NHL EDGE Stats: Utah Hockey Club's fast start

NHL.com identifies key EDGE stats surrounding the Utah Hockey Club's 2-0-0 start to its first season.

It's been a fast start for the Utah Hockey Club through the first two games of its inaugural season, and the advanced metrics suggest the Stanley Cup playoffs could be on the horizon.

A combination of speed, the depth of three strong forwards, a promising young core inherited from the Arizona Coyotes and one of the biggest moves of the offseason has put Utah on the path to instant success.

According to NHL EDGE stats, through two games, Utah ranks second in the league in tempos exceeding 20 mph (55) behind the Buffalo Sabers (69) and is led by forward Dylan Guenther, who is fifth in that category Place is (eight). among individual players. It's early days, but Guenther leads the NHL with four goals and eight shots on goal in two games this season, Utah's home wins over the Chicago Blackhawks (5-2 on Tuesday) and at the New York Islanders (5-5). . 4 in overtime on Thursday.

Other hitters on various lines, from Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton (each has six bursts of speed over 20 mph; 96th percentile) to new captain Clayton Keller and rookie Josh Doan (four each), aren't far behind in this category Günther. Schmaltz also demonstrated his top speed while skating, ranking in the 91st percentile (21.88 miles per hour).

Utah's speed has led to numerous zone entries and elite scoring opportunities early this season. As a team, Utah ranks third in the NHL in dangerous shots on goal (18) and second in dangerous goals (four), behind the New York Rangers (six). Hayton in particular did well in these areas, ranking second behind the Montreal Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher (five) in most dangerous shots on goal (four) and tied with five others for most dangerous shots on goal (two).

The NHL's newest franchise has also dominated mid-range, tied for fourth in mid-range shots on goal (18) and tied for the league lead in mid-range shots on goal (four) with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins. Günther, who is on track for success with Logan Cooley, another breakout candidate at center (No. 3 in the 2022 NHL Draft), has also played in the midfield areas.

Guenther is tied for third in mid-range shots behind Dylan Cozens of the Sabers (eight) and Jack Hughes of the Devils (seven), and Guenther and another Utah center, Lawson Crouse, are tied for third with center Anze Kopitar the Los Angeles Kings The NHL leads in goals in the midfield (two each). Günther even scored a goal from long range this season, showing his versatility and achieving a rare feat for a forward considering both NHL leaders in that category last season (David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Ovechkin, Owen Tippett) each in this position had only four long-range goals.

Utah also has two leaders in top shot speed in defenseman Michael Kesselring (leads the NHL at 97.19 mph) and key trade addition Mikhail Sergachev (93.38; fifth), signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning was taken over after winning the Stanley Cup twice (2020). , 2021). Kesselring also has the most shots exceeding 90 mph (two) through the first five days of the 2024-25 season.

One area of ​​concern early on is that starting goaltender Connor Ingram blocked the most dangerous shots (18) in the NHL and stopped 13 of them, putting him second only to the Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky (14) in dangerous saves is in second place). In terms of high-danger save percentage, Ingram (.722) is well below the league average (.790), but has a strong track record in that category, having ranked sixth last season (.833 in 50 games).

If Utah can maintain some of its season-opening offensive burst while limiting its best scoring opportunities, it has the EDGE stats at all three positions to compete for at least a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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Full EDGE Stats Profile: Utah Hockey Club