SKILLS: Familiar names at the top

Patrick Laine of St. Petersburg repeated as Hardest Shot champion when the EURO League Skills Competition was held Saturday in Zurich, Switzerland. He won the title the last time the competition was held, in Season 11, and was third the season before.

Everyone in Zurich was waiting for Erik Karlsson of Paris to claim the Most Accurate Shooter title for a record seventh time, but then a sneaky Smurf took his turn and did better. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has the crown this season. Karlsson, who finished second, has been in the top 3 in 9 or 12 Skills Competitions. We might as well rename the event the Erik Karlsson Accuracy Shooting Competition. In Season 11, Nugent-Hopkins placed fourth and he was third the season before.

The Fastest Skater race was just about anyone’s to win and Milan speedster Par Arlbrandt was most up to the challenge. He narrowly edged out St. Petersburg defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for the title. Arlbrandt has always been among the fastest wingers in the league. In Season 9, he placed 3rd in the Skills Competition race. Because of Websim’s evolution process, players with 100 speed ratings are not unusual, especially as they near age 30. This season, all but 5 of the competitors in the Fastest Skater race had 100 ratings. Nine defensemen were the fastest skaters on their teams and qualified for the competition.