Scout
06-16-2008, 01:03 PM
Braden Holtby Q and A
An exclusive question and answer with Blades goaltender #1 Braden Holtby is now available on saskatoonblades.com! Click read more to read about Holtby's time at the NHL Draft Combine and his thoughts on the upcoming NHL Entry Draft this coming weekend.
Q: You recently attended the NHL Draft Combine in Toronto. What tests did they put you through and what did you gain from that experience?
BH: The experience in Toronto was one that I will never forget. It was very intense and all business. I arrived in Toronto Tuesday night went out for supper with Jyri Niemi then from then on it was very busy. Wednesday I had nine interviews throughout the day. Interviews lasted about 15 minutes then you would have 5 minutes to get to your next one. At one point on Wednesday I had 6 interviews in a row. Thursday was a little more relaxed as I only had 5 interviews. The interviews were actually the hardest part of the combine because they are fairly stressful. Friday was the fitness testing. I started mine at 12:30 and finished around 4:00. I was lucky enough to do all of the testing beside Steven Stamkos. First we started out with a medical assessment, which went over everything from your heart, your joints, your eyes and even your hand eye. Then the tough part came in the physical testing. Some of the tests were bench, pushups, sit-ups, vertical jump, standing long jump, sit and reach, medicine ball throw, push and pull strength, grip strength and agility as well as measuring your body composition (body fat%, wing span, height and weight). The two hardest tests however were the aerobic tests that were the VO2 max and Wingate. These tests were grueling and were the ones that the scouts and GM’s really kept a close eye on. Overall the combine went very smoothly and was a great experience and I learned a lot just from being with that high of caliber athletes.
Q: Were there any teams who showed particular interest in you during the Draft Combine?:
BH: Most of the interviews were very similar. I almost felt like the more questions they asked and the tougher the questions the more interested the teams were. After about 5 interviews though it was hard to remember who’s who because it wasn’t like they were wearing their team colors or anything it was just a group ranging from about 3 people to over 10 people who I had never seen before. I do have a couple favorite but we will see what happens on draft day.
Q: In the NHL’s Central Scouting final rankings you were ranked 4th amongst North American born goaltenders. What are your expectations, if any, heading into the June 20/21 NHL Entry Draft?
BH: Well it was an honor to be ranked 4th but come draft day things can change. I hope I did a well enough job at the combine to at least keep my draft status as high as it was before if not higher. All I can hope for though is to just go to a team who puts me in a good situation.
Q: You are on pace to set numerous Saskatoon Blades goaltending longevity records next season. Do you have any personal goals heading into 2008/09?
BH:I don’t pay any attention to personal records like that and to be honest I couldn’t even tell you what they were. I am assuming minutes played would be one but other than that I don’t know. Other than making the world junior team my only goal this year is to bring a Memorial cup home to Saskatoon.
Q: As the returning #1 netminder for the Saskatoon Blades, what do you hope to get out of the 2008/09 season?
BH: With the amount of experience our core group of players has got in these part two years I know that this is the year we are going to break out. We are sick and tired of disappointing our supportive fans and we owe it to them and everyone in the Blades organization to have a very strong year and I truly believe that we can win a memorial cup.
Q: Describe your goaltending style.
BH: My goaltending style would have to be mostly based around Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc Andre Fleury. I like to rely on my foot speed and athleticism. Although with these past two years I have really tried to mold in a lot of different things into my game. I have focused more on angles and anticipation throughout practices in the past year. And I’m sure all of the fans in the Credit Union Center know that I like to play the puck. I’m sure I’ve given some people heart attacks but I believe that when it is done properly there is no defense to our breakout and I think it really helped us at the end of the year.
An exclusive question and answer with Blades goaltender #1 Braden Holtby is now available on saskatoonblades.com! Click read more to read about Holtby's time at the NHL Draft Combine and his thoughts on the upcoming NHL Entry Draft this coming weekend.
Q: You recently attended the NHL Draft Combine in Toronto. What tests did they put you through and what did you gain from that experience?
BH: The experience in Toronto was one that I will never forget. It was very intense and all business. I arrived in Toronto Tuesday night went out for supper with Jyri Niemi then from then on it was very busy. Wednesday I had nine interviews throughout the day. Interviews lasted about 15 minutes then you would have 5 minutes to get to your next one. At one point on Wednesday I had 6 interviews in a row. Thursday was a little more relaxed as I only had 5 interviews. The interviews were actually the hardest part of the combine because they are fairly stressful. Friday was the fitness testing. I started mine at 12:30 and finished around 4:00. I was lucky enough to do all of the testing beside Steven Stamkos. First we started out with a medical assessment, which went over everything from your heart, your joints, your eyes and even your hand eye. Then the tough part came in the physical testing. Some of the tests were bench, pushups, sit-ups, vertical jump, standing long jump, sit and reach, medicine ball throw, push and pull strength, grip strength and agility as well as measuring your body composition (body fat%, wing span, height and weight). The two hardest tests however were the aerobic tests that were the VO2 max and Wingate. These tests were grueling and were the ones that the scouts and GM’s really kept a close eye on. Overall the combine went very smoothly and was a great experience and I learned a lot just from being with that high of caliber athletes.
Q: Were there any teams who showed particular interest in you during the Draft Combine?:
BH: Most of the interviews were very similar. I almost felt like the more questions they asked and the tougher the questions the more interested the teams were. After about 5 interviews though it was hard to remember who’s who because it wasn’t like they were wearing their team colors or anything it was just a group ranging from about 3 people to over 10 people who I had never seen before. I do have a couple favorite but we will see what happens on draft day.
Q: In the NHL’s Central Scouting final rankings you were ranked 4th amongst North American born goaltenders. What are your expectations, if any, heading into the June 20/21 NHL Entry Draft?
BH: Well it was an honor to be ranked 4th but come draft day things can change. I hope I did a well enough job at the combine to at least keep my draft status as high as it was before if not higher. All I can hope for though is to just go to a team who puts me in a good situation.
Q: You are on pace to set numerous Saskatoon Blades goaltending longevity records next season. Do you have any personal goals heading into 2008/09?
BH:I don’t pay any attention to personal records like that and to be honest I couldn’t even tell you what they were. I am assuming minutes played would be one but other than that I don’t know. Other than making the world junior team my only goal this year is to bring a Memorial cup home to Saskatoon.
Q: As the returning #1 netminder for the Saskatoon Blades, what do you hope to get out of the 2008/09 season?
BH: With the amount of experience our core group of players has got in these part two years I know that this is the year we are going to break out. We are sick and tired of disappointing our supportive fans and we owe it to them and everyone in the Blades organization to have a very strong year and I truly believe that we can win a memorial cup.
Q: Describe your goaltending style.
BH: My goaltending style would have to be mostly based around Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc Andre Fleury. I like to rely on my foot speed and athleticism. Although with these past two years I have really tried to mold in a lot of different things into my game. I have focused more on angles and anticipation throughout practices in the past year. And I’m sure all of the fans in the Credit Union Center know that I like to play the puck. I’m sure I’ve given some people heart attacks but I believe that when it is done properly there is no defense to our breakout and I think it really helped us at the end of the year.