Edmonton Oilers forward Mattias Janmark shockingly broke the record for the fastest skater this season in last night's game against the Colorado Avalanche, according to data from NHL Edge.
The NHL released a statement announcing that Janmark had broken the record.
Per NHL EDGE stats, it was the second-fastest max skating speed of any skater in the puck and player tracking era (since 2021-22), trailing only the 24.60 mph mark of Dallas Stars forward Denis Gurianovfrom their game at the Boston Bruins on Oct. 16, 2021
In the second period with the score tied at 1-1, Janmark turned around into his own zone and gained speed by rounding the Oilers net, then bursting up into the Avalanche's zone.
It was insane to see Mattias Janmark, an unexpected fourth liner take a burst of speed like that up the ice. Honestly, he looked just like McDavid for a second.
Janmark has been one of the Oilers unsung heroes of the first quarter of the season. In 24 games, he's got 10 points - which is fourth in Oilers forwards in scoring. It's also a cause for concern that he's that high on the list.
The Oilers came into this season with heavy criticism that they were an old and slow team up front, especially in their bottom six. Janmark may be 31 years old, but he proved that he's still got wheels.
It must've been fate that Janmark would surprisingly break the record last night in Colorado, as the Mattias Janmark fan club showed up on the road to see the game.
The Oilers re-signed Janmark to a three year deal at $1.45M each season after his strong playoff performance in the Cup Final, and it's great to see him repaying Edmonton with some consistent quality play.
The Oilers bagged a much-needed 4-1 win over a quality Colorado Avalanche team, communing to pick up their pace after an inconsistent start to the season.
