Mateiko performs well at NHL Combine

NHL

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko had a strong showing at the recent NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo.

The Latvian had top-10 finishes aerobic fitness, wingspan and right and left hand grip.

Below are the top-25 results from each of those categories (click to enlarge).

NOTEBOOK: Video From Draft Day

Via John Moore, here’s the Sea Dogs picking Joseph Veleno first overall on Saturday.

On the Sea Dogs website, they have videos with Veleno, general manager Darrell Young and head coach Danny Flynn.

NHL COMBINE

The Sea Dogs had a fairly strong showing at the NHL Combine in Buffalo last week. From the Sea Dogs:

Dove-McFalls impressed by finishing tied for the strongest left-hand grip at 180 lbs. and posting the second-strongest right-hand grip at 175 lbs. 

Noel tied for third with 12 pull-ups - only two fewer than the top finisher. 

Joseph placed eighth in the grueling VO2 max bike test. 

Noel, Joseph and Chabot posted other top-ten ranks as well.

Adam Marsh and Jakub Zboril also took part in the combine.

The Hockey News has an article on the event, which includes a tidbit on Chabot.

ZBORIL AND THE BRUINS

As CSN New England reports, Jakub Zboril could be selected by the Boston Bruins at 14^th overall in the NHL Draft.

McKEEN’S RANKINGS

McKeen’s Hockey released their final draft rankings last week. They have Jakub Zboril ranked 18^th and Thomas Chabot ranked 21^st.

MORE RANKINGS

Via Elite Prospects, HockeyProspect.com has released their final rankings. Chabot was ranked 20^th and Zboril 25^th.

NHL Combine Gets Underway

QUEBEC CITY - The 2015 NHL Combine gets underway today and there will be plenty of Sea Dogs in attendance.

Of the 120 players expected to be in attendance, six will be from the Sea Dogs. Defensemen Jakub Zboril and Thomas Chabot and forwards Nathan Noel, Adam Marsh, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Mathieu Joseph are all scheduled to participate in medical and fitness testing June 1-6 in Buffalo.

According to NHL.com, “the Scouting Combine will give amateur scouts and general managers an opportunity for 1-on-1 interviews with the prospects at First Niagara Center from June 1-5. The medical examinations of each player will take place June 4, and the majority of the fitness testing will take place June 6 at HarborCenter. No player can test until clearing the medical screening.”

Meanwhile, in Future Considerations’ final NHL Draft rankings, Zboril was ranked 20^th and Chabot 21^st.

TSN’s Craig Button also released his final rankings last week. The Sea Dogs ranked are as follows:

19. Thomas Chabot

26. Jakub Zboril

65. Adam Marsh

71. Nathan Noel

75. Mathieu Joseph

89. Spencer Smallman

94. Samuel Dove-McFalls

The 2015 NHL Draft takes place June 26-27 in Florida.

DRAFT COMBINE NEWS & NOTES

While most of the attention has been put on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft this weekend in Victoriaville, several Saint John Sea Dogs are participating in the National Hockey League’s Draft Combine in Toronto.

Sea Dogs that were invited to attend the event include Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips, Tomas Jurco, Ryan Tesink, and Scott Oke.

Today was the big day at the combine as the infamous physical testing went down inside the ballroom of some hotel.

Phillips was in a group with Sean Courturier, Nikita Kucherov, Connor Murphy, Matthew Nieto, Brandon Saad, Tyler Wotherspoon, and Mika Zibanejad. Huberdeau and Jurco were in a group with Joseph Labate, Adam Larsson, Matt Mahalak, Xavier Oullet, Mike Reilly, and Michael St. Croix. Tesink was paired with Seth Ambroz, Phillip Danault, John Gibson, Dougie Hamilton, Adam Lowry, Ryan Murphy, and Brett Ritchie. Beaulieu was with Philippe Hudon, Colin Jacobs, Lucas Lessio, David Musil, Stefan Noesen, Robbie Russo, and Ryan Strome. Oke was with Adam Clendening, Christopher Gibson, Shane Prince, Matt Puempel, Jonathan Racine, Ty Rattie, and Mark Scheifele.

