If only Slava Voynov were playing for the Kings …
Complete that hypothetical scenario in your minds as you wish. Here’s one possibility: He would have been the second-fastest skater in the NHL had he been invited to the NHL SuperSkills competition Saturday.
The defenseman gained the title of fastest skater in the American Hockey League on Sunday with a timed skate of 14.197 seconds in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Compare that to Saturday’s competition among NHL All-Stars in Raleigh, N.C., won by the New York Islanders’ Michael Grabner – 14.061 seconds in the preliminary round; 14.238 in the final.
The Manchester Monarchs duo of Voynov and Martin Jones are the only Kings prospects taking part in the AHL’s All-Star weekend. The game itself is tomorrow at 4 p.m. (Find the complete broadcast listings here; it looks like the best local viewing options are on Time Warner Cable channel 101, ahllive.com and NHL Center Ice.)
Goalies are usually the sacrificial pawns of hockey all-star games, but Jones was credited with the second-best save percentage at the skills competition. The rookie stopped 21 of 29 shots (0.724 save percentage) for the Eastern Conference. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender John Curry claimed the top goaltender award by stopping 21 of 28 (.750).
The East beat the West 19-7.