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Nov 08, 2023

NHL Scouting Combine Primer

The 2023 NHL Scouting Combine is underway at KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in

The 2023 NHL Scouting Combine is underway at KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo.

The annual pre-Draft showcase, which began on Sunday and runs until June 10, gives NHL clubs a chance to connect with top prospects and assess their physical fitness ahead of this year's NHL Draft, which will be held on June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena.

As with previous years, attendees undergo medical examinations, engage in 1-on-1 interviews with members of NHL teams' scouting and hockey operations staffs, and perform physical testing that measures strength, endurance, cardiovascular conditioning and other areas of fitness.

Seven of the 11 fitness tests will take place at HarborCenter on June 10 (standing height/wingspan, standing horizontal jump, force plate vertical jump, bench press, pro agility test, pull ups and Wingate Cycle Ergometer test).

While the Combine typically won't dramatically alter clubs' final internal rankings for the Draft, it does allow teams to do some fine tuning by learning more about the prospects from both a physical and medical perspective, as well as from a personality standpoint.

This year's Combine features a class of 65 forwards, 34 defensemen and seven goalies, according to NHL.com. Some of the top prospects in attendance include Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, William Smith and Dalibor Dvorsky.

Representing the Nashville Predators at this year's Combine are incoming General Manager/President of Hockey Operations Barry Trotz, Assistant GM/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty, Chief Amateur Scout Tom Nolan, and amateur scouts J-P Glaude, Matt Paton and Brett Carson.Here is the schedule for this year's NHL Scouting Combine:

June 4: ArrivalsJune 5-9: All 32 NHL teams are eligible to meet one-one-one with the playersJune 7: Medical examinations held at KeyBank CenterJune 9: Media availability with top prospects begins at 4:30 p.m. ET June 10: Physical evaluations begin at 7:30 a.m. ET

The Preds currently have 13 picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, including two first-round picks (No. 15 and No. 24 overall), two second-round picks, three third-round picks, three fourth-round picks, two fifth-round picks and one sixth-round pick.

Follow NashvillePredators.com and @PredsNHL social media channels for live updates, content and a look inside this year's NHL Scouting Combine.