Mayfield ready for the moment of truth

Scott Mayfield is a defenseman for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League. Committed to the University of Denver for the 2011-12 academic season, he also played a part in the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for Team USA. NHL Central Scouting rated Mayfield No. 24 among North American skaters -- the seventh best defenseman -- at its final meeting in April. This is the last installment of a series of blog posts Mayfield has provided NHL.com leading up to the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn.

Hello everybody!

This month has been exciting. It started off with the NHL Scouting Combine in Toronto. Now it is winding down to St. Paul, Minn., and the NHL Entry Draft.

The combine was a once in a lifetime experience. I got to Toronto on Tuesday afternoon and roomed with Colin Jacobs, who I really enjoyed getting to know.  I had 10 interviews on Wednesday and 12 on Thursday. It was pretty intense, but I felt like all of the interviews went well even though some of the questions teams threw at me were tough. I didn’t have much time to socialize, but I did get to have dinner and hang out with my former teammate, Matt Mahalak.

I was the first player to go through the whole fitness test. I think I was the only guy on the floor for the first 20 minutes. The bike tests were tough, especially the 30 second (Wingate) sprint! I felt like my results were good. I know I gave it my all and that's what really matters. I got a little sick after the first bike test, but overall I had a great time!

Since the combine, I've been working out for next season. My graduation gift was a new mountain bike that I am excited to ride out at Denver. I have been hanging out with my family and friends a lot. My brother, Patrick, got in town from the Air Force Academy the other night so it has been great to see him. I have also been skating a lot more in a junior-age summer league. It’s great to get back on the ice with my buddies. I've also been doing quite a few interviews and I really appreciate the interest.

I'm now counting down the days till the draft. I'm anxious, excited, and a little nervous. I'm looking forward to seeing how the draft works and the atmosphere around the whole thing. My whole family will be up there, along with a couple of former coaches and some family friends. Obviously, I'd like to go in the first round but what number you're drafted isn't really that important -- it's what you do after the draft that counts. You have to do your best to justify a team's confidence in using a pick on you.

It should be a really good time, and I'm honored to be a part of it.

This concludes my blogs leading up to the draft. I thank the NHL for asking me to share my thoughts during the season, and I hope you have enjoyed reading my comments.

Follow Scott Mayfield on Twitter at: @scottmayfield2