Latest news with #NHLCombine
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
How NHL combine participants prep for their ‘biggest job interview': Wingate, weighted chin-ups, more
On June 7, at Buffalo's LECOM Harborcenter, Asher Barnett, Will Belle, Kristian Epperson, Sam Laurila, Will Moore and Charlie Trethewey will pull on their tank tops and shorts and jump as high as they can. The teenagers will have an audience: NHL general managers and their hockey operations cabinets. Advertisement 'You've got every scout in the NHL and every GM in the NHL watching you,' Joe Meloni, head strength coach at the U.S. National Team Development Program, said of the annual NHL Scouting Combine. 'They're literally picking you apart with their eyes.' It's why, for a four-week block, Meloni trained the six former U.S. NTDP players at GVN Performance, the Plymouth, Mich. gym inside USA Hockey Arena. The combine is their final opportunity to display their speed, power, strength, agility, willpower and professionalism to prospective employers before the 2025 NHL Draft. 'The NHL combine,' Boston Bruins director of performance Kevin Neeld said, 'is part of the biggest job interview these players will go through in their lives.' Practicing for the combine, then, is non-negotiable. NHL teams have been watching these six U.S. NTDP players closely for the past two seasons. All six have secured NCAA commitments. They have aspirations beyond college hockey. To complete their draft profiles of players like those Meloni is training, NHL teams use combine results to complement their on-ice viewings. Every year, players cycle through 10 off-ice physical tests that capture who they are as teenagers and how they could grow into NHL veterans. The NFL Scouting Combine features college football players on the cusp of becoming professionals. As such, a participant who blows up stopwatches in Indianapolis could hear his name called sooner at the NFL Draft. In comparison, an NHL combine performance does not usually influence when a player is selected. It is an early snapshot of data that will be accumulated for years, in most cases, before NHL entry. The intelligence teams gather during interviews preceding testing is just as important, if not more so. The primary value is for teams to initiate an informational foundation. Once a club drafts a player, it adds more data at post-draft development camps, preseason testing and year-end physicals throughout the player's career, all with the intent of maximizing performance. Advertisement 'There's not a ton there that's predictive of future NHL success. We recognize that,' Neeld said. 'But I look at it more as: What information would you want to know about a player that you're about to make an investment in?' NHL performance coaches will be eyes up at Harborcenter instead of staring at their laptops at home. They will monitor technique and body language. A player who stumbles through the 5-10-5 shuttle (five yards one way, 10 in the other, five back in the initial direction) could be signaling compromised commitment. 'When a player looks wildly unfamiliar with everything they're about to go through, that warrants some follow-up questioning from our scouts and front office of, 'Is this a potential reflection of the player's attitude?'' Neeld said. 'It may not be. But it's worth looking into that area a little bit to see, 'How much does this player care?' 'Are they going to be a player that certainly fits into the culture that's in this organization?' 'There's an expectation that you compete hard, you're a good teammate and you're part of a group that's working together to pursue the goal of winning a championship. If you have guys that don't care enough to at least go through a practice round of combine testing, that may be a red flag.' Force plates, timing devices and metabolic masks gather data at the combine down to the hundredths of seconds and inches. So for Meloni, mimicry is critical. It would not have helped, in other words, if he'd had the players do squats to prepare for the combine's no-arm-swing force plate jump, even if the same muscles are used. 'We have a saying here: Training is testing, and testing is training. That's exactly what you're going to get tested on,' Meloni said. 'To me, it doesn't really make sense to do anything different. That's going to be the same pathway you're going to have to do at the combine. So let's just do that. You want to make it reflect what you're going to actually be asked to do as much as possible.' Advertisement Barnett, Moore and Trethewey played their final game on May 3 in Frisco, Texas at the World U18 Championships. Team USA won 4-3 over Slovakia to take bronze. After a week off, they reconvened at U.S. NTDP headquarters. They were rested but not deconditioned. Meloni's job was to reintegrate them to a specific band of training emphasizing the combine's primary outputs: speed and power. Meloni began his charges' days at 7:30 a.m. After warming up, the players trained for approximately one hour. During the NTDP season, Meloni's workouts targeted objectives such as strength and endurance to get his players through the grind. For his combine sessions, because speed and power were the two pursuits, Meloni devised narrower training windows. Meloni operates under a principle initiated by Illinois track coach Tony Holler: feed the cats. The philosophy emphasizes purposeful training, good health and positivity. The athletes should not train more than necessary. 'If somebody's a cat, they don't really need a lot of work to change things,' Meloni said. 