What can the NHL’s new advanced stats tell us about the Knights?

The NHL is giving more information to its fans than ever before.

The league launched “NHL Edge” on Oct. 23, a hub for the data gathered by its player and puck tracking technology over the last three seasons.

The new website contains all sorts of new stats like how fast players skater, how much distance they cover in a game, how hard they shoot the puck, how much time they spend in each of the three zones and more. The NHL puts each number into context by showing how it compares to the rest of the league, though anything that’s less than average gets listed as only “below 50th” percentile.

The available information gives some unique insight into the 8-0-1 Golden Knights and how their players stack up to the competition. Here are some fun facts about the defending Stanley Cup champions revealed by the data:

Need for speed

The Knights have a forward ranked in the top 10 in max speed so far this season, but it’s likely not who you think.

Left wing William Carrier is the team’s skating champion, getting up to 22.97 mph, which ranks ninth among all forwards.

Right behind Carrier is left wing Paul Cotter at 22.96 mph, which is still in the NHL’s 98th percentile. Other speedsters on the team include center Jack Eichel (22.61 mph, 91st percentile), center Chandler Stephenson (22.44 mph, 90th) and center William Karlsson (21.96 mph, 80th). The Knights overall are in the 71st percentile for max speed.

The data is also a reminder that being the fastest isn’t everything.

Right wing Jonathan Marchessault, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP, is below average in this metric by topping out at 20.3 mph. So is captain Mark Stone at 19.65 mph. All he did was score 24 points in 22 games last postseason, including a hat trick in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

‘Haguerbombs’ are real

Nic Hague wasn’t too impressed with his first goal of the season, an 89.1 mph one-timer against the San Jose Sharks. He said in the City National Arena locker room two days later: “I didn’t get all of it.”

Not only was Hague right, he’s backed up by the data.

The 24-year-old’s max shot speed of 100.02 mph this season ranks fifth in the NHL and third among defensemen. His best ripper came in the third period of the Knights’ 4-1 win against Anaheim on Oct. 14, but was stopped by goaltender John Gibson.

Hague isn’t the only one on the Knights’ blue line with a howitzer. Shea Theodore is tied for the sixth-most shots harder than 90 mph this season with six. The 28-year-old has three goals through nine games and is tied for the team lead in points with 10.

Other fearsome shooters on the Knights include defenseman Alec Martinez (96.52 mph, 97th percentile) and Eichel (92.13 mph, 88th percentile). The team overall is in the 87th percentile for max shot speed.

Goalie numbers reflect system

The principles of coach Bruce Cassidy’s zone defensive scheme are simple enough to understand.

The Knights want to pack the middle of the ice in their own zone to prevent shots closer to the net. They’re willing to concede space along the walls and up top to do so.

The new goalie statistics from the NHL help illustrate how that works in practice.

Adin Hill, who has started five of the team’s nine games, is in the 63rd percentile for long-range shots faced and the 80th percentile for mid-range shots against. He’s below the 50th for high-danger shots faced. The skaters in front of him are doing their job by limiting chances near his crease.

Hill, showing why he’s been a good fit for the system, is also rising to the occasion when he is challenged in tight. His .867 save percentage on high-danger shots is in the 79th percentile, well above the NHL average of .765. Logan Thompson’s high-danger save percentage is impressive as well at .816.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on X.