Alex Ovechkin led all NHL forwards in 90 MPH-plus shots last season
Alex Ovechkin appeared to see some age-related regression last season as he scored 31 goals — a career-low in a full 82-game campaign — at age 38. Yet, Ovechkin remains extremely special compared to the rest of his contemporaries in terms of his shot
The NHL released its EDGE tracking data for the 2023-24 season and Ovechkin had the most 90-plus MPH shots among forwards last season. The Capitals’ captain had 22 more than the second-place forward, 26-year-old Tage Thompson.
The full list is as follows:
Most 90-plus MPH shots (forwards)
1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington – 68 shots
2. Tage Thompson, Buffalo – 46
3. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay – 36
4. Mika Zibanejad, Rangers – 31
5. Frank Vatrano, Anaheim – 30
6. Yegor Chinakhov, Columbus – 29
7. JT Miller, Vancouver – 20
8. Filip Forsberg, Nashville – 16
9. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver – 15
10. Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles – 14
Per the NHL, these tracked shots include goals, shots that were saved, shots that missed the net (including posts and crossbars), and shots that were blocked. That means, after some quick math, 11.2 percent of all of Ovechkin’s shot attempts last season (605) were 90 MPH or more.
If you include all skaters, only Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard had more 90-plus MPH shots than Ovechkin with 112. Victor Hedman (67), Roman Josi (55), and Ryan Pulock (52) — all defensemen — completed the top 5.