'It's more along the lines of just giving them a small dose and making sure not to overcook the steak, so to say. The best thing for training these qualities is being fresh and feeling good.' Meloni was not necessarily pursuing significant adaptations during the four-week session. Technical mastery, however, was required. A player will perform better on the bench press, for example, with the right form. Each day, Meloni ran his players through several of the tests. Mondays following weekends off were optimal for the players, who were at their freshest, to test their legs with the standing long jump and the three jumps (vertical with arm swing, no arm swing, squat start) using force plates. These are not straightforward movements. Practicing mechanics occupied each session. By the end of the program, Meloni expected the players' technical abilities to be down cold. Advertisement Other days were designed similarly to practice specific tests. They were not always identical. One chin-up session mimicked the combine test: maximum reps before failure. Meloni also incorporated strength-focused chin-up days. For example, he loaded the players up with 20 or 30 extra pounds. When they removed the weights, standard chin-ups felt easier. After each session, players consumed recovery shakes. Some stayed around the gym for stretching and treatment. Post-training fueling was mandatory. 'Thankfully, there's a Chipotle about 10 minutes away,' Meloni said with a laugh. 'That gets quite a bit of volume from us.' Of all the combine tests, Neeld likes the Wingate: a full-gas bike ride that measures anaerobic power in watts per kilogram. 'They're on a bike, which is a low-skill movement,' Neeld said. 'So you get a really clear picture of what their engine looks like.' Meloni knows this. His players practiced the Wingate every week. By the conclusion of the program, their performance was expected to peak. 'The goal isn't to make anyone puke,' Meloni said, referring to how some combine participants push themselves to sickness. 'But we do our best to build up to it. The first week, we're doing a little more sub-maximal style of training. The last two weeks before they leave, we just do the test one or two days a week.' For teams evaluating results, the Wingate can be a helpful data point in projecting a player's ceiling. This is the exercise 32 organizations are attempting to master: identifying teenagers with the most potential to grow into NHL contributors. 'You're trying to get an idea of where this player is right now on their developmental pathway,' Neeld said. 'To the extent that it's possible, to look at their frame and their build and try to get an understanding of maybe where they could get to.' Advertisement One of Meloni's objectives was to improve performance during the four-week block. Practicing technique and executing repetitions cannot help but produce adaptations. 'You definitely see change over a four-week period,' Meloni said. 'Maybe it's not reasonable if you broad jump 100 (inches) that you're going to jump 120. But we could add six to eight inches in four weeks, for sure.' But the primary purpose of combine preparation is to show dedication. Players will be competing, just like they do on the ice. 'You're not showing up to the combine and having anything be foreign to you,' Meloni said. 'You know what's expected of you. You know the technicalities of the test. You know how many attempts you have. We give them a dosage before they get there so they don't get on the bike and freeze up.' (Photo of now-Buffalo Sabres prospect Brodie Ziemer on the Wingate at the 2024 combine: Ben Ludeman / Getty Images)
Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
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. '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.' 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. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 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. 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. '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. '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.' 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. 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. Teams are sending a public relations person to Los Angeles to act as a representative for the club. Once the pick is made, the organizations will make arrangements to bring the newest addition back to their home city as quickly as possible. That means teams no longer will have the opportunity for in-person face-to-face meetings during the week of the draft. The Senators already have started Zoom calls with some of the prospects leading into the draft and there will be more set up after the Combine. The Senators have brought prospects in for testing and interviews before drafts in the past. It may be the case here as well because, without everybody in one place, that means there is no chance to have a player visit with you on the day of the draft to do any final checks. 'I don't know that it's any more important than it was in past years. We do have a general grouping of players coming into the draft and (being in one city) gives you a last chance to talk to the kids before the draft,' Boyd said. 'We're already doing the Zoom calls. (Thursday) we have four, (Monday) we had two, and there was a day last week we had six. Our regional scouts are doing their due diligence with players throughout their areas.' You can never do enough homework, which is why the club's regional scouts also reach out to general managers and coaches to get a better sense of what a player might be like. This may sound like a lot of work, but it has to be done because once you draft a player, it's a big investment. 'I don't think you can overload yourself doing that,' Boyd said. 