NHL Draft: Why Interviews Could Mean Stars

With the NHL entry draft closing in we will look at how interviews play a vital part in a prospects chances of making the NHL club come September. There are three main elements that each player attending the 2009 Scouting combine will have to face. The most grueling of which is the physical test, followed by the psychological tests, and ending with team interviews.

The physical test requires athletes to stretch their bodies to the limits by making them do a variety of physical tasks. Some of these include weight training, endurance bicycling, and on-ice drills. These tasks are given by NHL teams to get a feel for each player's maximum physical abilities.

Psychological tests have only been incorporated within the last few years. The reason for this test is to discover a player's personality or intangible qualities like perseverance, hard work, and leadership. Each player takes a psychological test following their physical fitness testing. Some teams have even come up with their own psychological tests for newcomers to take.

The interview is the longest lasting part of the combine and for some teams the most important. Almost all players involved in the combine have the physical skills and determination to play at the pro level. The interview is the part of the combine where each team gets to talk to each player and get to know them better. Each team is given twenty minutes to speak with prospects and some teams and GM's spend eight or more hours a day speaking with potential players. There are certain things that a GM can ask a player that could determine a player's future with an NHL club. They ask questions like "What do you need to do to get better?" Depending on the prospects answer, a GM would evaluate the player's honesty and integrity. Most players will admit that there is something within their game that needs to be worked on. They can also give each team and idea of how they are trying to improve this aspect of their play.

Some of these players have been scouted since they were 18, but there are still things about each player that can be learned from the interview process. Another question is "What kind of player would you like to be in the NHL?" Depending on the answer some players like to compare themselves to NHL veterans and others like to explain what kind of player they would be in that NHL teams system. Other teams prefer to focus on hobbies and ask about each player's development as they grew up. They ask about who their best friend in high school was and ask the player to give them that person's phone number so they can be contacted. Each NHL team is investing thousands of dollars into each player's development and needs to be reassured that each prospect has the desire and will to succeed at the highest level. A lot of the interview process is based on first impressions. You get a gut feeling when the right player steps into the room. He just fits.

Even though these are top-level athletes, some prospects have issues with the interview process. During Pavel Datsyuk's combine interview he was a painfully shy Russian who had no confidence in his game. Phil Kessel was an 18-year-old who was also shy and quiet, but both men matured into fabulous leaders for their respective clubs. Yet the interview is such a vital part to the player's chances of being chosen in the draft, the most important aspect to remember is a player's game. No interview would be so horrendous that it would outweigh what they've done on the ice all year. In the end, the player will be chosen because of his ability first and his character second. The combine is a good way for teams to determine a player's overall ability to succeed at a high level.