McDavid rejoins Fastest Skater after missing out in 2023, Draisaitl competes in the One Timers competition to test his release, and more
Toronto, Ontario – In the redesigned competition this season, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are expected to display some of their skills at Scotiabank Arena. The NHL has released the player assignments for the 2024 All-Star Skills Competition this Friday night.
After missing out on the competition during last year’s All-Star Weekend in Sunrise, Florida, McDavid, the three-time winner of the NHL’s Fastest Skater competition in 2017, 2018, and 2019, will try to reclaim the title against William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders.
The Oilers captain has recorded 240 speed bursts exceeding 32 km/h and has reached a top speed of 38.07 km/h this season, both in the 99th percentile of the NHL, according to NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking Data.
Along with fellow Oilers player Draisaitl, who took first place in both events in 2019, the captain will also take part in the Passing Challenge and Stick Handling.
The German sensation qualified for All-Star Weekend for the fifth time in his career by finishing among the top five vote-getters in the NHL All-Star Fan Vote. This year, Draisaitl, one of the NHL’s best players in each discipline, will compete in the Passing Challenge, One Timers, and Stick Handling events.
Throughout his career, Draisaitl has established himself as one of the NHL’s top passers, particularly when passing from the backhand, and he has one of the league’s most deadly one-timers from his usual spot in the right circle.
In addition to his 23 goals (95th percentile) this season, the 28-year-old has a shooting percentage of 18.3 percent (96th percentile), with over half of his goals coming from power plays from the right side of the opponent’s zone.
This season, NHL All-Star Skills will have a completely new format. Twelve players will compete in four of the first six events to earn points, with the goal of moving on to the One-on-One and Obstacle Course to compete for a chance to win a $1 million (USD) individual prize.
The NHL All-Star Game on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto will take place after the event on Friday, February 2 at 5:00 p.m. MT on Sportsnet.
