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TAMPA - Noah Hanifin's tremendous skating abilities have been well-documented, and now his speed will be put to the test in the 2018 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
Hanifin is one of eight players competing in the Fastest Skater event at Saturday night's annual skills showcase. The Hurricanes' 21-year-old defenseman will be going up against Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Nathan MacKinnon, to name a few.

No pressure.
"I've never really timed myself on a full lap," Hanifin said. "The competition is going to be a little difficult to beat. Guys like Jack and McDavid absolutely fly out there. Skating is probably my strong suit, but we'll see. I'm just going to have fun with it and see what happens. It will be interesting to see my time."

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The event is simple. Hanifin will be timed for one full lap around the rink. He can select the direction of his lap and can position himself a maximum of three feet behind the start line (the penalty box side of the center red line). The skater with the fastest time is the winner of the event and will pocket $25,000, perhaps a little added incentive for Hanifin to find a speed boost.
"The competition is going to be pretty fun just watching all the guys do some cool stuff," he said.
The 2018 NHL All-Star Skills Competition airs on NBCSN beginning at 7 p.m.
Click here
for full event details.