratch” means in the NHL
“Healthy scratch” describes a game lineup decision: a healthy player is left out of that game’s dressed lineup. The player cannot participate in the game, so their game ice time is zero. The term identifies the player’s status for that game; on its own, it does not explain the coach’s full reasoning or say whether the player will dress next time.
Sportradar’s NHL game-status FAQ distinguishes a coach’s decision to scratch a healthy player from an injury-related scratch. An injury-related absence should not be called a healthy scratch, and the label alone is not a medical diagnosis.
Does a healthy scratch play or get ice time?
No. A scratched player is not dressed to play and cannot participate in that game, so they record no game appearance or ice time. This is different from a player who is dressed and eligible but does not enter the game. Sportradar gives a backup goaltender as an example of a dressed player who may not appear.
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Is a healthy scratch still on the roster?
A scratch means the player is left out of that game’s lineup; it does not by itself remove them from the club’s playing roster. These are separate counts. The NHL’s Hockey Operations Guidelines set a regular-season maximum of 23 players on the playing roster from the start of the regular season through the trade deadline, with a minimum of 20: 18 skaters and two goaltenders. Injured Reserve players do not count toward the 23-player limit.
For the game lineup, Rule 5.1 of the NHL’s 2025–26 Official Rules specifies 20 players: 18 skaters and two goalkeepers. The rule says: “A team shall be composed of twenty (20) players (eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goalkeepers) who shall be under contract to the Club they represent.” The rulebook also requires the eligible lineup to be submitted before the game.
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That rulebook figure is specifically verified from the 2025–26 edition. The NHL’s Video Rulebook page links to a 2026–27 Official Rulebook, but the detailed lineup wording in that edition is not confirmed here. Do not treat the 2025–26 wording as independently verified 2026–27 text.
How a healthy scratch differs from other absences
| Status | Dressed and eligible for that game? | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy scratch | No | A healthy player is omitted by coach decision and does not participate. |
| Injury-related scratch | No | The player is scratched because of an injury; the term alone does not establish a specific diagnosis. |
| Dressed player who does not appear | Yes | The player is eligible but does not enter the game, as may happen with a backup goalie. |
The distinction between scratched and dressed-but-not-appearing follows Sportradar’s operational NHL data definitions. For a particular player, use the team’s lineup or reliable reporting to establish why they are absent rather than assuming every player outside the game lineup is a healthy scratch.
What a healthy scratch does—and does not—tell you
The term establishes only that the player is not dressed for that game because of a coach decision while healthy. By itself, it does not establish a waiver, trade, demotion, punishment, poor performance, salary or salary-cap consequence, or what will happen in the next game. Those are separate matters that require specific team information or authoritative reporting.
There is no universal number of future minutes a player loses because of a scratch: the player has no ice time in the game they miss, but the label alone does not reveal later usage or how often the situation will recur.
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