With the 2016 NHL Scouting Combine behind us, attention will now turn towards the NHL Draft, which will also be in Buffalo on June 24-25.

But first, let’s have a look at the top 10 performers in each drill at the combine, from NHL Central Scouting.

Wingate Cycle Ergometer Test – Athlete warms up by pedalling at a low resistance for two minutes. To start the test, the athlete pedals at a progressively quicker cadence so that by the time the designated workload has been reached, he is pedaling at his maximal capacity. The athlete pedals at his maximal capacity against the designated workload for 30 seconds. Revolutions are recorded for each five second period, then power output is calculated for both the peak five second period and the 30 second duration.

Mean Power Output (watts/kg)



Peak Power Output (watts/kg)



Fatigue Index



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Bench Press – Athlete lies on his back on the bench and grips the barbell with thumbs approximately shoulder width apart. The buttocks must remain on the bench with the feet on the floor. The starting position of the bar is touching the chest at approximately the axillary line and the bar is pushed to full extension of the arms while keeping a specific pace of 25 reps per minute.

70-80% of Body Weight (# of Reps)



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Jump Station (Kistler Force Plate System) – A Kistler Force Plate System will be used to objectively measure the direction, strength and timing of the forces the athlete produces during hockey related movement. The test will provide immediate feedback allowing teams to assess movement efficiency, physical performance and injury potential… The test will include six separate maximum effort vertical jumps separated by 10 seconds of rest. The three best jumps are taken and averaged to get the final scoring and rankings.

Vertical Jump (inches)



Grip Strength – The athlete adjusts a hand grip dynamometer to his hand size, fully extends his arm and squeezes the dynamometer as forcefully as possible. The test is conducted on both hands.

Left Hand Grip (lb)



Right Hand Grip (lb)



Standing Height – Athlete stands against a wall (barefoot, heels together with the backs of the feet touching the wall) and their height is measured.

Wingspan – Athlete extends his arms straight out to the sides. Wingspan is measured to the nearest 0.2 cm from the middle finger tip to middle finger tip.

Wingspan (Inches)



Pro Agility Test – The 5-10-5 yard shuttle (or 15-30-15 feet) evaluates multi-directional speed, agility and whole body reaction plus control. Each player will perform one sequence starting to the right and one sequence starting to the left.

Pro Agility Left



Pro Agility Right



Pull Ups – Athlete does as many consecutive pull ups they can while maintaining the correct technique.

Pull Ups Consecutive (max #)



Standing Long Jump – Athlete stands with feet slightly apart with toes behind the jumping line. Using an arm swing to assist, the athlete jumps as far as possible.

Long Jump (inches)



VO2max – Aerobic fitness is assessed by measuring the amount of oxygen utilized (VO2 max) during maximal exercise employing volume determination and analysis of expired air. In addition, heart rate is monitored continuously, providing data for heart rate based training. This test will be performed on the Matrix IC7 indoor cycle using a Cortex Metalyzer VO2 cart.

The end point is determined by either:

a) the athlete physically stops pedalling

b) the athlete experiences difficulty breathing or chest pain or

c) the appraiser stops the subject because the athlete can no longer maintain the required rpm despite intense effort.

Test Duration



VO2 Max (ml/kg/min)



Graphics of each drill created by Erika Vanderveer.