The Hardest Shot Ever Recorded in the NHL According to the EDGE Technology

Having a hard shot is a big advantage in ice hockey. If a player adds accuracy to shot speed goalies usually don't have a chance to react. In the history of the NHL, there have been plenty of hockey players whose shots have scared the opposing goaltenders.

Hockey legends such as Zdeno Chára, Shea Weber and the still active Victor Hedman are among the players with the hardest shot. Thanks to EDGE technology in the National Hockey League, we also know that Filip Hronek recorded the hardest one-timer that resulted in a goal, earlier this season while playing with the Vancouver Canucks.

Currently, the NHL is using the EDGE technology, which measures various player indicators. One of them is shot speed. Which hockey players have the hardest shot in the 2023-2024 season so far? 

The Hardest Shot Ever Recorded by the NHL EDGE Technology

The NHL have been working with EDGE technology from the 2021-2022 season. That means that to this day, there are data available from three different seasons. Find out which players from the best hockey league in the world have the hardest shot below.

The charts show speed achieved on any recorded shot attempt by an individual player during the chosen season. This can include goals, shots that were saved, shots that missed the net (including posts and crossbars), and shots that were blocked.

The Hardest Shots in the NHL: 2021-2022

Rank	Name	Team	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mp/h)
1	Colton Parayko	St. Louis Blues	164.07	101.95
2	Radko Gudas	Florida Panthers	163.66	101.69
3	Ryan Pulock	New York Islanders	163.58	101.66
4	Tage Thompson	Buffalo Sabres	163.56	101.63
5	Michael Del Zotto	Ottawa Senators	163.50	101.59
6	Dmitry Orlov	Washington Capitals	163.41	101.54
7	Jake Walman	Detroit Red Wings	163.40	101.53
8	Patrik Laine	Columbus Blue Jackets	163.40	101.53
9	Alexander Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	163.38	101.52
10	Justin Faulk	St. Louis Blues	163.36	101.50

Source: NHL EDGE

 The Hardest Shots in the NHL: 2022-2023

Rank	Name	Team	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mp/h)
1	Radko Gudas	Florida Panthers	163.68	101.71
2	Tage Thompson	Buffalo Sabres	163.65	101.69
3	Jake Walman	Detroit Red Wings	163.63	101.68
4	Ryan Pulock	New York Islanders	163.58	101.64
5	Dmitry Orlov	Boston Bruins	163.49	101.59
6	Matt Dumba	Minnesota Wild	163.48	101.58
7	Yegor Chinakhov	Columbus Blue Jackets	163.44	101.56
8	Michael Stone	Calgary Flames	163.34	101.50
9	Joel Edmundson	Montreal Canadiens	163.11	101.35
10	Victor Hedman	Tampa Bay Lightning	163.06	101.32

Source: NHL EDGE

The Hardest Shots in the NHL: 2023-2024

Rank	Name	Team	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mp/h)
1	Colin Miller	Winnipeg Jets	165.10	102.59
2	Darren Radysh	Tampa Bay Lightning	164.79	102.40
3	Arber Xhekaj	Montreal Canadiens	164.52	102.23
4	Colton Parayko	St. Louis Blues	164.46	102.19
5	Tage Thompson	Buffalo Sabres	164.27	102.08
6	Jeremy Lauzon	Nashville Predators	163.87	101.83
7	Radko Gudas	Anaheim Ducks	163.65	101.69
8	Jake Walman	Detroit Red Wings	163.51	101.60
9	Erik Karlsson	Pittsburgh Penguins	163.41	101.54
10	Travis Sanheim	Philadelphia Flyers	163.33	101.49

Source: NHL EDGE

The Hardest Shot Ever Recorded in Modern Hockey History

In the world of professional hockey, there are moments that transcend the game, leaving an indelible mark on the sport's history. One such moment occurred during the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2012 when Zdeno Chára, the towering defenseman from Slovakia, unleashed a slap shot that shattered records and forever etched his name in the record books of hockey greatness. Watch the video of this breath-taking shot below. 

The Hardest Slapshot Ever Recorded by the NHL tracking technology

Filip Hronek of the Vancouver Canucks is enjoying a great season 2023-2024. But for Hronek, a 6’0, 190lb Czech native, born in Hradec Králové, one thing was missing.

Well known for his great shot from the point, and especially for his rocket of a one-timer, he was looking for the first goal of the season. And it came with a bang. Filip Hronek unleashed a cannon of a shot, blasting a one-timer of a feed from Quinn Hughes, that beat Islanders’ goalie Sorokin cleanly.

The Vancouver Canucks later revealed that the NHL shot tracking technology measured the shot at a whopping 107.9 mph, making it the fastest goal shot ever recorded by the NHL tracking technology since its inception 3 years ago. Read more here in our blog. 

Unfortunately, Hronek's shot numbers, as reported by Sportsnet, were wrong. NHL EDGE technology lists his shot at 100.37 MPH. That is still pretty impressive, but it's not a record though. 

Who Will Be Next? 

You can influence the quality of your shot. Of course, you can practice shooting daily for a period of several years. There are hockey players that are predisposed to harder and faster shots. However, even the very best of them can improve their shots. Whether by choosing the right hockey stick or by choosing Rezztek® instead of tape. 

"I just didn’t like any frictions on the bottom of my blade that was crested by taping. So when Rezztek® came to the market I liked it from that point and also because it felt very consistent," said Zdeno Chára in our blog. Breaking Chára's record won't be easy, but as we mentioned above, records are meant to be broken. 

Featured Image Credits: ESPN, Anaheim Calling, Canucks Army, THW, Sports Illustrated