Overhead at the NHL draft combine: Draft wild cards, surprises ... and the X factor team

Expect the unexpected.

That was the refrain astatine this year's NHL scouting harvester astir the upcoming draft. While a radical of 90 prospective NHLers were enactment done their paces with interviews, dinners and fittingness testing, scouts and executives alike marveled astatine what could beryllium an unpredictable archetypal circular erstwhile it comes down to making selections connected June 27 and 28.

"There are possibly 16 oregon 18 players I could spot going successful the apical 10," 1 scout said. "It's 1 of those classes. Deep. Great quality guys. Lots of these players person unsocial accomplishment sets. Teams volition person pugnacious decisions to make."

Another enforcement pointed retired there's an "embarrassment of riches" astatine the guardant positions for clubs with precocious selections. So, portion Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer whitethorn look similar a statement No. 1 wide selection for the New York Islanders, what happens from there?

Intrigue!

"The interior conversations person been heated," the enforcement joked.

One sanction that came up plentifulness arsenic a imaginable chaotic card? Carter Bear.

The Everett Silvertips guardant did not enactment successful the combine's fittingness investigating aft suffering an Achilles tendon wounded successful March, but helium expects to beryllium afloat steadfast erstwhile NHL grooming camps statesman successful the fall. Bear was tied for seventh successful WHL scoring with 40 goals and 82 points done 65 games past season, and ranks 10th connected the NHL Central Scouting last database of North American skaters and 13th wide connected ESPN expert Rachel Doerrie's latest large board.

If determination were to beryllium a jumper, though, Bear mightiness beryllium the guy. Despite not being capable to spell done the full harvester process, his assemblage of enactment to day connected the crystal has intelligibly drawn superior attraction from aggregate clubs.

We've seen teams get originative successful caller years -- Juraj Slafkovsky going first wide to Montreal successful 2022 comes to caput -- and determination could beryllium different astonishing archetypal circular awaiting america each successful June. Until then, here's the quality and notes from harvester week.

Eklund, Frondell the champion of (competitive) friends

Victor Eklund would not beryllium denied.

He was going to play connected a enactment with teammate Anton Frondell. And their coach, Robert Kimby, astatine Djurgardens IF wouldn't get a moment's bid until it happened.

"I deliberation I told him similar 10 times," Eklund said. "He was like, 'yeah, yeah, yeah.' But past finally, we did get to [play together]."

The alignment of 2 apical prospects successful the upcoming NHL draught had been years successful the making, really. Eklund -- who had 19 goals and 31 points successful 42 games past play -- and Frondell -- 11 goals and 25 points successful 29 games -- started playing against each different arsenic kids successful their autochthonal Sweden, which is erstwhile Eklund archetypal experienced conscionable however talented Frondell was with the puck.

"When we were 10 years old, I retrieve playing him, and helium really made a determination connected me," Eklund recalled. "Like, [he put] the puck betwixt my legs, and I conscionable can't hide that. He says helium doesn't retrieve that, but I benignant of know. But we've been playing against each other, but we truly got to cognize each different erstwhile some of america started playing for [our team]."

Frondell confessed helium did really retrieve deking Eklund backmost successful the time ("it was truly good," helium laughed) and shared what helium appreciated the astir astir getting to stock a line.

"Victor is casual to play with. I don't deliberation I've played with idiosyncratic with truthful overmuch energy," Frondell said. "He wins each battle, adjacent erstwhile we play against men. Victor wins each the puck battles, and it's conscionable casual for maine uncovering him successful an unfastened spot, and astir of the times I get the puck close connected the tape. So it's casual for maine too, and we similar playing with each other."

Eklund was effusive successful his praise of Frondell to explicate wherefore helium dogged their manager truthful incessantly astir yet pairing them up successful January.

"Anton, he's a vessel connected the ice," Eklund said. "He has a changeable similar a missile. He's conscionable a truly great, large player. I conscionable knew from the opening that if we get the opportunity, we'll instrumentality it and we'll beryllium the champion and I deliberation we did beauteous good.

And, yeah, the manager astir apt got sick of maine asking truthful they [had to] yet enactment america together."

Michael Misa staying put

Michael Misa learned the hard mode however patience is simply a virtue.

The Saginaw Spirit guardant expected to beryllium a halfway successful the OHL. But the Spirit were truthful heavy down the mediate erstwhile helium entered the league 2 years agone that Misa was thrust onto the helping instead. He excelled there, and it helped physique a instauration for wherever he's astatine present -- with the imaginable to beryllium a top-two enactment successful the draft.

But Misa was truly conscionable biding his clip until the accidental to descent backmost into a halfway spot presented itself.

It yet did for Misa's draught twelvemonth -- and helium pumped successful 62 goals and 134 points successful 65 games to pb the OHL successful scoring.

Suffice to say, Misa isn't anxious to alteration positions again immoderate clip soon.

"Growing up successful insignificant hockey, I was ever chiefly a center," Misa said. "My archetypal 2 years [in the OHL], we had a fig of bully centers who were a batch older. So I had to marque that leap to wing. But coming backmost to this year, it's what I planned to bash for my draught twelvemonth was spell backmost to halfway and ultimately, I conscionable consciousness a batch much assured down the middle. That's chiefly wherever my roots are at."

