Draft:NHL draft combine

History
In 1994, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau held the first draft combine with 77 forwards, 49 defencemen, and 6 goaltenders. It was hosted in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, near Toronto. In Mississauga, combine events were held in a hotel and the International Centre conference center, with fitness tests taking place in the ballroom and interviews being held in hotel rooms. Early draft combines received little media attention.

In 2015, the combine moved to First Niagara Center and Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York, United States, after the Buffalo Sabres submitted a bid in 2014. One of the key points of the Sabres' bid was the ability to implement on-ice testing, though this was not implemented. The NHL initially agreed to allow the Sabres to host the combine for two years, and the combine has continued to be hosted in Buffalo.

In 2020 and 2021, the combine was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though many teams held virtual interviews. In 2023, Central Scouting introduced an app for players to access their profile and schedule.

Selection
Each year, top prospects are invited to the combine. The number of players invited has changed over time.

In 2015, 120 players were invited to the combine, with about 75 being chosen by NHL Central Scouting and the rest being chosen by a vote of NHL teams and scouting directors. Mike Marr, director of Central Scouting, said: "Our goal is to have players at the combine that the teams want to interview."

[possibly add absence of Russian players during war with Ukraine]

Structure
details on buffalo

Medical tests
[not RS; do not use]

2007 details

psychological testing: apparently 2-part on a computer with ~220 questions (introduced 2007?), but unable to find RS

Fitness tests
2015 summary note: this says measurements are to nearest .2 cm

description of tests

[not RS; do not use]

From 1994 to 2014, the fitness testing was overseen by kinesiologist Norman Gledhill of York University. [find more recent cite?/who oversees in Buffalo?][found no details about Gledhill overseeing after 2014]

y-balance added in 2015

changes to tests

power test using a weighted ball

Functional movement screen
The functional movement screen (FMS) was introduced to the combine in 2013. In the functional movement screen, prospects complete seven tests of their mobility and stability to determine functional limitations or asymmetries. The seven tests evaluate the prospects' deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk stability pushup, and rotary stability. For each test, they receive a score, 0–3, which accumulates to a final score out of 21. Lower scores may indicate risk of future injury.

details

"There is a science to the screening with documented history which shows that a player scoring 14 out of 21 has a 75-percent likelihood to incur a muscular or joint injury." original study??

Grip strength
Grip strength of both hands is tested with a hand grip dynamometer.

Aerobic fitness
Prospects' aerobic fitness is measured via VO2 max.

details

Body composition
Prospects' height (barefoot) and wingspan (middle finger tip to middle finger tip) are measured to the nearest quarter inch. Body fat percentage is also measured.

weight

Jumping
Prospects are measured on their vertical and horizontal jumping abilities. In the standing long jump, prospects jump forward as far as they can. They are allowed to use their arms to assist the movement. At the jump station, a force plate measures prospects' direction, strength, and timing in three jump types: vertical jump (with arm swing), vertical jump (without arm swing; hands on hips), and squat jump (squat start; hands on hips). Prospects are allowed three attempts for each jump type, and their highest jump is recorded. The force plate was introduced in 2018. this source says introduced in 2015

Bench press
Prospects bench press 50% of their body weight, performing three repetitions. Prospects start with their arms fully extended, after which they lower the barbell to their chest, pause, and push it up as quickly as possible. The power (watts/kilogram) and velocity of the attempt is recorded.

"In 2015, the test was changed from being the number of reps at 150 lbs to the number of reps at 70-80% of body weight. In 2018 it was changed again, maximum power measured at 50% bodyweight." [find better cite?]

Shuttle run
Prospects complete two 5 – shuttle runs to evaluate their agility—one to the left, and one to the right. This test is also called pro-agility.

Pull-up
Maintaining correct technique, the prospects complete as many pull-ups as they can.

Anaerobic fitness
Prospects' anaerobic fitness is measured via the Wingate Cycle Ergometer Test.

(described in many sources as "grueling" or "dreaded")

details

Interviews
Interviews take place in 15–20 minute blocks. Teams vary in their approach to interviews. Interviewers may include the general manager, scouts, advisors, and psychologists. Sometimes, the team's president or owner will take part. The NHL can provide interpreters for players who are not comfortable with their English-speaking abilities. Interviews often include a set of general questions about the prospect's history, style of play, and personality. European players may be asked about their contract status in their home league. Questions are usually centered around prospects' on-ice performance, and interviewers may try to ask difficult questions to see how players react when challenged. Some teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens, ask unusual questions like: "What kind of animal would you be?"

Some players also take part in dinner meetings; The Hockey News reported in 2023 that teams usually take 3–4 players to dinner.  In 2018, the Detroit Red Wings took about 20 players to dinner.

self published description of conducting interview

Daniel Tkaczuk reported that at his draft combine in 1997, some teams conducted extra physical testing, provided puzzles or IQ tests, and conducted personality tests, and one team conducted x-ray scans on him.

Prospects are trained on how to answer questions, often by their agents.

Prospects may be asked to analyze a video tape of their own game, or of the team's. (find better cite)

Teams may ask prospects to complete personality assessment forms, and they may psychoanalyze prospects through these forms or via interviews run by psychologists. Psychological testing may also take place outside of the combine week.

Outside of the combine, regional scouts may interview prospects.

Other testing
[possibly fold into "History" or "Selection" section?]

Canadiens European combine for uninvited players

Reception
journal articles


 * personality assessments
 * performance by position meta-analysis
 * The relative importance of off-ice testing differs by prospect position; a 2008 study concluded that "emphasis on anthropometry should be used when comparing elite-level forwards, whereas peak anaerobic power and fatigue rate are more useful for differentiating between defense." 
 * off-ice testing
 * body composition/physiology meta-analysis
 * "We also found no differences between forwards and defensemen in any anthropometric or body composition measures. Previous literature has supported our findings that defensemen are typically heavier and taller than forwards (16,28); however, the lack of significance in anthropometric and body composition variables was not surprising because the physical demands of each position (all players must be able to skate, shoot, and pass) are not at all that different (23)."
 * forwards and defensemen generally do not differ physiologically
 * predictive power  lit review
 * goaltenders meta-analysis
 * The testing of goaltenders receives relatively less attention than the testing of skaters.
 * Amateur male goaltenders differ from skaters in fitness tests including flexibility and... [see p862]

The combine has been criticized for its implementation of physical fitness tests, and especially for not including any on-ice tests. Scouts and executives may value perceived effort, rather than prospects' actual performance. Prospects may drop in rankings due to a lack of demonstrated "competitive drive" in fitness tests.

Skaters and goaltenders are subject to the same tests at the combine.

According to Arizona Coyotes amateur scouting director Tim Bernhardt, some teams disproportionately value [wording?] player interviews. Players with strong ties to the NHL (such as through an NHL-player father or uncle) may be more confident and therefore perform better in interviews.

blog post reviews of studies (check studies themselves)

reasoning for not having players skate