Colorado Avalanche: Is Nathan MacKinnon the Fastest Skater in the NHL?

Is Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon as fast as the commercial says he is?

As part of CCM's new TV ad, the 19-year-old Avalanche star races Canadian Olympian Charles Hamelin to see who has the better acceleration. Check out the video here:

Though the commercial is hardly a scientific study, MacKinnon's spot in the ad has stirred a debate: Who is the fastest skater in the NHL today?

The Canadian Press covered this topic, via NHL.com, citing speedsters such as Taylor Hall, Carl Hagelin, Michael Grabner, Andrew Cogliano and Blake Wheeler as candidates.

Hall was asked for his opinion on the topic, per the report, and he said the following regarding MacKinnon: "When we played against him last year he took off at one point during the game and I'd never seen anything like that."

Most spectators would add Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel and Erik Karlsson to the debate, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet did in his "30 Thoughts" column.

But who really is the fastest?

That's where PowerScout Hockey comes in. The optical data tracking and collection service works with 29 of the NHL's 30 teams, tracking skater speed and acceleration, among other services.

Though the 2014-15 season is young, PowerScout Hockey has enough data to shed light on the debate about who the fastest skater is.

It notes that Hagelin has the fastest top-end speed at 37.1 km/hr, with MacKinnon and Kessel tied for second at 36.3 km/hr. In terms of acceleration, Ovechkin has the quickest startup at 9.5 m/s2.

Per PowerScout Hockey's report: "[I]n our mind the case can be made Ovechkin, Karlsson and Hall/Hagelin in that order look to be the best overall combination of both [speed and acceleration]."

Sadly for fans of the young Avs star, MacKinnon isn't mentioned among the fastest overall skaters, as his acceleration is ranked only 19th in the NHL.

That's not too shabby, but he is not the fastest skater—at least for now.

What do you think, Colorado Avalanche fans? Should Nathan MacKinnon be counted among the NHL's fastest? Are PSH's conclusions useless, as they don't measure the skater's speed with the puck? Share your comments below.