The Hockey PDOcast: Taking the NHL Combine for what it’s worth

Finnish prospect Patrik Laine talks about the combine, on meeting with Toronto and much more.

The Hockey PDOcast offers entertaining and thoughtful dialogue about the game of hockey. There’s obviously an analytical tinge to the conversation, but it’s not as nerdy as it may initially sound.

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Jeff Marek joins Dimitri Filipovic to share his takeaways from the recent NHL Scouting Combine and whether the NHL robot factory will eventually get its hands on Finnish prospect Patrik Laine. They also get into some draft theory with regards to taking chances on higher-upside players, and discuss why the San Jose Sharks haven’t been able to keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.

Here’s a quick rundown of the topics covered:

0:25 Prep work for a typical podcast
3:55 The Theo Peckham Story
7:12 Not putting too much stock into the Combine
13:15 Patrik Laine not being turned into an NHL robot
21:30 Drafting smaller, higher-skill players
26:00 NHL teams hiring their AHL coaches
30:28 San Jose’s inability to adapt to Pittsburgh’s speed
35:32 The poor ice surface in June

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