ORLAND PARK, Ill. — Phase I of this years USHL Combine for 2006-07 birth years took place at Arctic Ice Arena from April 21-24. The combine provided an opportunity for young players from all over the country who hope to play in the league to showcase their skills under one roof.
"We have a staff of Central Scouting members from all of the country who will map and identify and evaluate prospective players who come through the combines," said Luke Curadi, USHL director of player personnel.
"There's no other event out there of this kind. Every single USHL team is here making their evaluations two weeks before the USHL Draft takes place," Curadi added.
Each team in the league also has a representative that comes out to the event to take a look at the players participating. While at the combine, we were able to get perspective on what coaches are looking for when evaluating players to potentially bring into their organization.
"We want kids who work hard, a high hockey IQ, and just willing to compete every shift," said Matt Bruneteau, assistant coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers.
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"There's some pretty talented players, and as an assistant coach, I don't get out on the road as much to track these kids and their progress but for me it's nice to get out here and see what they can do."
The common theme throughout the event was the shared excitement the team representatives had over being able to see players from all over the country in one arena.
"There's guys here (at the combine) from all different leagues, some leagues from non-traditional markets that we don't see very often," said Kalle Larsson, team president and general manager of the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
"Another part of it is to get our brand with the USHL, build on the team level and the league level. It's a great event, I think it's really good so far. I've really enjoyed the competitiveness of the games so far," Larsson added.
One of the biggest factors in place to make this event a success are the USHL scouts who follow these players throughout the season and provide information to the teams.
"All of the teams have their own individual scouts, so they send plenty of people to the state of Minnesota," said Geno Parrish, Minnesota's head scout.
"What I do is I provide lists for the league, and the league sends out these lists and ranks the players according to what we believe or where we believe they belong at the current place that they're at, and then where we project them to be."
Now that the combine is complete, the next events for the league are the USHL Draft, taking place May 2-3. The Clark Cup playoffs are also in full swing, with the Clark Cup final being played May 13-25.
