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Round 3
Stanley Cup Final
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2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Results of first two days of Combine fitness testing

Saturday, 06.04.2011 / 5:44 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor

TORONTO -- And the winners are …

After two days, all 100 players have finished their testing here at the Toronto Congress Centre. After reporting the Day 1 leaders, we have some final results to report:

Peak power output -- The Wingate Cycle Ergometer -- also known as the bane of prospects' existence -- measures how hard a player can go in a 30-second shift. Portland Winterhawks forward Ty Rattie and Shawinigan Cataractes defenseman Jonathan Racine, the first-day leaders, finished on top with 15.9 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight. Choate-Rosemary Hill School forward Philippe Hudon was third at 15.7.

VO2 Max test duration -- No one matched the two defensemen who lasted 14 minutes on Friday -- Skelleftea's Adam Larson and the Vancouver Giants' David Musil, each at 14 minutes. Niagara IceDogs defenseman Dougie Hamilton, Saginaw Spirit forward Brandon Saad, Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender Laurent Brossoit and center Gregory Hoffman, who plays for Ambri in Switzerland's top league, all lasted 13 minutes.
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Burke planting seeds for a potential draft-day deal

Saturday, 06.04.2011 / 1:40 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

TORONTO -- The word is out. Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke is looking to swing a deal.

Burke informed the media at the NHL Scouting Combine on Saturday that he would be willing to trade one of his two first-round picks and a second-round selection (No. 39 overall) to move up in what he feels is as deep a draft as there's been in some time.

"We're trying to move up, but haven't had any luck yet ... it's still pretty early," Burke said. "We own the 25th pick (from Philadelphia) and either a 29 or 30 from Boston (depending on the result of Stanley Cup Final), and we're trying to package 39 and one of those first-rounders."
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Larsson, Landeskog also in running to be No. 1

Friday, 06.03.2011 / 5:55 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

TORONTO -- Red Deer's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn't the only player in the running to be the top pick at the 2011 Entry Draft.
 
Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson of Skelleftea and Kitchener Rangers captain Gabriel Landeskog are also prime candidates to go No. 1. Like Nugent-Hopkins, each made it through Friday's fitness portion of the NHL Scouting Combine unscathed.
 
If either Landeskog or Larsson is picked first by the Edmonton Oilers, it would mark the first time since 1989, when the Quebec Nordiques selected Mats Sundin No. 1, that a Swedish-born player was the top choice.
 
Both players are coming off seasons in which they each suffered some minor ailments.
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Teams analyze Combine results by varying criteria

Friday, 06.03.2011 / 3:52 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor

"To me, this is just a piece of the puzzle. Psych test, scouting players, watching them skating -- this is just another evaluation tool." -- Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney

TORONTO -- The first day of fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine here at the Toronto Congress Centre saw scouts and general managers from all 30 teams checking out the prospects as they went through the circuit of exercises and measurements.
 
What each person was looking for, however, varied depending on who you asked. Some are interested in the physique of the players when they enter the room and take their shirts off to get measured for body fat.
 
"I'm more interested in the results and seeing where kids are (physically)," Calgary Flames Director of Scouting Todd Button told NHL.com. "One of the things we can look at is their body type. Some kids are men at 18 and some kids have a lot of room for growth. For us, it's projecting kids and seeing how far a kid has to go developmentally."
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Nugent-Hopkins feeling comfortable with Oilers

Thursday, 06.02.2011 / 7:24 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

TORONTO -- Just because the Edmonton Oilers were the first team to get a shot at Red Deer's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the interviewing stage of the NHL Scouting Combine  doesn't necessarily mean it's a foregone conclusion he'll be the first overall pick in next month's Entry Draft.
 
But it is interesting to note that the Oilers do, indeed, own the No. 1 pick.
 
"Edmonton was the first team to interview me (on Wednesday), and it went really well," Nugent-Hopkins, NHL Central Scouting's No. 1-rated North American skater, told NHL.com. "I got a good feeling from them and I'm starting to feel more comfortable around them now because I've had a couple of interviews with them, so it's been going pretty well. I'm looking forward to draft day."
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Early picks under belt, Oilers see lots to like

Thursday, 06.02.2011 / 10:18 AM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor

"You can talk to 30 teams and they may give you many different answers in how they rank 1-5 in this year's draft, and they're all really good players. There's a lot of good depth, especially at the top. That's what's different about this draft."
-- Oilers GM Steve Tambellini

TORONTO -- The Edmonton Oilers are in the same position at this year's NHL Scouting Combine as they were when they arrived here last year -- on the clock for the first pick of the draft.
 