'It's information, and you have to make decisions based on the information that you gather, and the viewings you had. Every team is like this.' The Senators had the option to forfeit their first-round pick this spring as part of the punishment for a botched deal with the Vegas Golden Knights involving winger Evgenii Dadonov in 2022. Still, Staios has opted to keep the No. 21 overall selection and had to inform the league within 48 hours of the NHL draft lottery last month that this was the case. That means the Senators won't have a first-round selection next spring. The hope is that by next year, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will see fit to give the Senators a lighter punishment. This will be the first time since 2019 that Ottawa hasn't made a pick inside the top 10. That year, the Senators selected No. 19 with a pick they acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a trade for Matt Duchene at the 2019 trade deadline. The Senators had traded their first-round pick to the Avalanche for Duchene on Nov. 5, 2017. The Senators took defenceman Lassi Thomson with that pick. He never developed into a full-time NHL player, but did play some games with Ottawa. He spent last season overseas, however, the Senators still own his rights, and he's considering a return to North America on a two-way deal. Sitting at No. 21, it's difficult to predict what player the Senators will select, but they have an idea in mind of what kind of prospect may fit the framework. 'By the time the draft rolls around, everybody thinks they're going to get a good player,' Boyd said. 'Around January, everybody starts wondering what kind of talent and what level the draft is at. 'The strong drafts really jump out by December, but in the second half, I don't want to say players get a second wind, but sometimes players get comfortable in their surroundings, and they perform better. They know the buildings, the player, and the game they have to play. 'By the second half, there are a lot of improved players, especially with the younger players, and that makes everybody excited about the draft again. That's the way this one will be, and go. Everybody believes they'll get a player or two, depending on how many draft picks they've got. Some will get players for their top two lines or their top four defencemen. 'Some will get players that become regular NHL players that will help their teams win. There is nothing wrong with that.' Boyd didn't use the old 'best player available' phrase when asked what the Senators will get at No. 21. Instead, he is confident the organization will find a good fit. 'I know what I'd like to get at No. 21, but I think we're going to find we're going to find some skill, and some compete at that level,' Boyd said. 'They might not check all the boxes of a complete player that fills five or six boxes or checkpoints that we think the complete player is made up of. 'But we're going to get somebody that's skilled and competitive and will bring that to the lineup in the future. Not everybody has the same path to the NHL. Every player is different. Some will take a little longer than others, but that doesn't mean they won't be as impactful or as important as a player who was taken a little earlier. 'That goes without saying that some of the players taken a little later could be more impactful than the ones taken earlier. That's every year.' For what it's worth, Daily Faceoff has Calgary Hitmen winger Benjamin Kindel, centre Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds and winger Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters ranked in that area. The Senators used the No. 7 selection last spring to take defenceman Carter Yakemchuk from the Hitmen. He finished with 17 goals and 49 points in 56 games with Calgary last season and was a plus-player for the first time in his four years in the Western Hockey League. Yakemchuk, who will be 20 on Sept. 29, pushed for a spot on the club's blueline in training camp, but Staios opted to send him back to junior. By all accounts, he had a strong year. At 6-foot-3, Yakemchuk is rangy with good offensive skill. Coach Travis Green couldn't say enough good things about Yakemchuk. He could push for a spot with Nick Jensen's future uncertain after he had hip surgery two weeks ago. 'We're happy with his development because he was held accountable,' Boyd said. 'He changes his game slightly to pay attention to the defensive side of the game. Not that he wasn't before, but as scouts, we're happy with the progress he's made and where he's at.' Whether Yakemchuk can make the next step at camp next season is up to him. There is a strong chance he starts the year with the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville and gets some stints in the NHL during the season. Former Senators defenceman Wade Redden kept in regular touch with Yakemchuk during the regular season and one of Sam Gagner's tasks as director of player development will be to work with young prospects to help them make the next step. 'He's changed his game, and he was a big part of getting that team into the playoffs and getting to the second round,' Boyd said. 'He's come out of his shell a little bit with good leadership qualities. As scouts, we see that on the ice, the people who have the most important relationship with him are the development people, along with Steve and Travis.' bgarrioch@
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
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. Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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. Article content Article content '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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content 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.
Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
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. Article content '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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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. Article content Article content '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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content 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.
