Martin Fehervary is a gifted, quick skater, especially for a defenseman, and the Washington Capitals have known that since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. But, what if someone were to tell you that he’s literally faster than Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid?
Via data from NHL Edge, the league’s puck and player tracking technology, Fehervary did in fact post a faster “top maximum skating speed” during the 2022-23 season than McDavid. Fehervary actually finished third in the entire league with his 24.21 mph max speed and McDavid finished sixth (24.16 mph).
Bursting with speed. 🏎️💨
Any surprises on these leaderboards? 💥 pic.twitter.com/sLQwZvtrlo
— NHL (@NHL) September 26, 2023
Fehervary’s top speed also was the quickest of any defender in the NHL. His mark was only topped by forwards Brayden Point (24.26 mph) and Ryan Poehling (24.32 mph). Other ultra-quick, impressive names that Fehervary beat out include Andreas Athanasiou (24.18 mph), Nathan MacKinnon (24.02 mph), Mat Barzal (23.67 mph), and Cale Makar (23.40 mph).
The Caps’ 23-year-old blueliner also ranked highly on the leaderboard for most 22-plus mph skating bursts among defensemen (4th) with eight and most 20-plus mph skating bursts among defensemen (10th) with 100.
*race car noises* pic.twitter.com/9YRLyiGKr9
— NHL (@NHL) September 26, 2023
Fehervary, the 2022-23 Slovak defenseman of the year, has a history of setting high marks in the speed category. Back in 2019, Fehervary was announced as the “fastest freshman” in that year’s preliminary round of the Men’s World Championship, reaching a top speed of 37.9 km/h (23.6 mph) on the ice.
That top speed was also quicker than the fastest veteran, Evan Mosey, of Great Britain (37.6 km/h).
The Caps signed Fehervary to a three-year contract extension in July worth $2.675 million per season. With the bridge deal, Fehervary will remain a restricted free agent in 2026, allowing the Capitals to negotiate an additional contract before he hits the open market. Fehervary will, however, be eligible for arbitration for that final contract.
The 23-year-old rearguard had 16 points (6g, 10a) in 67 games last season — his second full campaign in the NHL. He led the Capitals in hits with 217.
Fehervary is currently joined in Capitals Training Camp by another speedster that is technically faster than McDavid. Ethen Frank posted a Fastest Skater lap of just 12.915 seconds at last year’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition. The mark is the fastest time recorded by a skater in AHL or NHL history in the event. Frank survived the first-round of cuts the team made to their roster on Monday.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
