Alex Ovechkin is set to be the third-oldest player in the NHL during the 2026-27 season, but you wouldn’t know it by how hard his shot still is.
Just a few weeks ahead of the league’s preseason, NHL.com’s Troy Perlowitz gathered some of Ovechkin’s most impressive shot-related metrics from NHL Edge. Even over two decades into his career, Ovechkin still ranks above most of his peers when it comes to shooting the puck.
Alex Ovechkin shot-related metrics
| Metric | Total | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Hardest shot | 97.30 mph | 99th |
| Average shot speed | 61.84 mph | 94th |
| High-danger shots | 61 | 86th |
| High-danger goals | 14 | 87th |
| Mid-range shots | 108 | 99th |
| Mid-range goals | 9 | 89th |
| Long-range shots | 42 | 99th |
| Long-range goals | 3 | 97th |
Last season, Ovechkin led the Washington Capitals in goals (32), points (64), shots on goal (244), and shot attempts (542), and played in all 82 games for the first time since 2017-18.
The soon-to-be 41-year-old winger signed a one-year contract to return to the Capitals this past July. He will head into the 2026-27 campaign 10 goals shy of overtaking Wayne Gretzky’s combined goals record, which includes tallies scored in both the regular season and playoffs. Ovechkin finished last season with 1,006 career combined goals — he scored his 1,000th against the Colorado Avalanche on March 22 — while Gretzky owns the record with 1,016.
Outside of Ovechkin’s impressive shot metrics, Perlowitz also dug up some other interesting stats for several other Capitals players. Included in that group was Jakob Chychrun, who was one of only two defensemen to rank in the top 10 of his position in high-danger shots on goal (26; first), mid-range shots on goal (63; seventh), and long-range shots on goal (99; tied for eighth).
Logan Thompson also led the NHL in five-on-five close save percentage (.938; when the game is tied in the first or second period or within one goal in the third period), Cole Hutson ranked in the 91st percentile among defensemen in max skating speed (22.94 mph), and Ryan Leonard ranked sixth in the NHL in max skating speed (24.26 mph).
While Ovechkin’s shot is still clearly one of the best in the league, his skating metrics show more of his natural age-related decline. Ovechkin posted a max skating speed of 21.64 mph, which ranked below the 50th percentile (the NHL doesn’t release exact data past the 50th percentile), as well as zero 22-plus mph bursts, just 12 bursts between 20-22 mph, and just 126 bursts between 18-20 mph, all of which also ranked below the 50th percentile.
