Highlights from 2018 NHL Combine: Rasmus Dahlin and more

The NHL held its annual Combine this week for all prospects leading up to the Draft in Dallas. We’ve got all the coverage for you here, including highlights and recaps.

The NHL Draft is only three weeks away, so it’s time to start getting serious about future selections and top prospects. On Saturday, the public had a chance to see some of these hopefuls at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, New York. While it’s true that impressive numbers here don’t always equate to success later down the road, it can certainly mean the difference in draft stock rising or falling.

It’s also incredibly fun to see how these young players do before the real grind begins and to project what they may have in store for whichever club takes them on June 22-23. As with any sport, we’re always down for some good ol’ fashioned speculation.

Let’s take a look through some highlights at how these guys did, starting with the favorite to go first overall, Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

Dahlin, if you haven’t heard, or if you’ve been living under a puck for the last year, has drawn comparisons to former Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and current Ottawa Senator Erik Karlsson. He’s as hyped a prospect as you’ll find. Right now, the Buffalo Sabres are tight-lipped about who their selection will be, as they have first choice, but let’s be real: Buffalo is going to be Dahlin’s home for a long time.

While Dahlin didn’t consistently post measurables that made the top 25 (a lot of projected day one picks didn’t), he still by all accounts had an excellent showing and we know what he can do on the ice regardless. He’s also saying all the right things and seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself in the limelight.

A few numbers from the week:

Height: 6’2 3/4″

Weight: 185

Pull-ups: 10

Long Jump: 104.5″

Vertical: 16.42″

Pro Agility Left/Right: 4.8/4.9 seconds

Let’s go to Andrei Svechnikov, the consensus No. 1-ranked North American skater in this upcoming draft. Svechnikov and Dahlin have flip-flopped as first overall selections in mock drafts, though again we trust Buffalo will make the right choice.

The young right winger for the Barrie Colts also had an impressive outing so his stock isn’t likely to fall, though we doubt it was going to anyway.

The Carolina Hurricanes have pick No. 2, so that’s likely where he’ll land barring something unforeseen (or shocking). Svechnikov killed it on the bench press, posting a seventh overall score of 7.25 watts/kg (that’s how the bench press is being measured this year). He also came in fourth on the Pro Agility Right at 4.3 seconds. So the kid proved to be a beast not just on the ice but in fitness as well.

Some numbers for Svechnikov:

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 192

Squat Jump: 18.65″

Left Hand Grip: 151 pounds (Yikes)

Standing Long Jump: 108.5″

Overall, the fitness test and combine may have belonged to likely second day pick-up Liam Foudy. The 6’1 Center from Canada dominated in the Pro Agility Left/Right, Long Jump, Squat Jump and Vertical Jump. Here are those numbers below:

Weight: 183

Pro Agility Left/Right: 4.2/4.3 seconds

Long Jump: 118.8″

Squat Jump: 21.87″

Vertical Jump: 27.65″

In fact, as mentioned, most day two hopefuls dominated the combine. You can check out more numbers here via Sportsnet and here at NHL Central Scouting.

Here are more highlights from the combine:

https://twitter.com/DallasStars/status/1002570287743885312

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1002890757412458496

https://twitter.com/ArizonaCoyotes/status/1002929583711125504

https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1002962326465712129

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1002885358348951552

Next: Who is prospect Rasmus Dahlin?

Be sure to check back regularly for more offseason content from FanSided, and for all NHL content leading up to Draft Day.