The NHL Scouting Combine kicked off Sunday at the HarborCenter in Buffalo with five players from New York and New Jersey among the draft hopefuls in attendance.
The seven-day event has multiple parts to it. The physical tests are what most fans recognize as some of the drills are open to the public and broadcast. However, a big part of the combine is the in-person player interviews with NHL organizations.
Two of the locals are blue liners from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). Drew Fortescue (Pearl River, N.Y.) and Aram Minnetian (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) have spent the past two seasons honing their skills with the NTDP in Plymouth, Mich. Before that, the duo were teammates on the Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers. They will continue to don the same jersey as both are committed to playing college hockey at Boston College.
