2022 NHL Draft Combine | DRAFT

BUFFALO, NY -
For the first time since 2019, the NHL is hosting an in-person Draft Combine in Buffalo, New York. The event invites 85 draft-eligible players from North America and Europe to take part in fitness testing while meeting with representatives of NHL clubs ahead of July's NHL Entry Draft.
NewJerseyDevils.com will have you covered with all the latest from the Combine with player and staff interviews. Stay tuned to this page for the latest!

SATURDAY'S COVERAGE

7:30
MARCO KASPAR:
Marco Kaspar was the first player to go through Saturday's fitness testing and meet with the media contingent on site. Kaspar is an Austrian forward who plays in the Swedish Hockey League. The center is known for his skating and hockey sense and is expected to be a first-round pick. On Central Scouting's final list this season, Kaspar jumped to fifth from seventh during the mid-season rankings.

"It was fun being able to come here, it's a cool experience," Kaspar said. When asked about the improvements he's seen in his game over the past year, the Austrian pointed to his skating and the confidence another year of playing has given him. "Working consistently on the details," he said of his games improvement.
Kaspar has been playing in the Swedish League as an 18 year old, competing against men for the first time. "It's tough to play against men, I think the whole pro's do every day, it's helped me to see what it is to live like a pro and it's helped me a lot," he said of his first season with Rogel BK.
JOAKIM KEMELL:
Kemell is the second ranked European skater on this year's Central Scouting's list and the top Finnish player in this years draft. Like most players who are invited to the Combine, there's that dreaded moment of knowing the Vo2 test, also known as the bike test, is coming their way.
"Oh, it was awful," Kemell said with a big grin. "I was thinking, soon it's over!"

TOPIAS LEINONEN
Leinonen is the top ranked International goalie at this years draft, a position also played by his father Tero in the German leagues. Leinonen backstopped Finland to the U18 World Junior Championship bronze medal this year, and played in four Liiga games, Finland's top men's league, with JYP. Leinonen met with 22 teams at this years combine.
8:00
MAREK HEJDUK:
Son of former NHLer Milan, the younger Hejduk is a product of the USNTDP, the same program that Jack Hughes was drafted out of. It's a program that has developed some of the top up-and-coming NHL talent and a program Hejduk has felt fortunate to be a part of and helped him prepare for the grueling physical testing of the combine.
"It helped me a lot," Hejduk said. "With the strength program we have with Brian Gallivan, we were there every day working out, there with other top players in the US, playing against them every day. It really helped me here because of the strength aspect."
Hejduk noted being interviewed this week by the Detroit Red Wings, the team with the biggest rivalry against his father's Colorado Avalanche.
"They mentioned my dad and the rivalry," he said, "I'm not too worried about that, but my dad might be if I get drafted by them. It might take him some time to get over that, but I think he'd be proud of me, regardless."
MAXIM BARBASHEV
Barbashev is the younger brother of current NHL player Ivan Barbashev and has played his past two seasons in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats. This past season, Barbashev recorded 42 points in 59 games including 15 goals. Throughout his draft year, Maxim has been relying on his brother as he heads into the NHL Entry Draft.
"I'm really excited I have a brother like Ivan," the younger Barbashev said of his brother who plays for the St. Louis Blues. "He gives me a lot of advice, and it's nice to have a brother like Ivan." When asked whether he and his brother have a similar playing style, he answered, "yup, we play the same hockey, we're the same type of players."
PAVEL MINTYUKOV
Mintyukov was nearly a point-per-game player in his first season in the Ontario Hockey League with the Saginaw Spirit, with 62 points in 67 games. His first season in the OHL was originally supposed to be during the 2020-21 season, which was shutdown due to the pandemic.
"It was hard, just practicing when everybody else was playing. I was just hoping the OHL would play, and practicing with my team."
Filled with confidence, Mintyukov was asked what he's like when he's playing his best, he answered "I can do everything I want." As for a current NHL player he models his game after, Mintyukov selects his fellow Russian Mikhail Sergachev who is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
CHARLIE LEDDY
From the Boston area, Leddy grew up a fan of the Bruins and joked this morning that he wasn't too happy seeing the Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night to go up 2-0 in their series. He also noted that he did interview with the Islanders during the Combine week. Leddy is ranked 117th on Central Scouting's North American Skaters list.
FRANK NAZAR
Ranked 21st by Central Scouting for North American skaters, Nazar has full confidence in his abilities. "I feel like I may be underrated in the rankings," he said, "but I'm just looking forward to the future and keep working. And I'm kind of someone who just keeps pushing harder to be better the next day."
Several of his USNTDP teammates have been asked about Nazar, including Charlie Leddy.
"I think he's going ot be an impact guy," Leddy said of his teammate. "I think he's very fast, very skilled, he's smart. He makes plays, he can go up and down the rink. I think he's going to be a very impactful player."
8:30
FILIP MESAR
The 20th ranked International Skater by Central Scouting, is a Slovakian playmaker and met with 27 teams during the interview period. He noted that the toughest of the interviews he went through was with the Montreal Canadiens, "there were some weird questions like what kind of animal am I."
CUTTER GAUTHIER
Born in Sweden but raised in Michigan, Gauthier's father was a hockey player in Sweden when he was born. He's a two-way forward was proud of the way he performed on the V02 Max bike test, a test most players dread. "I think I did really good, I wasn't looking forward to doing it but I thought I did well."
Often times when players are interviewing with teams they're asked to describe themselves as a certain type of animal, a question that Gauthier was prepared for. "I think most guys say a lion or tiger, but I like to mix it up a little bit, so I said a shark, the king of the sea."
Gauthier, who played for the USNTDP, like Devils star Jack Hughes, is familiar with the Devils selecting players out of the program in recent years. Could he be next? "That would be awesome, you've got Jack Hughes and a couple of other players who have played for the program. That would be a huge honor, to play for the New Jersey Devils and it would be something you dream of growig up."
Gauthier is ranked third ranked North American skater by Central Scouting.

