from Eric Russo of BostonBruins.com,

Dozens of the world's top hockey prospects gathered at the National Hockey League's Scouting Combine this weekend in Buffalo with the hopes of impressing the hockey operations staffs of the 31 participating teams enough to be drafted in a few short weeks.

The prospects - 104 of them, to be exact - attempted to show off their athleticism and their knowledge of the game, all while never coming close to a sheet of ice. Instead, they had to prove themselves during one-on-one meetings with team officials and the all-important - and grueling - gamut of fitness testing.

"We're looking for athletes, we're looking for the individuals that can use some improvement here and there," said Bruins sports performance coach Kenny Pitts. "Many of the guys, as the numbers are showing, have a lot of potential and that's what we're looking for."

The testing includes traditional measurements of height and wingspan, as well as the bench press, pull-ups, shuttle runs, and the Wingate test, during which the prospects pedal on a bike with resistance for 30 seconds.

"We see them on the ice. The coaches and the scouts know what they're looking for, they're obviously all good players…it's the top 100 players in the world," said Bruins sports performance coach Mike Macchioni. "But it's a chance to really see what their genetic potential is, what their athleticism looks like. Sometimes they're so specific to being a hockey player that you don't see all their athleticism. Over here, we get a chance to see that.

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