[sureLoss]

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The likes of Conroy, amateur scouting director Tod Button, general manager Brad Treliving and president of hockey operations Brian Burke -- mix in several other scouts -- will interview with 63 players over the course of four days.

At the other end of the table, some players will meet with all 30 teams over the 96-hour stretch.

It makes for some great interviews, Conroy admitted.

“Anytime you come, there are always some great stories, you have fun with the kids,” he said. “They were all different, but they all know how to handle themselves. I was thinking if I was 17, 18 back doing this, I don’t know what I would’ve said for answers.

“I thought they handled themselves well and I thought if anything, they’ve all helped themselves.”

It’s getting harder, though, for teams to dig.

Players are coming into the combine more polished, making the work of Conroy, Burke and Treliving more difficult.

“They come in here pretty prepared,” Treliving said. “I know they spend some time with their representatives and go through this process in a mock basis. They’re prepared for a lot of the questions that you may come at them with.

“The number of poor interviews is getting less and less. These kids are mature. They’ve gone through this process, the top kids have gone through it for the past couple of years.”

It’s tough to judge, Conroy admitted.

“I think sometimes when they’re just scripted and you feel like they give definitions to answers, I like when they’re just themselves and they show what kind of person they are,” he said. “If they’re outgoing, bubbly like they say, ‘Hey we’re a jokester’ and they’re pretty serious in the interview, you wonder if it’s just an act or if he’s really being himself.”

Whether or not a player is being genuine or not isn’t necessarily easy.