9:30
JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY
The top ranked European skater by Central Scouting
"Most of them were fun, but of course there were a little tougher ones," the Slovakian forward said, "but that's how it goes." All the sacrifices he's been making up until this point has lead to being atop the Central Scouting list, the biggest sacrifice he made, he says was leaving home at 14 years old and moving to a different country. Of the person who has had the biggest impact on his career, Slafkovsky immediately thought of the Slovakian national team head coach Craig Ramsey, who helped guide the Slovakian team to a bronze medal at the Olympics.

10:00
TYLER BRENNAN
Brennan says when he's playing at his best, he considers himself a highly focused player, dialed into a game, which is coupled with his energy. Brennan is the top ranked North American goalie, and has been since the mid-term rankings were released by Central Scouting. Brennan has played the past two seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Prince George Cougars. He's tall, standing at 6-4 and is noted for his excellent reflexes and says he watched Jakob Markstrom this season as a goalie he would like to model his game after. He says they have similar builds and use that to their advantages.
SHANE WRIGHT
The projected first-overall selection in this years NHL Entry Draft, Shane Wright is one of many players who interviewed with the New Jersey Devils who hold the second overall selection in July. Of his meeting with the Devils brass, Wright said "I think overall it was really positive, I just got to know them more as an organization and they got to know me as well as an individual and what I'm all about. More about off the ice, rather than watching me on the ice and watching how I play and the type of player I am So, the day went really well, I'm really happy with how it went and just a very positive conversation."
Of the potential in being drafted by New Jersey, who boast a broad spectrum of top young players like Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, here's what Wright had to say:
"I think any time you can step into a team like that with that young core and the amount of young prospects they have in their system, that would be pretty special and a really good situation to be in."

LOGAN COOLEY
Ranked just behind Wright as the 2nd North American skater in the upcoming draft, Cooley has consistently found himself among the names of the top prospects for the 2022 class. The U.S. National Team Development Program player had many positive things to say about the New Jersey Devils, a team that has a first round pick high enough where Cooley will still be on the board when it is time for them to step to the podium.
"Obviously they have a real bright future," Cooley said of the Devils. "I think they're going to be a Stanley Cup contending team in a few years, they're only going to get better from here. Having guys like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, they're going to be the leaders of the team, they're going to take them pretty far."
Cooley is expected to be the highest drafted Pittsburgh-born player in NHL history when his name is called in July. He learned to play hockey at Sidney Crosby's 'Learn to Play' program in Pittsburgh, saying that's how he ended up getting into hockey.

• WATCH: Logan Cooley | RAW

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Videos:
Fitness Testing
Every player invited will go through extensive fitness training including a Y-Balance test, grip strength, Aerobic Fitness VO2 Max test, bench press, and agility testing among others. You will be able to view the results of each player as they become available by visiting
this link
.
The following is the Fitness Testing Schedule, subject to change.
Saturday, June 4
7:30 a.m.
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Marco Kasper, Joakim Kemell, Topias Leinonen, Jani Nyman, Topi Ronni, Otto Salin
8:00 a.m.
Maxim Barbashev, Marek Hejduk, Jiri Kulich, Charles Leddy, Julian Lutz, Pavel Mintyukov, Frank Nazar
8:30 a.m.
Seamus Casey, Cutter Gauthier, Rutger McGroarty, Filip Mesar, Servac Petrovsky
9:00 a.m.
Filip Bystedt, Calle Odelius, Liam Ohgren, Noah Ostlund, Elias Salomonsson, Alexander Suzdalev, Fabian Wagner
9:30 a.m.
Lucas Edmonds, Maveric Lamoureux, Rieger Lorenz, Tristan Luneau, Denton Mateychuk, Noah Warren, Shane Wright
10:00 a.m.
Lian Bichsel, Tyler Brennan, Josh Filmon, Adam Ingram, Jeremy Langlois, Owen Pickering, Jace Weir
10:30 a.m.
Jackson Edward, Isaiah George, David Goyette, Ryan Greene, Brad Lambert, Cameron Whitehead
11:00 a.m.
Liam Arnsby, Logan Cooley, Jack Devine, Jack Hughes, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Ty Nelson, Jack Sparkes
11:30 a.m.
Michael Fisher, Dylan James, Cameron Lund, Ben MacDonald, Nicholas Moldenhauer, Jimmy Snuggerud
12:30 p.m.
Owen Beck, Michael Buchinger, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Hunter Haight, Christian Kyrou, Paul Ludwinski, Vinenz Rohrer, Matyas Sapovaliv
1:00 p.m.
Ryan Chesley, Jagger Firkus, Jake Karabela, Cruz Lucius, Matthew Poitras, Danil Zhilkin
1:30 p.m.
Brennan Ali, Quinn Finley, Isaac Howard, Lane Hutson, Sam Rinzel