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How Did Reid, Verhoeff, Others Fare in Combine Fitness Testing? What Were Player Heights & Weights?
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- How Did Reid, Verhoeff, Others Fare in Combine Fitness Testing? What Were Player Heights & Weights?
Gavin McKenna headlined the 2026 NHL Draft Combine results.
Not just because he's likely to be the No. 1 pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but because he dominated fitness testing.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound left winger finished in the top-25 in eight of the 15 events held during the fitness testing at the Combine, including a top finish in the Aerobic Fitness (VO2max) test with a 65 ml/kg/min. This event measures the amount of oxygen used during maximal effort on a spin bike.
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McKenna's performance comes after he opted out of the 2026 World Championships with Team Canada in order to prepare for the Combine.
Other top 2026 Draft prospects, including a few potential San Jose Sharks' picks at No. 2, also competed at the Combine.
Not Ivar Stenberg though. Stenberg said he has been sick recently, and following his play at World Championships for Team Sweden, he and his advisors decided it would be best to forego the fitness portion of the Combine.
"To not do it, it's going to maybe not look too good," Stenberg said. "But it's dangerous to do it when you're sick."
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But Stenberg was still present at the combine and meeting with teams, including the San Jose Sharks, who took him out to dinner on Friday.
Carson Carels also did not participate in the fitness portion of the Combine, but his dinner slot with the Sharks came on Thursday.
Chase Reid, at 6-foot-2.5, 190 pounds, made three top-25 lists – Wingspan at 76.5 in, Bench Press Power at 6.0 Watts/KG, and Left Hand Grip at 160 lbs – but didn't break any top-20 lists. The Sharks took Chase Reid out for dinner on Tuesday.
And 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenseman Keaton Verhoeff , who the San Jose Sharks took out to dinner on Wednesday, finished in the top-10 on three events (VO2max, Pro Agility: Right, Pro Agility:Left) and the top-25 on six (Pull-Ups, Left Hand Grip, Wingspan).
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Verhoeff's best finish was fourth with the Pro Agility Right time, which he completed in 4.3 seconds. He also placed tenth on the left side test, in 4.4 seconds. This timed test is a 5-10-5 yard shuttle that evaluates multi-directional speed, agility and whole body reaction plus control. His other top-10 finish was ninth in the VO2max test at 57.8 ml/kg/min.
Another high-end defenseman, Alberts Smits, 6-and-2.75 feet tall and 209 pounds, finished top-25 in Wing Span (14th), Right Hand Grip (14th), and Left Hand Grip (25th).
Likely top center Caleb Malhotra, 6-and-1.75 feet tall and 185 pounds, did not get dinner with any teams this week, but he did score in the top-25 on six events. His highest was a sixth place at the Force Plate: Vertical Jump with 22.8 inches. He also finished 10th in the Pro Agility: Right Time at 4.4 seconds.
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Casey Mutryn, the brother of current Sharks prospect Teddy Mutryn, made it on four of the top-25 lists – VO2max, Anaerobic Fitness: Fatigue Index, Right Hand Grip, and Left Hand Grip.
The NHL Combine fitness test is certainly important for teams to get a sense of where these prospects are at. But it's not the be-all-end-all of "draftability" or NHL readiness. Michael Misa did not rank in the top-25 in any of the fitness categories last year. And before him, Macklin Celebrini made just a few top-25 lists in 2024.
Here's the complete top-25 in this year's fitness tests.
As for heights and weights, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers does a great job tracking that, see his work here later today.
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