Ottawa Senators chief scout details team's preparation as clock ticks towards NHL draft
The Ottawa Senators scouting staff is making its list — and checking it twice.
While the Senators scouts made the bulk of their rankings for the National Hockey League draft during meetings earlier this month at the Canadian Tire Centre, there will be plenty of changes before the club makes the No. 21 overall selection in Round 1 on Friday, June 28.
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'The list, for me, is a living, breathing animal,' Ottawa chief amateur scout Don Boyd said in a telephone interview from his London, Ont., home on Wednesday. 'We'll continue to make changes. We'll even get together after the first round on Friday night and make changes.'
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Steve Staios, the club's president of hockey operations and general manager, along with Boyd, chief European scout Mikko Ruutu, several of the club's scouts and representatives from the conditioning staff, will head to Buffalo on Sunday for the annual NHL Combine.
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There, they'll spend five days holed up in a hotel boardroom located beside the KeyBank Center, interviewing prospects for the draft to get a better idea of what makes them tick before the annual crapshoot gets underway, with Rounds 2-7 set for Saturday, June 29.
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The NHL Combine is an important tool for teams to get to know players before decisions are made, but this one will have a little more importance after the league has decided to hold a decentralized draft this year, with teams working from their home cities to make selections.
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'For us, it's quick, but it's a chance to spend some quality time with some of the players in a setting that gets them out of their comfort zone a little bit,' Boyd said. 'Some are quite comfortable having eight people peer at them and fire questions, but it does get them out of their comfort zone.
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'It gives us a chance to see their personality off the ice, and see if it matches the personality on the ice. It's a valuable experience for both the players and the team. Throughout their pro careers, the players are going to have to face tough questions, whether it's in the dressing room or wherever they're at.'
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All 32 teams are represented at the Combine. Prospects and their agents will spend a lot of time moving from each of the hotel boardrooms to give everybody a chance to spend some time in a one-on-one setting.
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Unlike past years, the NHL has decided to move to a National Football League-style draft. The top 50 prospects will be brought to Los Angeles along with a representative from each of the teams, but everybody else will work remotely from their home cities.
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Vancouver Sun
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Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors It's a testament to second-chance tenacity for the affable winger, who initially teased of potential with the Vancouver Canucks, but struggled to find consistency in decision-making and finish. He beat himself up mentally and was demoted to Abbotsford of the AHL, where he rebuilt his game and confidence. Somebody obviously noticed. One school of thought is did the Canucks give up on the winger too fast by trading him to the Edmonton Oilers last August for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft? The answer is no. They got what they could for Podkolzin, who had two assists in 19 games last season and 15 goals in 44 AHL outings, which seldom equates to NHL success. And Podkolzin wouldn't have been waver-exempt this season on a club that added wingers. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Third-line menace Kiefer Sherwood led the NHL in hits the season with 462 and had a career-high 19 goals on a bargain US$1.5 million salary cap hit. He is 30 but is everything the Canucks need in that lineup position to push, lead by example, and also be a key penalty-kill component. Podkolzin has become a serviceable third-liner for the Oilers, but that's not the career projection for any 10th overall pick. He did manage eight goals and 16 assists this season in 82 games, and has had effective playoff playmaking moments, but where does he project? 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Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
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Article content One school of thought is did the Canucks give up on the winger too fast by trading him to the Edmonton Oilers last August for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft? The answer is no. They got what they could for Podkolzin, who had two assists in 19 games last season and 15 goals in 44 AHL outings, which seldom equates to NHL success. And Podkolzin wouldn't have been waver-exempt this season on a club that added wingers. Third-line menace Kiefer Sherwood led the NHL in hits the season with 462 and had a career-high 19 goals on a bargain US$1.5 million salary cap hit. He is 30 but is everything the Canucks need in that lineup position to push, lead by example, and also be a key penalty-kill component. Podkolzin has become a serviceable third-liner for the Oilers, but that's not the career projection for any 10th overall pick. He did manage eight goals and 16 assists this season in 82 games, and has had effective playoff playmaking moments, but where does he project?
