Sheng Peng
Mike Morreale of NHL.com has seen his share of Draft Combines.
“If you go back 10 to 15 years, a lot of these players, they were more overwhelmed [by the Combine]. But it seems like now, it’s impressive how well the players get the support of the junior teams, their agents prepare them for this event. There used to be a time when all these guys had that deer in the headlights look,” he told San Jose Hockey Now, laughing.
So what can we glean from last week’s Combine in Buffalo? According to Morreale, who’s been attending since 2010, even though the players are more prepared than ever, player interviews are still more informative to teams than player testing.
“I don’t think a player can elevate his status at the Combine [testing]. A lot of times during the testing, it can be a little bit intimidating because all the strength coaches from all the NHL clubs, all 32, are at tables, just looking at these kids as they’re testing. They’re taking notes, they got their laptops open, typing away different things. I think all they want to see is the kids finish or just do their thing. They don’t want to see a player quit or give up, particularly on the bikes and stuff, maybe the pro agility test,” he said.
“I think the interviewing stage is the biggest part of the Combine — a lot of the staffs tell me that too — they just like to learn more about the player, not just on the ice, but their family growing up, how difficult it was for them, what they had to go through.”
Of course, the players also hear their share of quirky questions in their team interviews. The big one this year is the Montreal Canadiens asking all their interviewees to identify their spirit animal.
Morreale recalled a couple of his favorite questions from the past, one more insightful, one more off the wall:
“Would you rather play one year in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup or 10 years and never win it?”
“You’re sitting in a car with swim trunks on. It’s 100 degrees in the car, really hot, and you’re going to the lake. And as soon as you get to the lake, you can either sprint, jump right in, or are you the type of player to put your foot in the water and just kind of test things out?”
The Combine is also the hub for Draft gossip, one month away from the NHL Draft in Montreal on Jul. 7, and Morreale was in the middle of it all.
What is Morreale hearing with the San Jose Sharks? Who did the Sharks interview? Who is Morreale’s top-five for San Jose?
“This is going to be one of the most unpredictable Drafts,” Morreale observed. “After the top-three, it seems like everyone has a different Draft board.”
That top-three is forwards Shane Wright, Logan Cooley, and Juraj Slavkofsky.
The Draft guru also believes, based on Combine scuttlebutt, that forward Cutter Gauthier, and defensemen Simon Nemec and David Jiricek will go very quick. They won’t reach the San Jose Sharks at No. 11.
The Sharks did interview Gauthier, for what it’s worth, per Morreale: “I don’t think he drops out of the top-eight right now.”
Morreale also thinks that Kevin Korchinski has a slight consensus lead to become the third defenseman selected this year, behind Nemec and Jiricek. Some insiders believe the Sharks, lacking a blue-chip defensive prospect in their system, might look to the back-end and at Korchinski in particular. Morreale would personally lean defense if he were San Jose.
There is one forward, however, that Morreale would run to the stage for if he happened to drop to No. 11.
“Matthew Savoie, if he lasts until 11, I’d be shocked,” Morreale said. “If he were there at four or five or six…I think for those teams, while I think they’re gonna go D, Savoie is a real good option.
“He’s an exceptional skater. IQ. He’s got it all.”
Savoie interviewed with just 17 teams.
“If he’s at 11, that’s a no-brainer to me,” Morreale asserted. “I’ve had scouts tell me that the kid kind of reminds them of Brayden Point in his draft year.”
Savoie did suffer a season-ending shoulder injury in the WHL playoffs and didn’t participate in Combine testing.
“I talked to Savoie and asked him how his shoulder was doing,” Morreale reported. “No surgery needed. He was out of the sling. He’s going back on the ice in a couple of weeks. So he looked good.”
Savoie, of course, isn’t thought to be likely to be there for the San Jose Sharks at No. 11. In that case, Morreale is actually going with blueliner Pavel Mintyukov over Korchinski.
“If he’s able to fall to 11, I think the Sharks are getting a steal there,” Morreale said. “He’s the first defenseman in Saginaw history to lead the team in points in a season. He’s an elite offensive defenseman, and he can impact the game so many ways.
“Mikhail Sergachev is a guy that I’d compare Mintyukov to.”
Morreale doesn’t think that organizations should be too concerned about the fact that Mintyukov hails from Moscow. There is worry that Russian players and prospects will be forced or encouraged to remain in Russia because of the controversy over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mintyukov does have the advantage of already having a visa to play in North America.
“This is a kid, when I talked to him over the week, he has a real strong commitment to play in the NHL, just like the other Russians in the league. Like Ovechkin and Malkin, and those guys,” Morreale shared.
If Mintyukov is off the board, then Morreale would select Korchinski. Korchinski, by the way, did not attend the Combine because his Seattle Thunderbirds have advanced to the WHL championship round.
“He has a Shea Theodore-type of attitude and demeanor in how he plays,” Morreale said. “He’s improved a lot, tons of confidence with the puck, real poise under pressure, good movement along the blueline, can quarterback a power play.
“He creates lanes, real good laterally along the blue line, going east-west.
“Really smart with the puck. He’s always looking for secondary options when he’s coming up ice.”
If both Mintyukov and Korchinski are off the board, then Morreale would go forward, namely two-way center Marco Kasper, another recent riser: “High compete level, great work ethic. A real leader. He was captain of Austria when they played at the World Juniors.
“He’d be a fantastic option and another potential steal for San Jose here.”
Morreale noted that the San Jose Sharks did interview Kasper.
After Kasper, Morreale likes Jonathan Lekkerimaki for the Sharks: “He’s a sniper. He’s got a lot of shots, real smooth, quick hands, real good puck handler, explosive, offensive-minded, a lot of speed. He likes to go to the net. He really improved his defensive game this year.”
That rounds out Morreale’s personal top-five for the Sharks.
How about high-octane forward Brad Lambert? There was perhaps no prospect who needed to stick the landing on his Combine interviews more than the polarizing Finn.
“I think he did well for himself,” Morreale shared. “A lot of the scouts and the GMs that were there wanted to know more about why he kind of stalled in the statistical department.
“He interviewed with 26 teams, and for the most part, he said they went pretty well.”
Morreale confirmed that the San Jose Sharks were one of those 26 teams that interviewed Lambert.
While Lambert’s stock was going down before the Combine, Jiri Kulich’s was shooting up after a U18’s-leading nine goals. All 32 teams interviewed the Czech phenom.
“Smart guy. Offensive-minded. Real type of energy forward. Good skater and soft hands and good passer. He’s always on the move. He’s really good on faceoffs too. Actually, he’s a center,” Morreale said. “Plays with a lot of intensity. One of those guys on the forecheck who will just run guys.”
Kulich is trending as a late first-round pick.
Another sleeper who was the talk of the Combine was 5-foot-8 USNTDP defenseman Lane Hutson, who brought a report from an endocrinologist stating he has two more years of bone growth to go in his body. Essentially, Hutson brought a doctor’s note that said his growth spurt isn’t over.
“If this kid was 6-foot-2, he’d be a top-five pick. That’s how skilled [he is]. He’s got the Quinn Hughes-type of maneuverability on the ice,” Morreale gushed. “The fact that he’s doing research on [his body] says a lot about him.”
Per Morreale, the San Jose Sharks did interview Hutson. Could they take a shot at the diminutive defenseman on Day Two of the Draft?