Cale Makar wins Hardest Shot competition
Cale Makar was the only defenseman in this battle and the second-youngest, but still dominated the four forwards he went up against.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports - Cale Makar wins Hardest Shot competitionThe Avalanche defenseman clapped a mighty 102.5-mph winning shot. He barely beat Canucks' star forward J.T. Miller, whose top shot clocked in at an almost identical 102.3 mph.
Cale Makar is a stocky, 187-pound defenseman who packs a strong clapper and generally scores from closer to the blue line, typical of defensemen, with an average shot going at a lightning-fast 64.63 mph, which is in the NHLs 89th percentile.
It was easy to project Makar's victory, since he had the best average shot going into this competition, and much faster than the runner-up in Miller at 55.98 mph on average.
Although defensemen are not always known for hard shots, Makar is akin to Bobby Orr as a two-way blueliner, earning his place in history as a legendary D-man.
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In third place this year was the defending champion, Canucks' forward Elias Pettersson, with a 98.4-mph top shot.
Pettersson won the Hardest Shot competition last year with a mighty 103.2-mph clapper, which would've beat Makar last night if he was able to pull it off again. But despite having one of the most competitive hardest shots going into the competition, Pettersson did not repeat his victory.
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Statistically, Makar didn't have the hardest single shot going in. The Canucks forward took that at 97.67 mph, but the Swede also had the weakest average shot of the competitors at 45.82 mph. So, it is not a huge surprise he finished third this year.
Coming fourth was the Maple Leafs' very own Auston Matthews, who is better known for his sniper rifle accuracy than raw power. He is in the 97th percentile for shooting percentage but only the 61st for top shot speed.
So, the fact he finished fourth with a mid-range, 96.22-mph top shot is not a huge surprise.
What is a surprise is the last place finish of the 6-foot, 194-pound forward David Pastrnak, with a top clapper of 95.27 mph. He is in the NHLs 84th percentile for top shot speed, which should've made him more competitive against Matthews and Pettersson at the very least.
But it's a great day for defensemen, as Makar utilized his powerful distance shooting to win this competition.