Flyers GM Ron Hextall calls scouting combine a 'small piece' of the process

The NHL's scouting combine is underway in Buffalo, and the top draft prospects are interviewed and tested in numerous fitness categories, including pull-ups, bench-press, grip strength, and standing long jump.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said the combine provides a snippet of information for him and his scouting staff to digest.

"It's just another thing you check off," Hextall said. "It's nice to meet the kids and see where the kids have come from after the end of their season in terms of size and strength, and you get to see their maturity level."

But he gave the impression that the scouting reports he receives are much more important than what happens at the scouting combine.

Hextall said there are "different things you can take out of the combine, but you have to be careful. These are really young kids and some of them are a little immature and you might get a wrong impression. Sometimes, maybe they don't say the right thing. But this is a small piece of it. You have to be really careful not to overvalue it."

Hextall is part of a Flyers contingent that is interviewing prospects for four days in Buffalo. Interestingly, Hextall will not stick around for the fitness testing on Saturday because he feels his time is better spent in amateur-scouting meetings back home.

He will entrust trainer Jim McCrossin and Ben Peterson, the Flyers' director of sports science, to watch the fitness portion of the combine and will review their reports.

"The interview portion is great," Hextall said. "You get a little bit of background about the kids; they talk about their families and how they grew up and how their hockey career has been to date. So it's great to get some background to find out exactly where some of these kids have come from."

As for the fitness testing, "some kids are just way ahead of others, maturity-wise, so you have to be careful" in evaluating them, he said. "It's nice to see a kid who is big and strong, but sometimes a kid who is not as big and strong has a lot of upside. There's value in it, but, again, it's just a piece of the puzzle."

Thanks to their luck in the lottery, the Flyers have the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the draft June 23 in Chicago, behind only New Jersey.

Centers Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are expected to be the first two players selected, though there is a huge debate as to which one will be chosen first.

Hextall interviewed both of them.

"They both seem like genuine good people," Hextall said. "We talked a little bit about their families and their background, and everything came off good with both kids."

The fact that nearly half the NHL teams are expected to interview Hischier and Patrick has triggered speculation that the Flyers and New Jersey are getting lots of offers to trade their highly coveted first picks.

"I've had some talks. I'll just leave it at that," Hextall said.

Hextall, who interviewed 30 players in the first two days of the scouting combine, reiterated that he plans to keep the No. 2 overall pick unless he is overwhelmed by an offer.

"We're going to listen because if people want to talk, I'd be doing a disservice not to listen," Hextall said. "Again, I don't anticipate moving the pick, but we'll see."

Breakaways. The scouting combine has invited 106 prospects. . . . The Flyers have 12 picks in the seven draft rounds, including two in the third round and three in the fourth round.