NHL Scouting Combine notebook: Cutter Gauthier, Joakim Kemell among top performers

The NHL Scouting Combine wrapped up in Buffalo over the weekend, with 85 top NHL draft prospects getting their opportunity to meet with NHL teams, go through medical testing and take on the physical testing while also meeting with the throng of media. It’s a taxing week for the players on a number of levels but a highly valued one for NHL teams as they finalize their draft boards.

While I was not in Buffalo, I’ve been reaching out to contacts and also was able to observe some of the results from physical testing to put together a notebook of relevant information as we get set to unveil my final draft rankings of the 2021-22 season.

Here’s a look…

Why Cutter Gauthier’s stock keeps rising

One of the top performers at Saturday’s physical testing was Cutter Gauthier, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward who spent most of this season playing on the wing. However, I had been hearing for several weeks that one of the biggest reasons teams were so high on him was because they see him as a center. Gauthier also revealed to reporters that center is his preferred position. That significantly changes the dynamic of his draft stock.

There are plenty of big power wingers in the NHL that can score. Finding centers with his size and skill package is a bit harder. Gauthier is committed to two-way play but is an especially talented goal-scorer with a big shot. He’s competitive, too, winning his fair share of battles and taking pucks off the opposition with regularity.

Gauthier also just proved something most already believed – that he’s one of the best overall athletes in this draft. In five of the 15 categories measuring strength or agility, Gauthier finished in the top 10, and he was top-25 in 11 different categories. Gauthier’s draft stock won’t materially change because of these facts, but it doesn’t hurt, either.

There has been talk going back to the Under-18 World Championship that Gauthier was going to be a top-five pick in this draft and that more than one team had him as high as third on their internal boards. That is in contrast to where he sits on most public boards, but if there’s a player who’s going to go especially high in this draft that is outside of the consensus, it’s Gauthier.

Speedsters shine at combine

Two of the fastest players in this draft also tested exceptionally well at the Scouting Combine. Logan Cooley and Frank Nazar were the top two centers for the U.S. National Under-18 Team and are going to be high picks in the draft. They’re both exceptional skaters with speed to burn. Cooley may be the more explosive of the two in a straight line, but Nazar has sneaky burst with tremendous fluidity.

In jumping tests, which help look at a player’s explosiveness and leg strength, both did exceptionally well. Each finished in the top 25 of three categories with Nazar finishing fourth among all participants in vertical and no-arm jumps. Cooley also excelled in the dreaded Wingate test, finishing top five in both peak and mean power output.

We could already see that the players are exceptional skaters, but these tests do suggest there’s a more dynamic athleticism to both. It’s a valuable tool to evaluate not only where they are, but if they can sustain and even grow those tools further. It’s a positive showing.

Nazar, who comes in at 5-foot-10, also had the second best vertical jump of any participant at the combine, recording a jump of 21.69 inches.

It should be noted that Joakim Kemell also performed exceptionally well in a lot of the physical testing. He is one of the draft’s most skilled players and certainly has speed to burn as well. His name was on the leaderboard a lot, including at the very top for squat jump and no-arm jump, substantially bettering the competition.

Will these tests materially change their draft position or projection? Probably not, but it is good to see that they’re not just among the top players on the ice.

The tape measure never lies, does it?

I always love that TSN’s Craig Button says, “We don’t scout with tape measures.” He’s right. We don’t. But they definitely bring the tape measures out at the Combine and there’s always interest in what they say, especially since this is the last of several measurements before the NHL Draft.

Credit to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers for reporting all of the heights and weights as they were recorded at the combine because it otherwise would have taken a few days to get all the results. According to Mark’s report, Central Scouting measured Joakim Kemell 5-foot-9.5, which is more than an inch shorter than CSS had him listed on its final rankings. It’s not a huge deal, but one inch for anyone under six-foot is definitely notable in the eyes of evaluators. Kemell has been listed at 5-11 pretty much all year, and that’s considered closer to average, whereas 5-foot-9.5 is below average.

It shouldn’t impact Kemell as much as he is one of the most talented players in this draft and he’s a winger, not a center or defensemen. Those kinds of things don’t get dwelled on as much for dynamic wingers, it seems, nor should they. It was just interesting to see how much that changed from the previous measurement.

One player who the tape measure hasn’t always been kind to him is U.S. defenseman Lane Hutson. He was measured at the combine at 5-foot-8.25, 158 pounds. He’s tacked on some weight, which is a good thing, but also told reporters he was asked a lot about being able to play at his size, especially as a defenseman.

There are teams that won’t focus on it as much and others that will only see the smaller defenseman and wonder if he can play at the next level, but when it comes to defensemen, they all care about the size no mater what they say. Hutson also told reporters in Buffalo that he has been seeing an endocrinologist who was able to confirm that his bone growth is a little bit behind his peers and that he hasn’t stopped growing.

Jared Spurgeon is the smallest defenseman in the NHL, at least how he’s listed. He checks in at 5-foot-9, 166 pounds. Hutson isn’t super far off from that and he’s also one of the more dynamic defensemen in this entire draft. Maybe he still is growing, but even if he didn’t, I still think he’s got a real chance to make it as he is especially competitive on top of being highly skilled.

And just so we’re covering the opposite end of the spectrum, the biggest player at the combine was defenseman Maveric Lamoureux, who was measured at 6-foot-6.75, 199 pounds. Lamoureux was also a top performer in a lot of the combine tests, too. Top European goaltender Topias Leinonen was measured at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds.

Other news and notes from the Combine

Shane Wright performed well across the board, especially excelling at the pro agility drills and the jumping tests. He finished in the top 25 in eight different categories. Away from the testing, Wright is due to travel to New Jersey to meet with the Devils and did go out to dinner with the Montreal Canadiens.
Juraj Slafkovsky did not participate in physical testing at the Scouting Combine since he just wrapped his season last week at the Men’s World Championship. He is also going to New Jersey to meet with the Devils.
Matthew Savoie was exempt from testing due to an injury sustained in the WHL playoffs. The good news is he does not require surgery and will be ready to resume training soon. He also told reporters that most teams asked him if he thought he could be a center at the NHL level – one of the big questions most evaluators have had all season.
David Jiricek, one of the top defensemen in this draft class, was among the players who did not attend the combine. He would not have tested anyway due to his also playing in the Men’s World Championship. He, instead, will be conducting dozens of zoom interviews with NHL teams over the next two weeks.
There were plenty of wacky questions that came out of the combine like players being asked what kind of animal they think they’d be, but this one from the Montreal Canadiens takes the cake: “Would you rather take $10 off a toilet seat or $50 from in the toilet?” The answer, of course, is you go for the $50. Gotta get to the dirty areas if you want to make some money in the NHL.

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