Prospect Info: 2025 Draft: We are #1….1

[Deport Ogie]

Mike Sullivan is a huge fan of seeing how well the young kids bench because on his team it's where they are going to spend most of their time.

Heyo.

 

[Jacob]

I think some of the exercise tests are *interesting* but I wouldn't put much stock into them. Like maybe if you notice a guy is just a natural all-around athlete and can perform well in fitness tests, you might give him the edge in your draft order if 2 guys are tied, but otherwise who cares? Maybe the VO2 is the one I'd care most about.

Bench isn't a great exercise for hockey forwards for the most part, I kinda don't get why they have it in the combine. Also weirdly, bench is my one lift that steadily increases as I age. Other lifts do not, but my bench does.

Maybe since the bigger your chest gets the shorter the range of motion gets.

 

[eXile3]

Bennett couldn’t do one pull up during his workout. What they do on the ice is what matters.

 

[The Old Master]

Bennett couldn’t do one pull up during his workout. What they do on the ice is what matters.

for guys coming off an injury, it could show your healed and ready to go. imo

 

[Jacob]

Bennett couldn’t do one pull up during his workout. What they do on the ice is what matters.

Beau or Sam?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

McQueen is huge but if you look at him you’d think he was a giant 14 year old. Dude could be a monster when he’s a man.

Yeah I think this is a huge part of his appeal. He’s “older” as in a 2006 bday but he looks as raw as a 16 y/o. Both on and off the ice

Bench isn't a great exercise for hockey forwards for the most part, I kinda don't get why they have it in the combine. Also weirdly, bench is my one lift that steadily increases as I age. Other lifts do not, but my bench does.

Barbell bench is almost completely useless exercise in terms of practicality. Which is a shame because I’m good at it. Maybe if I find myself under a log I can use it. But it’s really just an exercise for ego.

Even for other sports all the positives can be achieved with DB benches and variations.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Barbell bench is almost completely useless exercise in terms of practicality. Which is a shame because I’m good at it. Maybe if I find myself under a log I can use it. But it’s really just an exercise for ego.

Even for other sports all the positives can be achieved with DB benches and variations.

Plus it murders your shoulders if your alignment is a little off. I do it because I'm vain, but really, when I was an actual judo competitor we almost never did bench as part of our training or even much weight training at all, and I was training with lots of then-current Olympic hopefuls and actual medalists.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Bennett couldn’t do one pull up during his workout. What they do on the ice is what matters.

Yeah, the combine is pretty gross and stupid because it's not actually testing a lot of sports specific skills, but since most of the NHL is basically made up of substitute gym teachers, what do you expect?

 

[eXile3]

Beau or Sam?

Sam Bennett. Someone shared it on instagram the other day.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Yeah a pull-up is like the second least important skill for an NHL player to have. It's like asking draftees to do backflips to judge their edgework.

 

[eXile3]

Yeah a pull-up is like the second least important skill for an NHL player to have. It's like asking draftees to do backflips to judge their edgework.

Which makes you wonder why they even have them do it.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I want to see the maximums for Bulgarian Split Squats.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Which makes you wonder why they even have them do it.

Because people that work in this game are not very smart.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Plus it murders your shoulders if your alignment is a little off. I do it because I'm vain, but really, when I was an actual judo competitor we almost never did bench as part of our training or even much weight training at all, and I was training with lots of then-current Olympic hopefuls and actual medalists.

I am almost 100% DB now on both flat and incline. Every month or so I’ll start with a barbell bench press for the ego (it is my best lift).

I want to see the maximums for Bulgarian Split Squats.

I feel like most pros can easily bang out 315x10 for 3 sets which is disgusting to think about it.

 

[eXile3]

I am almost 100% DB now on both flat and incline. Every month or so I’ll start with a barbell bench press for the ego (it is my best lift).

I feel like most pros can easily bang out 315x10 for 3 sets which is disgusting to think about it.

No way. Most don’t carry enough of muscle mass for that much weight. That’s 315 on one leg.

I’m sure some of the more built guys like Sid could.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Why? Buffalo chased out Eichel and Rienhart. They would be a much better team with those two.

Chicago did the same with Strome and DeBrincat.

letting young players walk is not a traditional rebuild.

I am confused. Are we agreeing on this one, eXile?

I think we are saying the same things but are stuck on the definition of traditional rebuild, or something.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

This team's already the Sabres, man. It's about to be eight years since they won a round, and they're likely about to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year with the foreseeable future only looking worse.

Anyway, the issue with the Sabres is that they're run by complete f***ing morons from top to bottom. They could've had a roster with Eichel, Tage, Reinhart, Hagel, Cozens, Peterka, Dahlin, Power, and Ullmark. Mismanagement to a near intentional degree is what f***ed that team over, not that they're stuck in rebuild purgatory.

If we re-hire you know who, a la Lindy Ruff, THEN maybe we become the Sabres.

14 seasons of no playoffs. I root for a team that is like the Sabres but it's not the Penguins.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Yeah the thing teams need to avoid is rebuilding the rebuild. They suck, get talent, but still suck. Then the talent hasn't reached their potential yet and are also up for big money, so they're like "well by the time we're competitive this player won't fit in or w/e" so they trade said player for more futures, rinse and repeat.

 

[chethejet]

Pens will rebuild more in the Boston Bruin model without superstars like Sid and Geno. Now lets say the Pens hit the jackpot with the winger next year as Rangers pick bites them on the butt. Even then, Pens still need centers to be in the hunt.

 

[eXile3]

Yeah the thing teams need to avoid is rebuilding the rebuild. They suck, get talent, but still suck. Then the talent hasn't reached their potential yet and are also up for big money, so they're like "well by the time we're competitive this player won't fit in or w/e" so they trade said player for more futures, rinse and repeat.

Teams over think it. It should really be as easy as obtaining and retaining talent.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Bennett couldn’t do one pull up during his workout. What they do on the ice is what matters.

I remember that. People going on and on about how he'd be a bust because of how weak he was.

Never mind he'd had a serious shoulder injury and was just recovered from it. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure 18 year olds can work out at a gym and get stronger as they age. A buddy of mine weighed around 135 at that age and would struggle to even lift the bar without weights on it. He's now 200 lbs and a workout machine.

 

[eXile3]

I remember that. People going on and on about how he'd be a bust because of how weak he was.

Never mind he'd had a serious shoulder injury and was just recovered from it. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure 18 year olds can work out at a gym and get stronger as they age. A buddy of mine weighed around 135 at that age and would struggle to even lift the bar without weights on it. He's now 200 lbs and a workout machine.

Yeah being that age and doing a ton of cardio it’s very difficult to put on weight. I was probably 165 in high school. Lifted all the time. Wasn’t until my early 20s the weight started to stick.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Is Cullen Potter considered a swing?

 

[The Old Master]

Is Cullen Potter considered a swing?

i wouldn't call it a swing, it would be more like a "poke and hope"

 

[Jared Grayden]

Is Cullen Potter considered a swing?

At #11 or #12 I think he would be. I'd expect Dubas could trade down and still get him. He's like the polar opposite of O'Brien. Instead of playing at a glacial pace Potter plays at the break neck pace at all times. His mobility will be an advantage, but I am not confident it will be enough of one to make him more than a depth player. Doesn't strike me as a Clark/Dubas prospect either. The cerebral part of his game is his weakness.