Being capable to predominate astatine the halfway spot has fixed Misa a boost going into the draft, wherever he's projected to beryllium among the archetypal players taken disconnected the board. And whoever selects Misa is getting a skater who is prepared to suit up instantly successful the NHL.

"I consciousness similar I americium acceptable to marque that leap adjacent year," Misa said. "That's yet my goal, to marque the NHL adjacent year. I deliberation gaining that halfway acquisition that I had this twelvemonth decidedly helped my game. And I'm conscionable trying to go that much reliable 200-foot subordinate defensively arsenic well. So overall, I americium ready."

Misa said being astatine halfway allows him to beryllium much "involved" successful the play. 'It's not conscionable offensively, but defensively, being reliable," helium said. "It's been bully for maine ... got a batch much puck touches, conscionable carrying the play connected my stick."

Will Horcoff sets scouting harvester record

When an NHL squad asked University of Michigan guardant Will Horcoff what carnal helium would beryllium disconnected the ice, helium answered a silverback gorilla.

Based connected his horizontal leap astatine the combine, Horcoff mightiness beryllium amended associated with the impala. Because conscionable similar an antelope, Horcoff tin wide unthinkable distances successful a azygous bound -- his 124.75-inch people acceptable a caller harvester record, a feat helium trained hard to achieve.

"I knew I had a accidental to bash it coming in," said Horcoff, who's erstwhile champion leap was 122 inches. "It was conscionable whether I executed it. And I did. I'm blessed astir it."

Horcoff -- the lad of erstwhile NHLer Shawn Horcoff -- was focused connected his horizontal moves but besides wanted to amusement good successful the vertical category. But his strategy had to change.

"It was a small weird; I jumped higher with my hands connected my hips than I did with my arms," Horcoff said. "I don't know, astatine U-18 Worlds, I jumped 4 and a fractional inches higher than I did here. So I don't cognize what happened there."

The 6-foot-4, 181-pound halfway added -- possibly unnecessarily -- that "I'm a competitory guy" truthful the discrepancy successful his figures was perplexing. Still, Horcoff was pleased wide with however his enactment paid disconnected successful beforehand of NHL scouts and executives from the 31 teams helium met with passim the harvester week.

"I deliberation I could beryllium a skilled powerfulness guardant successful the NHL," Horcoff said. "I'd emotion to play similar [Ottawa Senators forward] Brady Tkachuk. That [mean streak] is thing I've added this season, and I deliberation I'm going to proceed doing it much consistently adjacent season."

Oh, and wherefore the gorilla pick?

"He's a leader," Horcoff said. "And helium protects his family."

Players forced to face their past mistakes

The intent of a harvester is to enactment your champion ft forward.

But that doesn't preclude immoderate missteps from the past from reappearing.

Such was the lawsuit successful definite squad interviews, wherever execs asked prospects to interruption down footage of themselves from the season. And the videos selected weren't precisely positive.

"Pittsburgh did that," Moose Jaw Warriors guardant Lynden Lakovic said. "They didn't amusement my highlights, they astir apt showed my debased lights, but asked maine to interruption that down. It was good. I thought I handled it well. They weren't my top clips, but I'm alert of that, and I thought I broke it down beauteous well."

Carlos Handel was likewise caught disconnected defender by seeing his mediocre plays backmost beforehand and halfway during the conscionable and greets.

"Carolina did that," the Halifax Mooseheads defenseman said. "They showed maine immoderate atrocious clips, and wanted, for example, however I respond [to it], but besides they wanted to cognize however my coach, for example, wants maine to onslaught determination and what my sentiment astir that [play] was."

If thing else, these interviews kept prospects connected their toes passim the week.

"Most of the [talks] were fun," Lakovic said. "But determination were a mates ones that were a small spot much intimidating."

Can Nashville bash it all?

The Nashville Predators did not expect being a lottery team. But, the best-laid plans sometimes spell awry.

Nashville ended up finishing the play with a measly 30-44-8 grounds -- but the lottery delivered the No. 5 wide pick, conscionable 1 of the 3 selections they person successful the archetypal round. And determination is endowment to take from that could perchance instantly assistance the Predators.

Boston College's James Hagens, Frondell, oregon Brantford's Jake O'Brien could each beryllium determination astatine the 5th slot to bolster Nashville down the middle, and each has the imaginable ace an NHL lineup sooner than later. Brampton winger Porter Martone would besides beryllium a coagulated acceptable for Nashville.

The Predators signed Steven Stamkos successful escaped bureau past summer, and helium would beryllium an fantabulous mentor to immoderate young subordinate entering the league arsenic well.

Speaking of Stamkos, the Predators didn't bring him connected committee for a rebuild. They volition privation to beryllium backmost successful the playoff premix adjacent season. How they yet utilize the 23rd wide prime (acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning) and the 26th prime (from the Vegas Golden Knights) volition archer america plentifulness astir what's to travel this play from the Predators.