The NHL Scouting Combine is in the books, so let’s take a look at the top 10 performers in each drill from NHL Central Scouting. The top 25 from each drill are available, here.
The Blackhawks hold the No. 3 overall pick in this month’s NHL draft and have cut their list of potential prospects to six. Here are the six players Chicago is believed to be deciding on along with their NHL Central Scouting ranking among North American skaters:
- Left-handed defenseman Bowen Byram of WHL Vancouver (No. 2 NA)
- Center Kirby Dach of WHL Saskatoon (No. 3 NA)
- Center Alex Turcotte of NTDP/Wisconsin commit (No. 4 NA)
- Center/Right wing Dylan Cozens of WHL Lethbridge (No. 5 NA)
- Center/Left wing Trevor Zegras of NTDP/Boston University commit (No. 6 NA)
- Right wing Cole Caufield of NTDP/Wisconsin commit (No. 8 NA)/
Height, weight
Standing Height – Athlete stands against a wall (barefoot, heels together with the backs of the feet touching the wall) and their height is measured to the nearest quarter inch.
- Byram: 6-foot 1/4, 195 pounds
- Dach: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds
- Turcotte: 5-foot-11 1/4, 186 pounds
- Cozens: 6-foot-3, 183 pounds
- Zegras: 6-foot 1/4, 173 pounds
- Caufield: 5-foot-7 1/4, 163 pounds/
Anaerobic fitness — Wingate test
Wingate Cycle Ergometer Test – The athlete warms up by pedaling at a low resistance for two minutes. When given the start command, the player will perform the following intervals while seated.
Mean Power Output (watts/kg)
Peak Power Output (watts/kg)
Fatigue Index
- Zegras — 48.5 (No. 13)/
Bench Press
Bench Press – Conducted using a standard padded bench with the athlete lifting 50% of his body weight (pre-determined) utilizing free weights (including the barbell). The athlete lies on his back on the bench and grips the barbell with thumbs approximately shoulder width apart. The buttocks must remain on the bench with the feet on the floor. The starting position is with the arms fully extended. The bar is lowered to the chest, after a slight pause, athlete pushes the bar as quickly as possible until their arms are fully extended. Each athlete will perform three reps at maximum velocity, with a slight pause between each rep at the chest position. A “Gym Aware” device will be used to measure the velocity of the bar and the athlete’s ability to produce power. The reported score will be measured in watts/kg.
50 percent of body weight (Power – watts/kg)
- Cozens — 6.3 (No. 16)/
Jump Station — Force plate
Jump Station (AccuPower Dual Force Plate System) – An AccuPower Dual Force Plate system will be used to objectively measure the direction, strength and timing of the three-dimensional (3D) forces that the athlete produces during hockey related movement. The AccuPower system also captures synchronized video data from two high speed cameras and overlays the 3D force vector produced from each leg. The test will provide immediate feedback allowing teams to assess movement efficiency, physical performance and injury potential.…
Three jump types will be performed: Vertical Jump (with arm swing), No Arm Jump (no arm swing / hands on hips) and Squat Jump (squat start / hands on hips). Each jump test will include three separate maximum effort vertical jumps separated by 10 seconds of rest. The athlete’s best vertical jump height from the three attempts of each jump will be recorded.
Vertical jump (inches)
Squat jump (inches)
- Byram — 17.33 (No. 11)
- Cozens — 16.88 (No. 16)/
No arm jump (inches)
- Caulfield — 18.85 (No. 19)
- Byram — 18.58 (No. 23)
- Cozens — 18.49 (No. 25)/
Grip Strength
Grip Strength – The athlete adjusts a hand grip dynamometer to his hand size, fully extends his arm and squeezes the dynamometer as forcefully as possible. The test is conducted on both hands.
Left hand grip (lb)
- Caufield — 140 (No. 12)/
Right hand grip (lb)
Wingspan measurements
Wingspan – Athlete extends his arms straight out to the sides. Wingspan is measured to the nearest quarter inch from the middle finger tip to middle finger tip.
Wingspan (inches)
- Dach — 76.75 (No. 16)/
Pro Agility — Shuttle run
Pro Agility Test – The 5-10-5 yard shuttle (or 15-30-15 feet) evaluates multi-directional speed, agility and whole body reaction plus control. Each player will perform one sequence starting to the right and one sequence starting to the left.
Pro agility left (sec)
- Turcotte — 4.38 (No. 12)
- Byram — 4.4 No. 14)
- Cozens — 4.43 (No. 23)/
Pro agility right (sec)
- Byram — 4.51 (No. 25)/
Pull ups
Pull Ups – Athlete does as many consecutive pull ups they can while maintaining the correct technique.
Pull ups consecutive (max number)
- Byram — 13 (No. 11)/
Standing long jump
Standing Long Jump – Athlete stands with feet slightly apart with toes behind the jumping line. Using an arm swing to assist, the athlete jumps as far as possible.
Long Jump (inches)
- Byram — 111.0 (No. 11)/
Aerobic fitness — VO2max
Aerobic Fitness VO2max – Aerobic fitness is assessed by measuring the amount of oxygen utilized (VO2 max) during maximal exercise employing volume determination and analysis of expired air. In addition, heart rate is monitored continuously, providing data for heartrate-based training. This test will be performed on a professional grade spin bike (Watt Bike) cycle ergometer using a Cortex Metalyzer VO2 cart.
The end point is determined by either:
a) the athlete physically stops pedalling
b) the athlete experiences difficulty breathing or chest pain or
c) the appraiser stops the subject because the athlete can no longer maintain the required rpm despite intense effort.
Test Duration
- Cozens — 14:30 (No. 13)
- Dach — 14:13 (No. 20)
- Turcotte — 14:10 (No. 23)/
VO2 Max (ml/kg/min)
- Caufield — 57.0 (No. 19)/
Descriptions of the tests were provided by the NHL.