Combine Marks First Step in NHL Journey

BOSTON - For the dozens of prospective draftees descending on Buffalo this week, the NHL Scouting Combine provides them with their final opportunity to convince at least one of the 31 clubs that they are worthy of being selected in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
A number of the Bruins' young players have gone through the Combine's paces in recent years and can attest to the importance of a strong performance.

"That experience was very unique," said blue liner Brandon Carlo, recalling his time at the 2015 Combine. "It was obviously an honor to go there…it's kind of your first stepping stone to be around the entire NHL body. I think you put a little bit more pressure on yourself than needed at times, but through the experience you just want to do your best and that's all I could do when I went there."

The weeklong festivities take place annually at the HarborCenter adjacent to KeyBank Center, the home of the Buffalo Sabres. This year, 104 prospects - including defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the top-ranked European skater according to NHL Central Scouting and likely first overall pick - are taking part in interviews with team officials and going through off-ice physical testing, which at times can be far more grueling than anything they do on the ice.
"Going back to my Combine year, I remember it was pretty intense," said winger Jake DeBrusk, who like Carlo attended the event in 2015. "Everything is off ice and I'm not that gifted of an athlete, compared to some other guys. You're talking to teams, teams are watching you do workouts.
"It's a different element, but still enjoyable, they make it a good time. Everyone's on different schedules. I was lucky enough to be invited and lucky enough to go."

While the Combine does not feature any on-ice components, there is still plenty to be gained for the teams' medical staffs, scouts, and front office personnel as they gather valuable intel on each participant. And for the players themselves - all of whom are still teenagers competing in Europe, junior or college hockey - it is their first taste of the scrutiny and pressure that comes with a career in the National Hockey League.
"You want to perform very well off the ice and you want to show physically that you're strong, mentally that you're strong and mature, and kind of impress these teams, leave them with something that you remember," said Charlie McAvoy, who attended the Combine in 2016, just a few weeks before being selected 14th overall by the Bruins.
The centerpiece of the Combine is, no doubt, the physical testing. From endurance to strength, every area of the prospects' fitness is measured and examined under the microscope of trainers, doctors, general managers, scouts, and the media.
"It's interesting in the weeks leading up to it," said Carlo. "You really dial it in to the off-ice training. I think at times you do things that you wouldn't necessarily do to get ready for it and it kind of shows you how much you care about this sport and how much you want to make it.
"During those couple weeks, it was grueling, but it was a time where I proved to myself how bad I wanted to be in the NHL."

To a man, the players pointed to the Wingate and VO2max as the most grueling tests, both of which can certainly separate an individual from the rest of the pack. A strong performance on the bikes can demonstrate a level of will and determination that every team in the NHL strives for from its athletes.
"You basically just go until you can't even feel your legs anymore," McAvoy said of the Wingate. "I remember just trying to keep going and thinking, 'You can go longer, you can go longer.' And by the end of that one, you've really got nothing left. I remember right after that test I went and I actually had some meetings an hour afterwards and I went and laid down in bed and I couldn't even move. It was just pure exhaustion.
"There are a couple tests that are like that, they'll really push you to the edge. That's what they want to see, they want to see you work hard."

Added Bruins center Sean Kuraly, who took part in the Combine in 2011: "You kind of have an idea of what you're going to be tested on and you come pretty prepared for those…if you eat too much breakfast before, you'll lose it."
Perhaps more valuable to Don Sweeney and the rest of the league's general managers is the interview process, during which the prospects are grilled by members of the front office and scouting staff in an effort to learn more about each individual, while also testing their mental toughness.
"Some intimidating guys in there that ask questions that you wouldn't have expected…had some teams go with an approach of kind of telling me that I wasn't very good and they want to see mentally how you would respond to that," said McAvoy. "You have to sit there and I had to back myself up and try to show them that I am a good player. They'll catch you off guard if you're not ready for them."