Oct. 24—GRAND FORKS — It doesn’t take long to figure out Jake Sanderson is an elite skater.
By the end of his first few games at UND in December 2020, it was clear he was at a different level than others on the ice.
During his two-year college career, Sanderson often used his skating to separate from defenders, create shooting lanes and generate scoring chances. Defensively, he shut down oncoming rushes and won puck races.
But we never knew exactly how fast Sanderson skated — until now.
The NHL has made public its tracking data, featuring things like skating speed and shooting speed on a website called NHL Edge.
No surprise: Sanderson, now with the Ottawa Senators, ranks among the fastest skaters in the NHL.
During the first few games of this season, Sanderson has been clocked at 23 mph — the second-fastest recorded burst of any defenseman in the NHL. His 23 mph burst came Oct. 11 against the Carolina Hurricanes at 1:11 of the third period.
By comparison, the fastest burst recorded by league MVP Connor McDavid is 22.72.
The fastest burst by a defenseman has been 23.5 mph by former Michigan defenseman Zach Werenski, now of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Six forwards have recorded faster bursts than Sanderson this season — Rasmus Kupari of the Winnipeg Jets (23.95 mph), Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes (23.54), Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings (23.5), Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning (23.45), Mackie Samoskevich of the Florida Panthers (23.35) and Quinton Byfield of the Kings (23.15).
Sanderson has exceeded the 22-mph mark twice this season. He’s hit 20 mph 10 times.
Nashville Predators forward Cole Smith has the second-fastest recorded burst of any former UND player. Smith skated 21.82 mph on Oct. 17 against Edmonton.
23 mph — Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators
21.82 — Cole Smith, F, Nashville Predators
21.62 — Brock Nelson, F, New York Islanders
21.41 — Nick Schmaltz, F, Arizona Coyotes
21.38 — T.J. Oshie, F, Washington Capitals
20.66 — Troy Stecher, D, Arizona Coyotes
20.43 — Brock Boeser, F, Vancouver Canucks
19.45 — Tyson Jost, F, Buffalo Sabres
19.38 — Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, Ottawa Senators
18.53 — Derek Forbort, D, Boston Bruins
*As of Oct. 23, 2023
