Weird things happen at the NHL draft. Some players refuse to play for teams that draft them, others get traded while they are walking up on stage.
But the pre-draft questions that the Utah Hockey Club was reportedly asking prospects is a one-of-a-kind story.
According to Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Utah was asking draft prospects what their Uber scores were.
The Utah NHL franchise was asking draft prospects this week at the combine for their Uber passenger rating. I've heard some weird ones over the years, but this one is just puzzling.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 8, 2024
Utah is taking an interesting approach to their 2024 NHL Draft interviews
For anyone who doesn't know, Uber scores are scores given to riders based on how polite they are to drivers. They vary on a one-to-five-star rating scale. No one knows why Utah asked this question to gauge a player's personality but it's certainly interesting.
The highlight of this unique report was when prospect Artyom Levshunov about his score. Levshunov said he didn't use Uber as he bikes everywhere. This question probably wouldn't make or break a prospect's chance of getting drafted by Utah but you never know.
Uber scores aside, here is some info for Utah's first-ever NHL draft. Utah has the sixth overall pick. However they decide to use it will only add to their young and upcoming core.
Arizona was competitive until the end of their final season so Utah fans should expect an exciting product on the ice in their inaugural season.
If they wanted to get a little crazy, they could trade that sixth pick for a star. In addition to Clayton Keller, Utah has very solid up-and-coming players but lacks that real superstar most contending teams have.
If they were to do this, they would need to make sure it's the right player. They aren't in a position to give up that high of a pick unless it's for the right player.
However they decide to select with the pick or if they trade it, the Uber scores will be a running joke for quite a while.