The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine recently wrapped up in Buffalo, operating with a unique deviation from its usual format this year.
Given the decentralized nature of this year`s draft – where team personnel will remain at their own headquarters while the event unfolds in Los Angeles – executives were unable to engage in traditional draft-week activities like taking prospects out for dinner, meeting their families, or conducting final evaluations just before draft night. Consequently, the established combine schedule of fitness testing, meetings, and interviews in Buffalo took on enhanced importance.
The structure of the scouting combine has evolved considerably over the last ten years. Teams conduct interviews in private suites at the Sabres` KeyBank Center, with players cycling through in 15-minute intervals – a process one prospect once described as an `interrogation gauntlet`. These sessions often represent the first face-to-face interaction between players and top team brass, typically including the general manager and assistant GM overseeing scouting. Throughout the season, area scouts conduct initial interviews or distribute questionnaires, meaning teams arrive at the combine with a foundational understanding of the prospects, minimizing the need for small talk.
Normally, teams would take three or four prospects to dinner during draft week and arrange meetings with several others. Players generally don`t attend dinners with organizations that have little chance of selecting them. For instance, the top-ranked prospect, Matthew Schaefer, likely wouldn`t need extensive meetings beyond the New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks, who hold the top two picks.
For players positioned slightly lower in the potential draft order, like James Hagens and Porter Martone, meetings with four or five teams in their expected range were more common. Notably, the Islanders hosted Schaefer, Michael Misa, and Hagens for dinner during the combine week. Had the draft been centralized, it`s probable they would have met again, possibly including their families.
Interestingly, the Chicago Blackhawks, holding the third pick, chose not to host any dinner meetings. This was clearly a deliberate decision by their front office and sparked discussion among other teams. Speculation suggests the Blackhawks might plan to invite players to Chicago or visit them closer to draft week. This strategy echoes the Philadelphia Flyers` approach last season, who famously skipped taking Jett Luchanko to dinner before drafting him, a move perhaps intended to conceal their strong interest. Chicago might be adopting a similar tactic.
James Hagens also dined with the Utah Mammoth (picking fourth) and participated in interviews with a remarkable 16 teams overall – an unusually wide range for a player projected to go very early. If Hagens were to unexpectedly fall out of the top five, teams might see him as a significant value pick after third overall and potentially trade up to acquire him. Utah also conducted meetings with Jake O`Brien and Brady Martin, although it`s believed their fourth overall pick could be available for the right trade offer.
Should the Islanders select Schaefer first overall, as is widely anticipated, and Hagens remains available at pick number four, some observers believe the Islanders might attempt to trade up to draft him as well. One rumored deal involves the Isles offering multiple early-round picks to move up. Hagens himself has publicly stated that his dream is to win a Stanley Cup with the Islanders.
The Philadelphia Flyers cast a wide net in their interviews, including O`Brien, Martin, and Porter Martone. The Flyers` organizational need for a center is well-documented, placing them in a strong position to draft one with their sixth pick. While Martone is a winger, his size and tenacious, `pest-like` qualities could certainly pique the Flyers` interest. The team also met with several goaltenders at the combine, reflecting uncertainty at the position. Joshua Ravensbergen, Jack Ivankovic, Alexei Medvedev, and Semyon Frolov were among the goalies interviewed. With three first-round picks (their own, plus Colorado`s at pick 22 and Edmonton`s likely at 31 or 32), selecting a goalie is a distinct possibility for Philadelphia.
The Vancouver Canucks hosted Braden Cootes for dinner and are reported to have conducted extensive due diligence on Roger McQueen. Their significant need for a center is well known. The absence of GM Patrik Allvin from the combine raised eyebrows among many, leading to speculation that Vancouver`s 15th pick might be used in a trade to acquire immediate help at center. Similarly, there is a belief that the Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to leverage some of their draft capital for roster upgrades.
Brady Martin has generated significant buzz, with his draft stock seemingly on the rise. While generally ranked between 12th and 15th, his recent comparison to Sam Bennett`s playoff performance has fueled rumors that he could be selected as high as fourth overall. Martin, who grew up on a farm and had a unique training background, informed reporters that he models his game after players like Bennett, Matthew Knies, and Tom Wilson.