Here are some news and notes from today’s combine events:

• From TSN’s Bob McKenzie: “Huberdeau had 2 on the bench press. Which means? Not much. Obviously needs to get stronger but kid is worn down too. Just finished playing.”
• From Bio Steele Sports: “Huberdeau: exciting prospect, if he plays that well in the shape he's in, imagine how he'll do with a couple summers of proper training!”
• From TSN’s Matt Cade: “Getting a good look at Zack Phillips' hair at the combine right now. I think it could bring peace to the middle east.”
• From Bruins 2011 Draft Watch’s Kirk Luedeke: “Saint John defenseman Nathan Beaulieu- impressive with his answers to questions. Well-spoken and poised you can tell his dad's a coach.”
• From NHL.com: “Body fat -- Rogle defenseman Rasmus Bengtsson measured in with only 3.6-percent body fat. The next leanest players were U.S. National Team forward Rocco Grimaldi and Saint John Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink at 6.8 percent.”
• From NHL.com: “Bench press -- Clendening, McNeill and Saint John Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco each did 13 reps with the 150-pound weight on the bench. Omaha Lancers forward Seth Ambroz and Northeastern defenseman Jamie Oleksiak were next with 12.”
• From NHL.com: “Following the first day of testing here at the Toronto Congress Center, linemates Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League earned the lowest fatigue index scores in the Wingate test. That's quite an accomplishment considering both players went the distance in capturing the Memorial Cup championship on Sunday against the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.”

Here some videos from NHL.com:

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

DRAFT TIME
It’s draft weekend in Victoriaville and the Desjardins Colisee is just about ready to roll.

COMBINE STUFF
Mike Morreale of NHL.com tweeted this morning that Zack Phillips “likely won't participate in the bench press portion of the fitness testing” because of his “upper body” injury.

Phillips injured his shoulder in Game Four of the President’s Cup final but returned to play in the Memorial Cup.

PARADE AFTERMATH
NHL.com spoke to the Sea Dogs taking in the draft combine in Toronto about Tuesday’s parade.

"It was unbelievable," forward Ryan Tesink said. "We felt like Gods. We had about six vehicles, including a fire truck, and three or four of us each were on one. We're not the biggest city and in the middle of the day on a Tuesday … I was impressed. I grew up (in Saint John) my whole life."

"One sign out there read, 'Tesink for Mayor'", said the 5-foot-11, 157 pound Tesink. "I thought that was funny and the boys loved that one. I was so proud to be a St. Johner during that parade. I couldn't believe the support. We had about 500 fans come to the final (in Mississauga) and everyone flew or some drove and spent a lot of money to watch us win that (Memorial Cup). That means the world to me."

Here is CBC New Brunswick’s coverage of the parade:



DRAFT TRACKER
Over at Buzzing The Net, Tomas Jurco is featured in the “Draft Tracker.”

HOFFMAN UPDATE
The Ottawa Senators website had a feature on prospect and former Sea Dogs sniper Mike Hoffman.

"I don’t even hardly recognize him," Binghamton Senators head coach Kurt Kleinendorst said when asked about the improvement he's seen in the rookie forward. "Seriously, from where he was to where he is now ... He was an early scratch. He was out of the lineup in the first round against Manchester."

Hoffman got off to a slow start in his first year of professional hockey but has gradually improved his play.

"The first couple of months, it takes time to get used to the league," said Hoffman. "Some players adjust different than others. I feel like I’ve adjusted now, but it took some time. I feel good out there now. Just the experience (makes a difference). You know you’ve got to work hard to keep up to the pace up here."

The Sens play Game Four of the Calder Cup Final on Friday in Binghamton. Their opponent, the Houston Aeros, currently lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

HUBERDEAU PROFILE
Another day, another draft profile on Jonathan Huberdeau. The Minnesota Wild blog “Hockey Wilderness” had a profile on the Memorial Cup MVP posted today.

HOCKEY’S FUTURE REPORT
Hockey’s Future has their recap up fot the Memorial Cup tournament.

