10 things learned from 2022 NHL Scouting Combine

BUFFALO --The return of the NHL Scouting Combine here at KeyBank Center and HarborCenter was a gift to those present.

"It's like Christmas, really," Dallas Stars director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell said. "Just to see all our guys again. It's been tough to get everybody together and all in one place, but to get together as a group, have these meetings and meet with the players ... like I said, it's Christmas."
The combine was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft is scheduled for July 7-8, 2022 at Bell Centre in Montreal.
"It was quickly evident that we're kind of back to normal (because of the combine) and that's a great feeling," NHL Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory said. "There's hiccups every year we do this, and you fix them and keep going. That's how it's been. It's been running like clockwork and it's been great."
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After 85 prospects were interviewed, measured, and profiled by the media, here are 10 things we learned:

Slafkovsky exempt from testing

Juraj Slafkovsky, No. 1 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, took the option to not participate in the fitness testing at the combine.
Players who recently completed play during the lengthened season, including the 2022 IIHF World Championship, were exempt from having to participate. Slafkovsky participated in medical evaluations, the fitness screening and interviewed with 14 NHL clubs.

He played 31 games with TPS in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league, seven games for Slovakia at the 2022 Beijing Olympics (Feb. 9-19) and eight games at the World Championship in Finland (May 13-29). Slovakia won a bronze medal at the Olympics and finished eighth at the World Championship. The 18-year-old left wing arrived in Buffalo on May 30.
"My last game was (May 26) so it wouldn't really make sense to do the tests," Slafkovsky said. "But I would like to try them, but some other day. I think there are going to be tests, for example, when I come for NHL camp in the summer and if I make the test good, then I think it's going to be just fine."

The Wright stuff

Shane Wright, the projected No. 1 pick, feels he could help an NHL club as soon as next season.
"I think I am NHL ready," Wright said. "I think this offseason I definitely have things I want to clean up. Taking that jump into the NHL is a big step, there's a learning curve, there's going to be a lot of times where it's going to be a lot of adversity, but I feel that I can face that. I want to be a difference-maker."
Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said there could be two players capable of stepping into a lineup and having an immediate impact.
"I think most of these players have been trained by their advisors to say that they're NHL-ready, but the NHL is a difficult league to play in and most 18- and 19-year-olds, they have to earn a spot in the lineup, then they need to contribute when they're in the lineup," Marr said. "Shane has earned that opportunity to get a chance to make a club and whoever drafts him will give him that opportunity, so he very well could be playing in the NHL next year.
"Slafkovsky is another player that you can easily put into that category."
The Montreal Canadiens have the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, with the New Jersey Devils owning the second pick.

Programmed for success

Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier each gained valuable advice on what to expect at the combine this week from a couple of former players with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Cooley, a center with the NTDP, is No. 2 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, and Gauthier, a left wing, is No. 3.
"I spoke to (New Jersey Devils forward) Jack Hughes right before coming here," Gauthier said. "He was working out the same time I was and I kind of just got a little information behind the scenes on how the combine works, and how the draft is.
"The only advice he said was to just be me. There's no need to fake it. It only happens one time so just go out, have a great time with it."
Cooley said Ottawa Senators forward and NTDP alumnus Brady Tkachuk skated with the program in late December. Cooley was asked what he feels sets him apart in the battle for No. 1 in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
"I would say just how hard I compete every night," he said. "My motor's always going and when I'm playing my two-way game, I think I'm at the top of the class. I think I'm a skilled player who plays both sides of the puck and when I'm doing that, I'm pretty hard to beat."

Savoie feeling fine

Matthew Savoie, No. 4 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, said he didn't require shoulder surgery after being helped off the ice following a big hit and awkward fall during the Western Hockey League playoffs last month.
Savoie, who led Winnipeg with 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists) in 65 regular-season games, sustained the injury during a 5-1 win against Edmonton in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Final on May 21. He missed the remaining three games in the best-of-7 series won by Edmonton.
He was interviewed by 17 NHL clubs at the combine but did not test due to the injury.
"I'm feeling much better, don't need surgery," Savoie said on Friday. "I got out of the sling a couple of days ago and am feeling good. The movement has been much better and I'm looking to get back on the ice in the next couple of weeks. Scouts wanted to know about the injury (during the interviews). ... They have questions, curiosities, about what the injury was and what happened, but it's been no concerns."
Savoie was injured late in the third period after taking a hit from Edmonton defenseman Justin Sourdif (Florida Panthers) and then crashing into the linesman along the boards.