There are some differences this year, however. And most of that is because unlike last year, when the Oilers narrowed their choice for the top pick to Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, the pool of possible selections for the No. 1 pick of the 2011 Entry Draft runs far deeper.
 
"We're going through the same process," Oilers General Manager Steve Tambellini told NHL.com. "This year it's different because I think there's more people in play. You can talk to 30 teams and they may give you many different answers in how they rank 1-5 in this year's draft, and they're all really good players. There's a lot of good depth, especially at the top. That's what's different about this draft."
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Will Combine decide which Gibson goes first?

Wednesday, 06.01.2011 / 11:49 AM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

"I'm sure a team will probably have a strong idea already on which one they like before the Combine. If it's close between the two, then I feel the Combine could definitely make a difference. I know the interviews come into play a lot and I'm sure they'll be able to tell how a goalie presents himself during the course of the testing."
-- NHL Central Scouting's head goalie scout, Al Jensen

TORONTO -- Is it possible that the NHL Scouting Combine could determine the fate of North America's top two goalie prospects?
 
While John Gibson of the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team and Christopher Gibson of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League don't think so, rest assured they're doing all they can to make a lasting impression this week.
 
John Gibson, a native of Whitehall, Pa., has been rated the No. 1 goalie by NHL Central Scouting since the start of the season, while Christopher Gibson, from Karkkila, Finland, has been locked in at a very close second. The race to become the first goalie taken in the 2011 Entry Draft, to be held June 24-25 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., is a close one.
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Tallon eager to add more pieces to young core

Tuesday, 05.31.2011 / 9:29 PM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor

TORONTO -- Talking about the Draft seems to bring out the best in Panthers GM Dale Tallon.
 
"I like to have fun at the Draft and I like to be creative at the Draft," he told NHL.com today in the lobby of the Bristol Westin Place.
 
He's certainly had a lot of it. Last year's draft, his first with the team, saw him make 13 picks, including three in the first round and three in the second round. The Panthers have 10 picks this year, including seven in the first three rounds, and Tallon said he wants more.
 
"If we can achieve that and get a couple more picks this year, that would give us 24, 25 picks in a year -- that's like four drafts," he said. "That really can set us up or the future and give us a strong foundation. That's what we're doing."
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Combine's opening day a hectic one for prospects

Tuesday, 05.31.2011 / 10:05 AM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

TORONTO -- There was a glazed look in the eyes of top defensive prospect Adam Larsson as he patiently waited his turn at the fifth of 10 scheduled team interviews on the opening day of the NHL Scouting Combine here at the Westin Bristol Place.
 
"(Sunday) was an even longer day," he told NHL.com with a grin. "I flew 11 hours to get here (from Sweden), but I got five hours sleep, so I'm good."
 
Not that Day 1 at the Combine was a piece of cake -- Larsson began his interviews at 10:35 p.m. ET and finished up at approximately 5:45 p.m.
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McGuire's absence felt at Scouting Combine

Monday, 05.30.2011 / 11:59 AM / 2011 NHL Draft Combine Presented by Reebok

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

"E.J. was the face of the Scouting Combine. … He was the one in the lobby … the first person a general manager, scout or player would see when they walked through the revolving doors of the hotel. He'd introduce himself to a prospect and talk to them and provide advice on what to expect at the Draft. He was always so personable to them and made them feel welcome."
-- Nathan Ogilvie-Harris

TORONTO -- A familiar face and unmistakable voice will be missed here at the Westin Bristol Place this week when the NHL Scouting Combine is held for 102 of the top 2011 Entry Draft-eligible hockey prospects from around the world.

NHL Central Scouting Director EJ McGuire, who passed away from a rare form of cancer in April, will not be present for the first time in nine years, his spirit undoubtedly will carry on throughout the Combine, which starts Monday with player interviews at the Westin Bristol Place and concludes at the Toronto Congress Center with fitness and medical testing Friday and Saturday.

"This was one of the events that, because of EJ, we saw so much progress and growth in our department," NHL Central Scouting videographer and scout David Gregory told NHL.com. "In an event like this, you definitely want to make sure this one is great for him. You want to make sure that we're living up to the standards he set for us."
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SOUNDS OF THE GAME

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ROUND 1 SOUNDS OF THE GAME