NHL Scouting Combine provides insight, information and memorable moments

The Scouting Meeting is a feature that will run throughout the 2024-25 season, written by Scott Harris, a former director of scouting operations for the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils and scouting coordinator for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In his latest piece, he writes about his experiences at the annual NHL Scouting Combine.

During my 17 years in the NHL, with 15 of those directly tied to the draft process, the NHL Scouting Combine always has stood out as a pivotal moment. What began for me as a role centered on information gathering evolved into a deeper involvement, eventually directing draft preparation and decision-making. It was at the combine where that evolution became most visible.

The combine is more than just a fitness test or prospect interview. It's where preparation meets performance, and where every area of the hockey operations group converges. Management, amateur scouts, sports performance professionals, psychologists, medical staff, strength and conditioning coaches all gather in one place with a single goal: to learn everything they can about the top prospects eligible for the upcoming NHL draft.

It's an environment that tests not just the athletes' bodies, but also their mind, character, and presence. Behind the scenes, months and often years of scouting come together with the personal and professional evaluation of each player. The interviews allow clubs to dig into a player's background, values and mindset, while the fitness testing lets them see how players physically project into the NHL level. Every word, every lift, every answer adds to that projection.

The combine is another checkpoint in the list-building and decision-making process of selecting a draft prospect. It can be where beliefs either are affirmed or questioned. It's where front offices seek clarity and confidence of the players as well as their staffs, heading into one of the most important events on the hockey calendar.

Rather than getting caught up in the minutiae of each draft year, I'd rather focus on snapshots of moments that stuck with me, whether they be key players, reactions, moments in time, or real-time glimpses of future NHL stars showing who they were before the rest of the world saw it.

Taylor vs. Tyler

With 2010 being the first combine that I attended, I got firsthand experience of not just the value of the combine process, but the spectacle it can produce. That year, the Taylor Hall vs. Tyler Seguin debate was front and center.

As a young NHL scouting coordinator, just being in the forwards' presence -- riding the elevator with them, watching the media buzz around them -- reminded me of the pressure these young players face. It was a front-row seat to hockey's future unfolding in real time.

The impact of an interview

In 2011, I was with the Columbus Blue Jackets and we didn't have a first-round pick because of trades. But we did have a second-round selection. That year, one player left a clear and lasting impression in the interview room: forward Boone Jenner.

He was so strong in his interview -- authentic, focused and grounded -- that it helped us make a clear decision: If he was still on the board, we weren't moving our pick. He was, and we selected him. And looking back, he showed exactly who he was that day, long before he ever stepped on NHL ice. That interview showed me the value of the combine and its potential to impact the draft process.

A deep talent pool

The drafts from 2012-15 all proved to be deep. And you could feel that each of those years at the combine.

Especially with players projected to go in the first round, after every interview you found yourself impressed. It made decision-making easier and harder at the same time. Easier because there were so many players you felt confident in, and harder because there were so many players who made you think twice. The depth was real, and the combine reflected it.

The impact of a facility shift

The NHL made the decision to move the combine out of a hotel in Toronto to Buffalo in 2016. Instead of being crowded into hotel suites, each team worked in a suite at KeyBank Center, providing a larger interview room and easier access for the players. But more importantly, there was significantly more space dedicated to the fitness testing, with it being moved from a hotel ballroom to HarborCenter.

This allowed for better observation, more detailed feedback from the strength coaches that were in attendance and a stronger overall view of athletic performance. Did it increase the importance of the testing? That was in the eye of the beholder. But it definitely gave us more data to consider, and more context to compare.

The virtual shift and still being able to stand out

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like everything else in the hockey world, the combine changed.

In 2020 and 2021, we had to get comfortable interviewing and interacting with players through video. How players engaged, and how staff prepared and responded, was vital and taxing. The human interaction element wasn't there, but we had to make the most of it.

One player who did just that was Wyatt Johnston in 2021. The center was the only player to wear a tie while sitting in his living room. It might seem like a minor detail, but to me it reflected preparation, respect, and a sense of identity. And looking back, it foreshadowed exactly who he would become as a professional.

In the years that followed, we saw how the pandemic affected not just player development, but social interaction. The ones who stood out were the ones who showed hunger and desire to get back to the game, and to grow from the challenge.

Back in person, and not as rehearsed

Once the combine returned to its in-person format, something changed, but in a good way.

The players came in with more personality. They weren't as rehearsed or robotic. They were excited to be there, for the chance to sit across from a team and be seen.

There were interviews during this period where a player's personality matched their on-ice play so perfectly, you couldn't help but be drawn in. One player's storytelling was so contagious that you honestly didn't know which you liked more, his play or his presence in the room. And that left a mark.

It's still too early to fully assess the success of these drafts, but there's no doubt that the combine left an impact. The rawness, the excitement, the return to normal, it all mattered.

Interview room realities

I've had the fortune of interviewing more than 1,000 players. Some were well-prepared, others weren't. Some were nervous, some overly confident to the point where it felt like they were trying to show you that you were wasting their time. You had players who were honest, and others who weren't.

One year, a player came in wearing a wedding ring and claimed to be married. We later found out none of it was true. Why had he said that? We still don't know. But it left an impact.

That's the thing about the combine: There’s no one-size-fits-all. Every player is different, every story unique. A bad interview doesn't necessarily mean a bad player, and great testing doesn't guarantee a great career. Our job was to take all of it in -- the data, the dialogue, the subtle cues -- and ask, "What are we really getting if we commit to this athlete?"

The combine offers clarity, if you know how to find it.

What the combine has taught me

If there's one thing I can take away from my experiences at the combine, it's that knowledge is power, but only if you know how to use it.

The combine provides a unique opportunity to blend information, instinct and insight. It reminds you that you're not just drafting players, you're evaluating people. It's where you begin to understand their motivations, how they respond to pressure, how they prepare, and who they are when no one's scripting their answers.

I've learned that no single interview or test defines a player. Sometimes a rough meeting reveals a player's honesty. Sometimes an impressive performance masks deeper concerns. The combine taught me how to read those situations, and more importantly how to revisit them with humility. You reflect on who turned out better than expected, who didn't, and why.

The combine forces you to stay sharp, evolve your evaluation methods and embrace the human element of the draft process. And above all, you're reminded that behind every name on the draft board is a young athlete chasing a dream.