Pop quiz time — and I promise this is going somewhere!
How many defensemen who are 5’8” or shorter have ever played at least 20 games in one NHL season in the past 30 years?
The answer is: one. Francis Bouillon, who hasn’t played in the NHL since 2013/14.
Funnily enough, it used to be a lot more common the further back in history you go. There have been 37 total defensemen to do it in the NHL’s history, and most of them did so during the original six era.
But when it comes to the current, ‘modern’ NHL game, smaller defensemen (5’8” or shorter) just do not play in the NHL, let alone become an impact player.