'Important week' at combine offers Stars up-close look at prospects

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Stars have had scouts watching the 2018 prospect class all season, but they still are gathering information in preparation for the
NHL Draft presented by adidas
, which will be held June 22-23 at American Airlines Center.
The Stars' amateur scouting staff is joining the front office at Key Bank Center in Buffalo this week to interview players at the NHL's Scouting Combine, and they said the process is a helpful step in getting to the draft.

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"It's what you see during the season that really counts the most, but this is the confirmation we want to get before the draft," said Joe McDonnell, the team's Director of Amateur Scouting. "We've gotten to know most of the players during the season, and we've talked to them at that time, and this is a little more formal, so it's more information, and that's a good thing. It's an important week."
More than 100 prospects will be interviewed by various teams, and the Stars have selected 34. They are players who could be available when the team picks in the first (13th) and second (44th) rounds, as well as players who could be available if the team makes a trade.
"We try to focus on our first pick," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "We focus on a group of 15 players who could fall into that slot. Then, you're looking for a sleeper here or there."
While the Stars are typically looking for the best player available, they could use more depth at the center position. Among the players they talked to Wednesday were Joe Veleno of Drummondville and Barrett Hayton of Sault Ste. Marie. Either might be available with the 13th pick, but both might also be gone, so the Stars have to be prepared for anything.

That's why the combine is important.
The interviews take most of the time but athletes also will get medical checkups and will perform several physical tasks. Players will be put through a battery of tests, including standing long jump, jump station, bench press, pull-ups, and two grueling aerobic tests. While this is one of the rare chances to really get some comparable numbers on the athletes, McDonnell said the Stars see the results as merely one aspect of the assessment.
"Medicals are important, because we really do want to know the injury history," McDonnell said. "The physical testing, they're 17 or 18, so a lot can change in a few years. I think it works well as a baseline for where we would like to see them in a couple of years. Once you have that baseline, you can use it in their training going forward if you draft them. But we still base most of what we know about the players from watching them play during the season."
The interview process is daunting for the young men, but the Stars are trying to make it casual. Players sit in a chair in the middle of a suite with about 10 members of Dallas' assessment group and answer questions. The tone has been calm, but scouts were still trying to read reaction and emotion in the players.
It's the first chance for front office people like assistant GM Scott White to talk to players in person. White's primary job is running the Texas Stars, and he has them in the Calder Cup Finals, but he also is part of the decision-makers who have a hand in the draft selection.
"I like this week," White said. "Not getting to see guys as much as scouts do, this puts a face to the name. It's information gathering for all of us, and we all want to get as much information as we can."

And the time in Buffalo allows them the chance to discuss that information.
"It's a team effort," White said. "They paint the picture, and they do the homework for us, and then we have to take the test."
It's a pretty big exam, too. Teams build their pool of talent in the draft, and a good draft can set you up for years. A bad draft, meanwhile, can create holes in the franchise and force some short-term moves that makes a team place a greater need on trades or free agency.
Because players typically aren't ready to help at the NHL level for three or four years, teams have to be able to predict performance. That's really the key to any draft, and it isn't easy.
Nill, who spent 20 years in scouting with the Red Wings, said everyone is making educated guesses, and that's why getting as much information as possible is key.
"That's where the NHL draft is so much different from other sports -- we're dealing with projection," he said. "You're bringing in kids who will be 18 years old when you draft them, and a lot can happen from 18 to 23. You're trying to narrow things down, and that's where experience is important."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
Read more: 2018 NHL Draft, Jim Nill, Dallas Stars