Weal recalls his questions, famous VO2 Max Test at his Combine in 2010
Five questions with Jordan Weal, who reflects on his Combine experience
by PhiladelphiaFlyers.com @NHLFlyers
Jordan Weal is seven years removed from his NHL Combine, but some memories last forever. PhiladelphiaFlyers.com caught up with Weal to look back at his experience and thoughts now and then as he prepared to be drafted into the NHL.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NHL COMBINE EXPERIENCE LOOKING BACK ON IT NOW?
"Looking back on it now. Honestly, it was kind of a whirlwind. You arrive there and see a bunch of guys that you played with and know from all over [at the hotel], then you just kind of go to bed. The next day is interview after interview - you're pretty nervous and they're asking you pretty intense questions.
Then the next day you go right into fitness testing for what felt like a whole day straight. It's a cool experience, but at the same time, I don't want to say it's overwhelming, there's just a lot going on."
DID YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT GOING INTO EACH SECTION - INTERVIEW & PHYSICAL TESTING?
"You try to. I remember being with my agent and we would try and practice interviews, practice bike testing and stuff, but how they had it set up was just fitness testing in a ballroom at the hotel and you just went around the outside of the room. They just pushed you from one station to the other and there are video cameras and all the scouts just staring at you working out. It's a weird experience, but definitely one that you remember for a long time.
WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE FAMOUS, PHYSICAL VO2 TEST?
"There's the 30-second one and there's the distance one. I thought the 30-second one was tough, it's the one that kind of makes you throw up with the lactic acid build up. You heard about it. You knew it was coming, but I think it was the atmosphere, it's hard to simulate the atmosphere that was in there. It was pretty neat."
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY TEAMS THAT YOU INTERVIEWED WITH?
"I think it was in the high-teens, but I can't remember for sure, but I do remember some guys there had every single team and that's a whole day's worth of interviews. I thought my day was long. There were some weird questions. There were some good interviews and some bad interviews, but it was pretty intense and neat at the same time."
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT ANY OF THE WEIRD QUESTIONS WERE?
"There was nothing too crazy, but I remember my first or second one. I sat down and had my fingers interlocked in my lap and I was scratching the inside of my palm and sitting there and this guy came up to me and said:
'Are you nervous, son?'
I was like 'uh, what are you talking about?'
He said, 'Your hands are twitching. Do you have a twitch?'
I said, 'Oh no, no. that's nothing'
So they kind of get on you a little bit and you're 17-years old at the time, we're all young kids still and it's funny how they can ask you questions and get under your skin. They're making a pretty big investment, but it's funny how they try and play mental games too."
For more Flyer memories of the NHL Combine, see what Travis Konecny had to say about his experience in 2014.
This year's NHL Combine is set to take place from May 29-June 3 in Buffalo, NY. The Flyers own the 2nd overall pick in the Draft, as well as 10 other selections from rounds 2 through 7. For everything Flyers Draft related, check out DRAFT CENTRAL HERE