Steven Ellis: Updates from the NHL combine. Debate over the #2 and #3!
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
So, Carson Price from the Historic Wall Center. We're joined now by the Daily Face-Off's prospect analyst, Stephen Ellis. He was in Buffalo at the NHL Draft Combine over the weekend. And I guess the big story, Stephen, is Gavin McKenna. He looked stronger, he looked fitter, and was at the top of testing on a lot of these categories. Talk to me about McKenna's weekend at the Combine.
Yeah, you know, it's the testing numbers. I think a lot of people put maybe a bit too much into it and think like, oh, this is like super important. It's nice for teams to have, but it's not really like make or break for a prospect. Like a guy could skip the testing altogether and it wouldn't really change much with McKenna, though. He was very productive, very strong on all these. And it's not totally surprising because he's a very good athlete. That's something that's been very true about him for a long time.
What stood out about Gavin McKenna's performance at the NHL Combine?
Of course, he was going to be really good in this stuff. And yeah, he might not be the most physical player out there, but he has added a lot of muscle. He is a much more different, you know, more physical player. Like if you look at the last few months of his NCAA season, he was throwing hits, punching guys on and off the ice, you know, things like that were things that we just didn't really see from him early on. And I think that alone is something where he definitely looks a lot stronger than he was last time I saw him in person. So you like to see that if you're the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I'm reading a lot of pieces on McKenna these days. And, you know, if I was forced to put my mortgage on a player, I'm putting it on him to be the number one overall pick. But I feel like it's being whittled away just a little bit. People talking about the fact that it's just a big group at the top. And I don't know what it benefits the Toronto Maple Leafs in putting up any fog about the first overall pick. You tell me, though. Is there any doubt creeping in about number one?
Not on my end, you know, still seems like McKenna's number one to most people here. I think the thing to keep in mind is no one has a clear number two. I think when you look at some teams have Stenberg number two, some have Malhotra number two, some have Chase Reed at number two, some of Carson Carl's are number two. The fact that there's no clear number two as a real challenger, I think makes it hard to say there's a real challenger for number one. And McKenna is a guy that, like, if you're the Leafs, you're not passing on that elite skill, that high-end hockey sense, all that together, you're really excited. And, you know, you look at... What made Austin Matthews so dangerous was having a guy like Mitch Marner go out there and pass the puck for him.
And now that Marner's gone and you see what he's doing in the playoffs, you know, you're looking, okay, well, McKenna can at least do a lot of those things. He's maybe nowhere as strong defensively as Mitch Marner, but he's got that hockey sense and that skill and he's... Clearly knows how to put points on the board. He had one game earlier this year where he had eight points. This is a guy that could fit Toronto perfectly and be the right choice. If I'm Toronto, that's who I'm taking.
GM went to Whitehorse. You think it's smokescreen? He went to Whitehorse of all places.
But if you knew he's your guy, why do you go to Whitehorse? To get more intel.
To get more intel, but he's your number one with a bullet. To see the family in Whitehorse. Or you're both ways. Maybe to go moose hunting.
I'm not sure if they're in season. Maybe convince the family to move to Toronto and see their son play, because I can't imagine there's a ton of direct flights between the two places.
You mentioned all those teams that have someone other than McKenna first overall. Do you know if anyone's got Caleb Malhotra first overall?
From my understanding, no. I think it's very clear, though, most teams would consider him to be the best center. And I think that's something where if you're looking for a center...
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–0:52
2
What stood out about Gavin McKenna's performance at the NHL Combine?
0:52–5:58
3
Is there any real challenge to McKenna's status as the projected No. 1 pick?
5:58–7:37
4
Which prospects emerged as contenders for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots after the Combine?
7:37–21:11
5
How did absences and injuries (Stenberg, Carlsen, Ruck twin) affect Combine evaluations?
21:11–25:52
6
Could the Canucks realistically draft both Ruck twins and how would they complement Vancouver?
25:52–27:34
Speakers
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