News from the Draft combine

[bubbsy]

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

[PlayfulGenius]

I've read several times that the physical tests have no bearing... I think it's just for media hype, etc.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

Aside from the top 2-3 guys it means a lot to teams, teams need to get a sense of what kind of kid their gambling their top picks on.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

They most likely will not effect the team rankings of the top end talent.

However, if a team has two guys ranked closely together but one guy blows away the testing at the combine while the other does poorly, it is possible that the team may leapfrog the first guy in their rankings if they value the commitment and fitness levels.

Guys also coming off significant injury time or undersized guys (e.g. Domi/Petan) may help their rankings to teams that may have questions about their physical performance.

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

The further you get into the draft the more muddled the choices become between prospects. All other things being about equal you would look to these results to help differentiate between choices. I don't think these results will dramatically shift anyone's lists though.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Chris Johnston‏@reporterchris7m

Dale Tallon says it's not a big deal that the top prospects all skipped physical testing at the combine. "The puck doesn't weigh that much"

Tallon's attention to detail had him miss the deadline for the qualifying offers to his RFA's. So he just spent millions more and signed them as though they were UFA's. This resulted in him getting tossed from Chicago and land him with Florida and picking top 3 year after year (Oiler Style)....

[calgARI]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Tallon's attention to detail had him miss the deadline for the qualifying offers to his RFA's. So he just spent millions more and signed them as though they were UFA's. This resulted in him getting tossed from Chicago and land him with Florida and picking top 3 year after year (Oiler Style)....

Well he did get them into the playoffs in his first year as GM after the team had missed them 10 years in a row. It was a stupid comment and the thing he did in Chicago was definitely a huge mistake but he also built the Chicago Blackhawks up to be a perennial contender for the first time in decades. So maybe his attention to detail isn't so bad after all. As far as GM's go, this guy has to be considered among the best.

[Henry Fool]

Barkov of course has his shoulder injury. He should be cleared to skate soon but I would assume he won't take part in most of the combine. I saw someone on hfboards post a tweet by someone at the event who said that the only other person at the hotel gym at 6 am was Barkov, so who knows, he might take some test.

I image the players care more about what teams they're going to be drafted by than whether they go third, fourth, or fifth overall.

[PlayfulGenius]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

Barkov of course has his shoulder injury. He should be cleared to skate soon but I would assume he won't take part in most of the combine. I saw someone on hfboards post a tweet by someone at the event who said that the only other person at the hotel gym at 6 am was Barkov, so who knows, he might take some test.

I image the players care more about what teams they're going to be drafted by than whether they go third, fourth, or fifth overall.

I'd think the opposite...these are competitive guys that want to be picked as high as possible, that'd be my guess.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

Yes I believe teams take the combine very seriously. Not sure if you saw this but I posed an ESPN article in this thread that shows that even physical tests are used to help evaluate if players are willing to fight through adversity and they find out a lot about their personalities in the interviews as most teams look for character. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of draft sliders are players that don't interview very well.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...26400&page=232

[Henry Fool]

Yeah, evaluating a prospect's character is important for teams, and that's difficult to do reliably, so teams will take the opportunity very seriously. The physical tests might show more about that than interviews. And for a lower ranked prospect, any chance to show that you belong in the NHL is huge.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yes I believe teams take the combine very seriously. Not sure if you saw this but I posed an ESPN article in this thread that shows that even physical tests are used to help evaluate if players are willing to fight through adversity and they find out a lot about their personalities in the interviews as most teams look for character. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of draft sliders are players that don't interview very well.

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...26400&page=232

yup, i saw that when you posted it. I can understand the interview being important to try to extrapolate a player's attitude, competitiveness, good head on shoulders, type details.

I think, as others have stated above, later in the draft when the cream of the crop guys are gone, the physical test results might prove a tie breaker, but these guys are so young. The physique and athleticism will only get better as they take the next steps in training/nutrition to become pro's. i do question whether how much a guy battles in the VO2 test compares to how much a guy is willing to battle along the boards or do whatever it takes to win a hockey game.

[GoFlamesGo1989]

If anyone is interested there is a cool workout Combine video of Monahans workouts on T$N.

[Henry Fool]

Evaluating prospects isn't an exact science. The combine is a chance for the teams to observe and interact with the players in a variety of situations. Fitness level and attitude towards the testing does tell something about a person and indicates which prospects will take longer to get to the NHL, for example.

Teams are building an overall picture of a prospect and every bit of information is valuable.

[MissTeeks]

Mark Masters‏@markhmasters57s
Ottawa’s Sean Monahan: ‘Toughest question for me was: what would you do if you didn’t play hockey? It’s not something I like to think about’

Mark Masters‏@markhmasters2m
What would Monahan do if not playing hky? 'I told them I'd like to do something within the game whether it be a scout, GM, work toward that'

Mark Masters‏@markhmasters28s
Sean Monahan has been compared to E. Staal but likes to emulate J. Staal ... 'I'd probably like to be a mix of both.'

Mark Masters‏@markhmasters58s
Monahan will be going to combines hosted by Sabres, Leafs, Devils, Flames, Oilers in coming days

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

Kind of cool to hear that Donovan McNabb is Darnell Nurse's uncle. Mark Masters from TSN was saying on Twitter that he spends 90% of his Sundays on his couch watching NFL. His dad also used to be a CFL WR.

[sureLoss]

Flames have invited Monahan to come to Calgary per TSN

RT @markhmasters: Monahan will be going to combines hosted by Sabres, Leafs, Devils, Flames, Oilers in coming days

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

are these draft combines of any real value?

Like i'm sure teams have a general ordered list of guys they like, do the interviews, and physical tests have any bearing on how they order their final list?

The physical testing isn't very important. The interviews can have an impact.

[Canada 02]

TSN has a video interview with Tod Button; 5th one down

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=96553

[dammage79]

Much different tone from the GM's in this years draft. I do not recall last year or the year before GM's openly stating that their picks are open for trading. Tallon saying he is open to trading down is something I would never have imagined him saying publicly.

Likely means that this draft is deep and stocking up on extra assets is a good choice for a lot of teams. So maybe the Flames do have a real shot at MacKonnon.