In the article, all of Saint John’s draft eligible and already drafted players are analyzed.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

CITY FLAG

Via @SJSDhockeyfan on Twitter, City Hall’s Sea Dogs flag flying high.

COMBINE
After winning the Memorial Cup and spending a couple days celebrating, several Sea Dogs players are now attending the National Hockey League’s Draft Combine in Toronto.

Six Sea Dogs were invited to attend - Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Scott Oke, Zack Phillips, and Ryan Tesink.

The best place for coverage is by visiting the draft combine blog on NHL.com.

Brian Huddle over at Hockey Buzz noted this via Twitter:

Nathan Beaulieu has made sure to mention fellow Sea Dog and Draft-Eligible, Ryan Tesink in each interview. Don’t really know why. But Tesink is a Leafs fan. (Thanks to @mike_morreale for this one)

TSN will have coverage of the combine on Friday at 8:30 pm AST.

RATINGS
Rogers Sportsnet’s PR guy Dave Rashford today tweeted: “thanks to all the CHL fans for making the 2011 Memorial Cup the most watched since the 2005 NHL lockout.”

Some solid ratings considering Owen Sound and Kootenay are classified as “small market teams.”

GERRY DEE
Comedian Gerry Dee from The Score had some fun with several Sea Dogs players, coaches, and even Mayor Ivan Court following their Memorial Cup victory on Sunday.

You can check that out over at The Score’s website.

WATCH THE DRAFT
The QMJHL Entry Draft is sure to gave some drama on Saturday. According to a QMJHL release, fans will finally be able to view a stream of the festivities.

From the QMJHL website:

Fans can follow the choices of their favourite teams live on the league's official website at 10am on Saturday or watch a special broadcast beginning at 9 o'clock on VOX. It will be broadcasting on channels 9 and 609 in HD as well as the VOX website at www.voxtv.ca and on Illico.

ON THE HOT LIST
Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco topped The Hockey News’ Hot List after having a very solid Memorial Cup tournament.

“It’s great,” Jurco said about playing with several other highly touted draft eligible players. “It just shows what a great team we have, how strong we are. I hope we all go in the first round.”

Most mock drafts and scouting services have the Slovakian forward going very late in the first round or in the first half of the second round.

Also making the Hot List was defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.

“What made Beaulieu so dangerous in the Memorial Cup final was his willingness to dash up ice with the puck, sometimes carrying it all the way behind Mississauga’s net,” writes Ryan Kennedy of THN. “Those offensive instincts, coupled with his great size (6-foot-3, 191 pounds), will make him popular come draft day.”

SCOUTS CRITICAL OF GALIEV'S WORK ETHIC

A week prior to the first round of the 2010 National Hockey League entry draft, Stanislav Galiev’s work ethic is being put into question by some.

“He doesn't work, I don't see him working hard enough every shift,” said Kim Houston of NHL Central Scouting to Hockey’s Future. “Every shift you've got to play and sometimes he'll float through some shifts. I always notice when they have the puck and he seems to exert himself a little more.”

The first overall pick of the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs has been criticized quite a bit over the past month by a number of publications. The work ethic comments began after the Galiev struggled at the NHL Combine in Toronto on June 4.

“Last year’s USHL scoring star has ALWAYS scored but his Combine job = poor work ethic,” said Mark Seidal on Twitter.

“He's kind of one-dimensional,” said Houston. “He makes one nice move, but then what does he do the rest of the night? He doesn't play away from the puck that well and in the defensive zone, you're going to have to learn to a lot better than that to move on to the next level.”

Criticism comes with the job when you are a projected high pick for the NHL draft. But Galiev’s stock has slipped since the first half of the 2009-10 QMJHL season. Most so called “experts” have the skilled and speedy Russian forward going anywhere between the 23rd and 40th picks.

Willy Palov, the Halifax Mooseheads beat reporter for the Chronicle Herald, has evened placed the Sea Dogs sensation as the third best first-time-draft-eligible player available in the QMJHL behind Moncton’s Brandon Gormley and the Herd’s Mathieu Corbeil. Just about everyone under the sun has listed Galiev as the second best prospect in the Quebec circuit all season.

