NHL draft combine notes: Top prospects, wild cards, more

Expect the unexpected.

That was the refrain at this year’s NHL scouting combine about the upcoming draft. While a group of 90 prospective NHLers were put through their paces with interviews, dinners and fitness testing, scouts and executives alike marveled at what could be an unpredictable first round when it comes down to making selections on June 27 and 28.

“There are maybe 16 or 18 players I could see going in the top 10,” one scout said. “It’s one of those classes. Deep. Great character guys. Lots of these players have unique skill sets. Teams will have tough decisions to make.”

Another executive pointed out that there’s an “embarrassment of riches” at the forward positions for clubs with high selections. So, while Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer may look like a consensus No. 1 overall selection for the New York Islanderswhat happens from there?

Intrigue!

“The internal conversations have been heated,” the executive joked.

One name that came up plenty as a potential wild card? Carter Bear.

The Everett Silvertips forward did not participate in the combine’s fitness testing after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in March, but he expects to be fully healthy when NHL training camps begin in the fall. Bear was tied for seventh in WHL scoring with 40 goals and 82 points through 65 games last season, and ranks 10th on the NHL Central Scouting final list of North American skaters and 13th overall on ESPN analyst Rachel Doerrie’s latest big board.

If there were to be a jumper, though, Bear might be the guy. Despite not being able to go through the entire combine process, his body of work to date on the ice has clearly drawn serious attention from multiple clubs.

We’ve seen teams get creative in recent years — Juraj Slafkovsky going first overall to Montreal in 2022 comes to mind — and there could be another surprising first round awaiting us all in June. Until then, here’s the news and notes from combine week.

Eklund, Frondell the best of (competitive) friends

Victor Eklund would not be denied.

He was going to play on a line with teammate Anton Frondell. And their coach, Robert Kimby, at Djurgardens IF wouldn’t get a moment’s peace until it happened.

“I think I told him like 10 times,” Eklund said. “He was like, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah.’ But then finally, we did get to [play together].”

The alignment of two top prospects in the upcoming NHL draft had been years in the making, really. Eklund — who had 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games last season — and Frondell — 11 goals and 25 points in 29 games — started playing against each other as kids in their native Sweden, which is when Eklund first experienced just how talented Frondell was with the puck.

“When we were 10 years old, I remember playing him, and he actually made a move on me,” Eklund recalled. “Like, [he put] the puck between my legs, and I just can’t forget that. He says he doesn’t remember that, but I kind of know. But we’ve been playing against each other, but we really got to know each other when both of us started playing for [our team].”

Frondell confessed that he did actually remember deking Eklund back in the day (“it was really good,” he laughed) and shared what he appreciated the most about getting to share a line.

“Victor is easy to play with. I don’t think I’ve played with someone with so much energy,” Frondell said. “He wins every battle, even when we play against men. Victor wins all the puck battles, and it’s just easy for me finding him in an open spot, and most of the times I get the puck right on the tape. So it’s easy for me too, and we like playing with each other.”

Eklund was effusive in his praise of Frondell to explain why he dogged their coach so incessantly about finally pairing them up in January.

“Anton, he’s a tank on the ice,” Eklund said. “He has a shot like a missile. He’s just a really great, great player. I just knew from the beginning that if we get the opportunity, we’ll take it and we’ll be the best and I think we did pretty good.

And, yeah, the coach probably got sick of me asking so they [had to] finally put us together.”

Michael Misa staying put

Michael Misa learned the hard way how patience is a virtue.

The Saginaw Spirit forward expected to be a center in the OHL. But the Spirit were so deep down the middle when he entered the league two years ago that Misa was thrust onto the wing instead. He excelled there, and it helped build a foundation for where he’s at now — with the potential to be a top-two selection in the draft.

But Misa was really just biding his time until the chance to slide back into a center spot presented itself.

It finally did for Misa’s draft year — and he pumped in 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games to lead the OHL in scoring.

Suffice to say, Misa isn’t eager to change positions again anytime soon.

“Growing up in minor hockey, I was always primarily a center,” Misa said. “My first two years [in the OHL]we had a number of good centers who were a lot older. So I had to make that jump to wing. But coming back to this year, it’s what I planned to do for my draft year was go back to center and ultimately, I just feel a lot more confident down the middle. That’s primarily where my roots are at.”

