Lisbon center John Tavares has a chance to score the first-ever Skills Competition hat trick becasue he is the only player to qualify in all three events. He edged teammate and friend Steven Stamkos in Lisbon’s team competition to advance as Fastest Skater and Accurate Shooter, plus he won the team competition in Hardest Shot.
Several other players, including Copenhagen young gun Auston Matthews, have qualified in two events.
Last season’s winners were:
- Fastest Skater: Peter Mueller, Milan
- Hardest Shot: Dustin Byfuglien, Geneva
- Accuracy: Taylor Hall, London
Fastest Skater: Mueller didn’t qualify this year because he hasn’t played many games for the big club and the race to name his successor is almost anyone’s to win. The safest bet is that Bratislava’s entry, Kristian Kuusela, won’t win it.
Hardest Shot: Byfuglien has a chance to repeat as champ, but Tyler Myers, Chris Stewart, Wei Yang Zhang and Matthews will be up there too.
Accurate Shot: There are 6 or 7 co-favorites to win this title, and the group includes Tavares. But Connor McDavid of Oslo and Erik Karlsson of Belfast have the best chances to win, albeit only be a hair over several other players including the defending champ, Hall.
The commissioner will take a player from each pro team roster for each of the 3 competitions. The player with the highest (SP) rating will be entered in the fastest skater contest; the player with the highest (ST+SHO) will vie for hardest shot; and the highest (SHO+PA+FI) will compete for most accurate shooter. Since chance is involved in any game, their totals will be multiplied by a random number between 95 and 100 to determine the outcomes. Winners get no money, but they do get glory and their names in the paper.
