Connor McDavid is one of the fastest players of the game. But he can get even faster, according to his skating coach.
Connor McDavid regularly showcases his speed when he touches the puck. It’s a huge part of his game, as he can whip past defenders and create scoring chances at the push of a button. Already reaching magnificent speeds, this may not even be McDavid’s final form.
Over the summer, McDavid worked to improve on this speed and skating. Joe Quinn, who has worked with McDavid since he was 11, believes McDavid did get faster over the summer.
“A lot of room to get better”
Quinn also thinks that McDavid has a lot of room to work with (as he is young), meaning he could get better and faster.
“His speed was a little quicker and some of our pro guys were commenting that he was just really ripping through it,” Quinn said according to Sportsnet. “I mean, you see guys every year at the skills competition where they have speed, but I don’t think anyone is going to be able to handle the puck and make plays at the speed he can. Yeah, I think he can add more speed. How much more? Can he get to 42 or 43 kilometers an hour (26.3 to 26.9 miles per hour)? I think he can. He’s still young, he’s only 20 years old and he’s going to get better. He still has a lot of room to get better.”
Defensemen into frozen mode
Not only can McDavid skate at record-breaking paces, he is able to use his edges to his advantage, and rip around defenders while not losing stride. Quinn says that the key to this is that McDavid uses his upper body to turn, leaving his feet at top speed.
“The defender has to match his crossover,” Quinn said according to Sportsnet. “If he’s cutting to the right, you’re cutting with him and you have to maintain that speed and you’ve also got to maintain the false information he’s giving the defender. That defender has to counter back and that’s where the problem is. They can’t counter back because they’re not sure which way he’s going to go and if they do bite, the puck goes one way and his body goes the other. So now you’ve got the arm out and you’re trying to reach out and hang on to him. You’ll see a lot of defensemen get into a frozen mode where, ‘I’m going to stay here and I don’t know which way he’s going to go, left or right.’ And they’re in a worse position.”
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