“The Russian winger "looks" like a player but his production doesn’t always measure up,” stated Palov in his weekly column. “He is a great skater who looks comfortable in the offensive zone but he only managed 15 goals playing on a line with two of the best forwards in the league — Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen. The knock is he has trouble finishing, despite his wealth of talent.”

The opening round of the NHL Entry Draft is next Friday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The other rounds begin the following morning.

GALIEV, PROSPECTS SHOW OFF AT COMBINE

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Stanislav Galiev struggled at the National Hockey League’s Draft Combine yesterday at the Westin Airport Hotel in Toronto, Ont.

“More to hockey than upper body strength, but Stanislav Galiev only completed 13 pushups and one rep on bench press,” reports Bio Steel Sports on Twitter, who partnered with TSN for a live blog yesterday afternoon.

Galiev began the day at 8:30 am local time, participating in a group with Cam Fowler, Eric Grudbanson, Patrick McNally, Jonathon Merrill, Brock Nelson, Mark Pysyk, and Jordan Weal.

The draft combine rarely has a great affect on draft positions, but it allows teams to check out top end prospects without skates and sticks.

Galiev is picked to go late in the first round or early in the second by most publications. The Hockey News draft preview recently named the Russian 37th overall among those eligible for this year’s draft.

“You watch him play and you say, ‘Wow, is he ever talented,’” one scout said in the preview. “But he only had 15 goals and that’s not a lot for a guy in the Quebec league who is supposed to be that talented and playing on the top line. It kind of makes you wonder.”

The first overall pick in the 2009 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft scored 15 goals and recorded 45 assists in 67 games for Saint John in the regular season. In the post-season, he registered eight goals and 11 assists but failed to get a single point in the league final.

Galiev recently did a question and answer session with Open Ice Hockey, where he was asked about his personal life.

JM: Girls in Russia compared to where you’re playing now.
SG: I don’t know really. I don’t have a lot of time for girls. Obviously Russia has the hotter girls.

One player that did impress at the combine was former Moncton Wildcat and fellow Russian Kirill Kabanov. Many believe that after today’s combine and by having JP Barry as his agent, Kabanov may have worked himself back into the first round of the draft.

“It was my mistake,” Kabanov admitted to The Hockey News when asked about Moncton. “I was stupid and I recognize that now.”

Following his departure from Moncton, Kabanov was also booted off a Russian team. The once highly touted prospect said that he was tossed off the team after taking a peanut off the coach’s desk without asking.

“I took one peanut!” Kabanov said incredulously. “It wasn't even his office, it was just a room in the dressing room.”

Kabanov also claimed the coach referred to him as “American bubblegum,” a Soviet-era slur dating back to the Cold War when Russians couldn't get the confectionery, but talked about how great it was.

Needless to say, Kabanov prefers North America.

“I want to be a star, I want to play in the NHL,” he said. “Next year I'll play wherever my NHL team tells me. CHL, AHL, I don't care.”

Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin – who are battling for the first pick in the draft – both had eventful days. Hall pulled out early, saying he was a little banged up from the Memorial Cup. Seguin had a great day, producing results well above average.

Besides physical tests, players are also run through a number of metal examinations by being asked a series of questions. Here are few of the bizarre questions asked as stated by The Hockey News and Yahoo! Sports:

• If you were to entertain yourself for a day would you choose to do so with a handgun or a well written poem?
• What's the largest river in Canada?
• If I shipped you off to Iraq today would you consider yourself a sniper, helicopter pilot or a medic?
• If your hometown was invaded by North Korea and you had to leave one of your family members behind, who would it be?
• You have to climb Mount Everest, and you need to choose eight people (from a list) to take with you, who do you take and why?
• If you saw a hundred dollar bill on the ground would you pick it up?
• What's your favourite beer?

The NHL Entry Draft will be held in Los Angeles on June 25-26.

NHL.com recently posted a draft profile of Galiev.