Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidX
For me it's Bennet - much to the chagrin of popular opinion on CP I'm sure. I'll preface this by stating he seems to have a great on-ice skill set, and it has obviously worked for him so far. I am also not particularly educated in the pros and cons of this group of draftees. This is based almost entirely on his combine performance and attitude. While I don't expect these kids to be mega athletes, I feel like if you're serious about being a pro athlete between the ages of 17-20, you have to be able to do at least a single chin up. Chin ups aren't only a test of shoulder and arm strength, they also engage your core (to stabilize the legs) - which is why it is often a difficult exercise to do.
But ok, so the kid can't do a chin up... lets play along and see where it goes.
His response was something to the tune of "games aren't won or lost on whether or not I can do a chin up in the gym."
Personally I don't think this is a good answer for anyone to give - let alone someone who is hoping to be picked in the top 5, and play one of the world's most physical games for a living. Games are most definitely won by players commitments to their fitness and performance off the ice. You're not going to be pushing people off pucks or lifting many NHL sticks if you have the upper body strength of an under developed 15 year old.
His answer makes me question his commitment and compete levels. Maybe I'm reading into it too deeply, but to me this just screams out as someone who (thusfar) has failed to take the prospect of an NHL career seriously, and likely isn't someone who will be able to step into the game and contribute in 1-2 years (which I think is what we're hoping for in a new draftee in the top 4).
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Yeah, you're definitely reading way too much into it. If anything the fact that the whole thing blew up the way it did and he was able to roll with the punches and respond to the plethora of questions about it in a very professional manner shows a good amount of maturity, and the ability to survive in the spotlight.
Not to mention that a few weeks later he was able to do two pullups already.
The sad part is no one really knows how he did on any of his other fitness tests. For instance, how many of the one-legged squats was he able to do? I would think that exercise would require a much higher level of core strength/stability. Not to mention the combination of leg strength and balance is much more directly applicable to hockey. How about the reflex tests? Jumping ability (which has been pointed out by many fitness experts as one of the best tests of pure athleticism)? Nope, all anyone really knows is that at the combine he couldn't do any pullups.