Being able to dominate at the center spot has given Misa a boost going into the draft, where he’s projected to be among the first players taken off the board. And whoever selects Misa is getting a skater who is prepared to suit up immediately in the NHL.

“I feel like I am ready to make that jump next year,” Misa said. “That’s ultimately my goal, to make the NHL next year. I think gaining that center experience that I had this year definitely helped my game. And I’m just trying to become that more reliable 200-foot player defensively as well. So overall, I am ready.”

Misa said being at center allows him to be more “involved” in the play. ‘It’s not just offensively, but defensively, being reliable,” he said. “It’s been good for me … got a lot more puck touches, just carrying the play on my stick.”

Will Horcoff sets scouting combine record

When an NHL team asked Michigan forward Will Horcoff which animal he would be off the ice, he answered a silverback gorilla.

Based on his horizontal jump at the combine, Horcoff might be better associated with the impala. Because just like an antelope, Horcoff can clear incredible distances in a single bound — his 124.75-inch mark set a new combine record, a feat he trained hard to achieve.

“I knew I had a chance to do it coming in,” said Horcoff, whose previous best jump was 122 inches. “It was just whether I executed it. And I did. I’m happy about it.”

Horcoff — the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff — was focused on his horizontal moves but also wanted to show well in the vertical category. But his strategy had to change.

“It was a little weird; I jumped higher with my hands on my hips than I did with my arms,” Horcoff said. “I don’t know, at U-18 Worlds, I jumped 4½ inches higher than I did here. So I don’t know what happened there.”

The 6-foot-4, 181-pound center added — perhaps unnecessarily — that “I’m a competitive guy” so the discrepancy in his figures was perplexing. Still, Horcoff was pleased overall with how his work paid off in front of NHL scouts and executives from the 31 teams he met with throughout the combine week.

“I think I could be a skilled power forward in the NHL,” Horcoff said. “I’d love to play like [Ottawa Senators forward] Brady tkachuk. That [mean streak] is something I’ve added this season, and I think I’m going to continue doing it more consistently next season.”

Oh, and why the gorilla pick?

“He’s a leader,” Horcoff said. “And he protects his family.”

Players forced to confront their mistakes

The purpose of a combine is to put your best foot forward.

But that doesn’t preclude some missteps from the past from reappearing.

Such was the case in certain team interviews, where execs asked prospects to break down footage of themselves from the season. And the videos weren’t exactly positive.

“Pittsburgh did that,” Moose Jaw Warriors forward Lynden Lakovic said. “They didn’t show my highlights; they probably showed my lowlights, but asked me to break that down. It was good. I thought I handled it well. They weren’t my greatest clips, but I’m aware of that, and I thought I broke it down pretty well.”

Carlos Handel was similarly caught off guard by seeing his poor plays return front and center during the meet and greets.

“Carolina did that,” the Halifax Mooseheads defenseman said. “They showed me some bad clips, and wanted, for example, how I react [to it]but also they wanted to know how my coach, for example, wants me to attack there and what my opinion about that [play] was.”

If nothing else, these interviews kept prospects on their toes throughout the week.

“Most of the [talks] were fun,” Lakovic said. “But there were a couple ones that were a little bit more intimidating.”

Can Nashville do it all?

The Nashville Predators did not anticipate being a lottery team. But the best-laid plans sometimes go awry.

Nashville ended up finishing the season 30-44-8 — but the lottery delivered the No. 5 overall pick, just one of the three selections they have in the first round. And there is talent to choose from that could potentially immediately help the Predators.

Boston College’s James Hagens, Frondell or Brantford’s Jake O’Brien could all be there at the fifth slot to bolster Nashville down the middle, and each has the potential crack an NHL lineup sooner than later. Brampton winger Porter Martone would also be a solid fit for Nashville.

The Predators signed Steven Stamkos in free agency last summer, and he would be an excellent mentor to any young player entering the league as well.

Speaking of Stamkos, the Predators didn’t bring him on board for a rebuild. They will want to be back in the playoff mix next season. How they ultimately use the 23rd overall pick (acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning) and the 26th pick (from the Vegas Golden Knights) will tell us plenty about what’s to come this season from the Predators.