Sport Science and 'Speed Dating:' Inside the NHL Scouting Combine

This past week, the Nashville Predators and the other 31 NHL clubs attended the league's annual Scouting Combine in Buffalo for one final opportunity to meet with and evaluate some of hockey's top draft-eligible prospects before the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28-29, held this year at Bridgestone Arena in SMASHVILLE.

From June 5-9, prospects had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one interviews with members of NHL teams' scouting and hockey operations staffs. Joining Nashville's habitual Scouting Combine attendees like Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty, Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan and Strength & Conditioning Coach David Good at this year's event was incoming General Manager/Director of Hockey Operations Barry Trotz.

"I thought it was really important for me just to experience the process with some of the potential draft choices that we have," Trotz said. "I thought it would give me a little more insight and understanding of it."

It was a busy week for Trotz, Kealty and their staff, as they conducted interviews with 75 of the 106 prospects in attendance at this year's Scouting Combine in preparation for Nashville's 13 picks in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft.

"I kind of equate it to speed dating," Kealty said. "You come in for 20 minutes, and you kind of get to know them a little bit more."

Trotz was impressed by the prospects he met with at this year's event, noting that his responsibility as a general manager involves building a team culture with a roster of quality human beings - not just quality hockey players.

"I love the fact that the young men are well prepared," Trotz said. "They're polished. I love the different personalities and getting a visual on them, seeing how they are physically… As a general manager, I want to make sure that I have a feel for the type of person and the type of player they are. Our scouts do such a great and thorough job that it's just me getting comfortable with this whole process."

The 2023 NHL Draft class contains an embarrassment of riches, including a generational talent in No. 1-ranked prospect Connor Bedard. With 13 total picks, including two in the first round, the Predators have no shortage of options in this year's draft.

"In almost every section [of interviews], there is a player that really intrigues you from a personality standpoint or a physical standpoint," Trotz said. "There's one or two basically every half day that you say, 'If we can draft this player, this would be a real good thing for the Nashville Predators.'"

It's rare that the Scouting Combine will dramatically alter the Predators' final internal ranking prior to the Draft, but it does allow Kealty and his staff to do some fine tuning by learning more about the prospects from both a physical and medical perspective, as well as getting to know their personalities.

"To be honest, a lot of the work is done before they get to the combine," Kealty said. "We do a lot of background work and our scouts do a lot of work on these kids, so we have a pretty good picture of what they are going to be like coming in. And a lot of our [area scouts] have already had some face time with them. So a lot of it is just confirming a lot of things that we know and kind of just getting to know them a little more face to face at this point."

In addition to serving as the setting for one-on-one interviews with NHL clubs, the Scouting Combine puts the prospects through comprehensive physical testing that measures strength, endurance, cardiovascular conditioning and other areas of fitness. Kealty, who has attended more than 20 scouting combines since joining the Predators as an amateur scout in 2001, has been impressed with the event's evolution over the past two decades.

"When I first started doing this, the interview process was similar," Kealty said. "But now there's more to it in terms of the sport science, the physical testing and all that kind of stuff. So it's really become a big event. The media is more involved with it. A year like this year when you have a guy like Connor Bedard, it becomes more of a showcase for the other players and it turns into a really good week."

The NHL Scouting Combine is about more than just evaluating prospects, however; it is also an opportunity for Trotz to connect with other GMs from around the league and explore potential trade options both before and during the draft.

"All the general managers are here, so it's a great way to… pick their brains a little bit on what they may be looking for, what we might be able to offer, or whether we might be able to maybe swing a deal either before the draft or right at the draft floor," Trotz said. "So it's a lot of prep, a lot of notes, a lot of phone calls… It was a great opportunity to run into different hockey people to really assess what we may be able to do."

Trotz, who doesn't officially take over as GM until July 1, is relishing the learning experience as he prepares to sit beside his predecessor, David Poile, at the Predators draft table on June 28 at Bridgestone Arena.

"Honestly, I want this to be David Poile's draft," Trotz said. "He and Jeff will work all the stuff at the table. I will be right there and be informed, but I really want it to be David's draft. It would be fitting that his final draft is in Nashville, when you look at what he's done for the organization over the years. I know all the ups and downs of different ownership, all the things that an expansion team goes through in a non-traditional market, and David's been a part of that. So I really want this draft to be about David Poile."

The 2023 NHL Draft will indeed be a special one for the Predators, who last hosted the event at Bridgestone Arena in 2003, when the franchise was just five years old.

"I think that everybody in the League is really excited that it's in Nashville," Kealty said. "It's a great city. There's a lot of people in the business that I know that were in the business 20 years ago, the last time we had it, and they had good memories from that and had a good time there. And the city has changed so much, so I know people in the league are excited."

Tickets are still available for the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena. Visit nashvillepredators.com/draft for more information.