The prevailing expectation is that Martin will not fall past the Boston Bruins at pick number seven, which could potentially push players like Martone, O`Brien, and McQueen down the draft board further than previously anticipated. Some scouts are very high on Martin`s raw potential, while others view him primarily as a potential second-line agitator. If a team is truly convinced he can develop into the next Sam Bennett, there`s an argument for drafting him in the top 10, but history offers cautionary examples of teams prioritizing a specific player `type` over prospects with higher overall ceilings.
Beyond the physical testing, the interviews provided some intriguing insights. The Pittsburgh Penguins, influenced by Kyle Dubas, incorporated video analysis into their meetings. They showed clips of prospects` plays in slow motion, asking players to predict the next action, explain their decisions, and describe what they observed. This method, a known tactic of Dubas from his time with the Leafs, is used to evaluate a player`s hockey sense and their confidence when defending their on-ice choices.
The Ottawa Senators took a lighter approach, asking players to tell a joke as a way to assess their quick thinking and potential personality as a locker room presence. The Montreal Canadiens, known for their unconventional questions, presented a survival scenario: stranded in the desert with another person, a single bottle of water, and a baseball bat, what would they do if the other person took the water and refused to share? Other teams posed creative questions like what animal a player would be.
The consensus from the interview portion was that Brady Martin, Anton Frondell, and Caleb Desnoyers particularly impressed NHL executives. Their engaging demeanors in conversation likely boosted their standing. Desnoyers has steadily climbed draft boards despite not participating in the fitness testing due to wrist injuries suffered during the season.
Speaking of injuries, all eyes were on Roger McQueen during the fitness testing. There were significant concerns regarding his back and the possibility of it being a recurring issue, although the injury was a fracture rather than a muscular problem. One executive remarked that McQueen would be considered in the conversation for the second overall pick if injury concerns were absent.
Instead, McQueen might find himself available in the early teens. However, he successfully completed the combine testing without apparent issues, told teams he felt 100% healthy, and notably performed nine pull-ups (nearly reaching a tenth). Given the back muscles involved in this test, McQueen`s performance is believed to have alleviated some of the injury-related worries among teams.
Will Horcoff demonstrated remarkable explosiveness during the fitness testing, setting a new combine record in the standing long jump and finishing first in the no-arm vertical jump. While these tests don`t directly measure skating explosiveness, his scores signal elite muscular power and potential. The son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff was already gaining traction on draft boards, and his strong combine results and interviews further solidified his status.
Any lingering questions among scouts about Anton Frondell`s fitness were largely addressed by his impressive performance on the VO2 max test, where he finished among the top participants alongside Cole Reschny.
Mason West, a standout dual-sport athlete from Minnesota, officially declared his commitment to pursuing hockey at the next level. The former high school quarterback measured in at 6-foot-6¼ and is regarded as one of the draft`s more intriguing prospects. Many believe that multi-sport athletes are better positioned for success when they specialize because their overall athleticism isn`t narrowly developed for just one sport, potentially leading to better coordination, reaction skills, and functional strength. Given West`s significant size and raw talent, he is a player to watch closely early on Day 2 of the draft.
Beyond the standard combine evaluations, the decentralized draft format introduced another dynamic. Traditionally, the draft floor is a major hub for trade discussions and informal chatter. With that opportunity removed this year, there was a strong sense that many of those key discussions were advanced during the combine, serving as the primary chance for general managers to be in the same location before the draft. This context made GM Allvin`s absence from Vancouver particularly curious, considering the Canucks` stated goals and potential involvement in significant trade activity.
Not only were many GMs present, but the vast majority of major player agents also attended. Buffalo became a gathering point for a who`s who of the hockey world, and the prevailing feeling was that substantial groundwork was laid for potential trades and even free agent signings (despite league tampering rules) over the past week.
One thing is certain: the “silly season” is now fully underway, and it is highly probable that major roster moves, extending beyond just first-round draft selections, will unfold in the coming weeks.