First to finish

Marco Kasper, No. 5 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters eligible for the 2022 draft, was the first player to complete the testing circuit at the combine on Saturday.
"I saw yesterday I got in the 7:30 a.m. (ET) first group," he said. "Just go through it and have fun and enjoy it."
The Austria-born center (6-foot-1, 183 pounds) deemed the pullups his best event, completing 13, while he considered the high jump to be his worst.
Kasper met with 30 NHL clubs during the week. He did not meet with the Carolina Hurricanes or Dallas Stars. Kasper had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 46 games with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional men's league in Sweden, and added six points (three goals, three assists) in 13 games as Rogle earned its first Champions Hockey League title.
He spoke to countryman
Marco Rossi
a few times prior to the combine, and the Minnesota Wild forward prospect (2020 NHL Draft, No. 9) told him to enjoy the week.
"I think it's been good," Kasper said. "I think it's a really cool experience to talk to all the NHL teams. That's what I dream as a young kid, to come here and get the chance to be in this combine."

Sizing up the situation

Lane Hutson (5-8, 148) came to the combine prepared to ease any concern teams might have had about his ability to play in the NHL at his current size.
"I've seen an endocrinologist for my bone age and my bone age is delayed compared to my biological age," said Hutson, a defenseman for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. "So, there's still room to grow for myself. For teams concerned about it, I'm still not done growing."
Hutson said his older brother, Quinn, grew a few inches between his 19th and 20th birthdays to reach 5-11, the same height as their father. Lane said there's a chance he'll reach 5-11 as well.
"When teams are talking to me here, they've told me they don't want me to be worried about it," Hutson said. "And I'm not. It's just something I thought I'd share with them. And they're like, 'Oh, that's good, we're glad you came prepared.' I think every question in the room is usually about my size, it's the obvious thing. But I'm not too worried either way."
Hutson is No. 25 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters after he had 63 points (10 goals, 53 assists) in 60 games.
"I'm not too worried about it either way," Hutson said. "I feel like I can play at the size I am."

Made in Miami

Seamus Casey, a right-shot defenseman with the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team, is No. 29 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.
He had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 48 games this season and hopes to become the first player born in Miami to play in the NHL.
"It's exciting for me and my family because they've helped me so much," Casey said. "For Florida hockey, I think it's really big. There's been a few players who have gone to the NHL from Florida and I think being born in Miami, and kind of growing up in the Florida Keys, it's definitely a cool story.
"I'd be honored to be a part of anything to try to grow the game in Florida."
He's a big fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I always loved Steven Stamkos," he said. "The team did their spring training at our rink in Fort Myers (Hertz Arena), so I got to meet them, get autographs, pictures. I think it inspired me a lot, watching those guys."

Miroshnichenko on the mend

Ivan Miroshnichenko, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in March, has been cleared to resume his hockey training, according to Marr.
The forward entered the season as a candidate to be a top-10 pick, but his health issues limited him to 31 games with Omsk Krylia in Russia's second division. He had 16 points (10 goals, six assists) and is No. 11 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters.
Miroshnichenko was receiving his cancer treatment in Germany and was able to meet with NHL teams when they were in the country in April to watch the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He did not attend the combine.
"He was still showing the effects of the treatment, but the treatment was 100 percent successful," Marr said. "He's been back and cleared to train full-load within his tolerance level. They expect that he's going to continue on. He's not scheduled to go back for any more treatments. He's just training for [the] start of next season."

Hometown hero

Rutger McGroarty was the first player from Nebraska to play for the U.S. NTDP. He now looks forward to one day becoming the second Nebraska-born player to be chosen in the draft and play in the NHL.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel is the only Nebraska-born player to be drafted and play in the League.
"My family has made a lot of sacrifices over the years with me moving to Michigan when I was 10 years old, away from my mom and sister, and I feel it would definitely mean a lot," McGroarty said. "Just showing that the sacrifice worked, being a kid from Nebraska and showing kids from non-traditional hockey markets that if you work hard enough then someone will find you."
McGroarty led the NTDP with 35 goals and finished with 69 points in 54 games this season.

Cousins at the combine

Denton Mateychuk, a defenseman with Moose Jaw in the WHL, and Owen Pickering, a defenseman with Swift Current (WHL), are not only projected first-round candidates, but they're cousins.
Mateychuk, No. 14 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, had 28 NHL club interviews before testing on Friday and Saturday. Pickering, No. 15, interviewed with all 32 teams.
"For sure, it's very special being here with Denton," Pickering said. "He's a great player and he's going to have a lot of success. I'm super excited for him."
Mateychuk was fifth among WHL defensemen with 64 points (13 goals, 51 assists) in 65 games. Pickering had 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 62 games.
"It's definitely cool to be here with him," Mateychuk said. "He's a great guy and solid player. It'll be fun getting together in Montreal for the draft."
Pickering and Mateychuk were teammates for three seasons earlier in their careers, playing for Eastman Selects Under-15 team from 2017-19.
"We played spring hockey together, also," Pickering said.
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report.
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