Can EJ Emery's Uber rating bump him up draft boards?

EJ Emery was five years old when he stood at the bottom of the stairs of his family home in Surrey, B.C., with his skating certificate in hand, waiting to prove to his dad that he deserved a chance to be the first member of his family to play hockey.

Next week, he’ll face the appraisal of NHL teams. And as Emery waits to hear his name called at the 2024 NHL Draft, the six-foot-three defenceman will have more than 15 family members cheering him on, including his dad, Eric.

Ranked 39th among North Americans in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, Emery recently dazzled at the NHL’s Scouting Combine, where he won the vertical, horizontal and no arm jump tests in a field of nearly 100 participants, and finished top-10 in three other physical testing categories.   

Emery is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen who moved to Plymouth, Mich., at 16 to join the U.S.A Hockey National Team Development Program. Next season, the 18-year-old will suit up for the University of North Dakota. 

Recently, Emery caught up with Sportsnet to talk about his incredible showing at the NHL Combine, the most valuable lesson his dad taught him, the importance of being a role model to other young Black kids in the sport, and to explain why he’s going to dazzle on draft night.

SPORTSNET: I saw your combine results. Have you ever thought about ditching hockey for high jump, triple jump or long jump? 

EMERY: [Laughs.] Maybe I thought about it a little bit in elementary school — I did all three of those. I won districts, I think, every year ‘til Grade 7. I won by quite a bit. So, maybe I thought about it then, but not really. I think I liked hockey a bit too much. 

I heard your horizontal jump at the combine [nearly clearing the testing board at 10 feet, three inches] wasn’t even the best you’ve ever done. Want a redo? 

I would definitely love to do a redo. I feel like I could get a little farther, at least one or two inches. 

You also tied for lowest body fat percentage [3.64 percent]. Can you explain that? 

I’m a pretty slim guy. I have a bit of trouble putting on weight, so pretty much all the weight I’m putting on is muscle with how much I’m working out. I work out five times a week — sometimes six, go on the weekend to get a little arm pump in. There’s not too much fat on my body.

Do you eat ice cream? Chocolate? Fast food?

I try and stay away from it, but occasionally you have to have ice cream and a couple burgers. But nothing crazy.

What’s your go-to burger spot?

Oh, I don’t think you can go wrong with Five Guys. 

You spoke to 30 teams at the combine. Was the interview process a little repetitive? 

Yeah, it was pretty much repetition. You just talked about you as a player and you as a person, talk about your family, and then a couple teams throw in some random questions here and there that might catch you a little off-guard.

What caught you off-guard?

Oh, my Uber rating. 

Wow, no kidding. So, what’s your Uber rating?

It's a 4.9. Really happy about that one. 

That’s really good. Did you have to look that up? 

Yeah, well I was hearing some whispers about people being asked their Uber rating, so I looked it up before, so I was prepared. 

Excellent interview skills. Did you have a speech of sorts you’d tell teams about your game and yourself as a person? 

Yeah. I’d pretty much just tell them that I’m a defenceman who's really good on the defensive side and I think I have a little bit more on the offensive side to show. But I’m a really good skating defenceman who's able to get the puck up to the forwards and play lock-down defence. And then I got into the family story a little bit with my dad being born Louisiana, grew up in Compton, California, and played football and played in the CFL. And his family background growing up in a tough neighborhood and all that, and a little bit about my mom growing up in Richmond, British Columbia, and playing soccer. 

As younger kid, what were you into? Did you like school? What other sports did you play? 

School definitely wasn't my thing. But I loved sports, and I played it all: basketball, football, lacrosse, ran track, played hockey. I think I was 13 or 14 when I focused on hockey, but realistically, hockey has always been my No. 1. Other sports were kind of just a side hobby. 

Was your dad trying to push you to pursue football like he did?

Not really. He didn’t really start watching hockey ‘til he came up to Vancouver while he was playing for the B.C. Lions. He went to an NHL hockey game and there was a line brawl and after that he was all good with me playing hockey. 

Do you like line brawls?

Yeah, can’t wait for another one to happen. 

Does anyone else in your family play hockey? 

No, just me. I started when I was about five. It really started after the 2011 Stanley Cup run for the Canucks. I had asked my dad to get me into hockey and he said I had to pass my skating lessons. He didn't think I was gonna pass, but I eventually did — it took me a couple of months. Then I waited at the bottom of the stairs with a certificate, waiting for him to come home to buy me some hockey gear. He finally came home and got me some hockey gear. 

When did you realize hockey could be a career? 

I always dreamt of making a career of it. I try to not let anything stop me, and just that love for hockey, I always want to play it, I’m always pushing to be great. I think the moment I asked my dad to sign me up was the moment I thought I could make a career out of it. 

I’ve heard you mention you learned strong work ethic from your dad. How did he teach you that?

He grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood and his mindset going through the obstacles there was: Put your head down and grind. That’s how he raised me — he always taught me to put my head down and grind and work for everything I want, that nothing's easy. Working as hard as I can, he gave me that kind of mindset.

Will your dad be at the draft with you? Any other family members? 

Oh, there's a lot of people coming. My mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my grandma, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. There’s going to be a lot of Emerys there. I think there’s going to be 18 at the actual draft but there’s about 40 coming to Vegas. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. 

What’s it like for you as Draft Day gets closer? 

The closer you get to it, the more believable it is, but at the same time, you're growing up watching all these players get drafted and thinking about how cool it would be. It's kind of hard for it to set in that my momentum, what I've been working for, is about to be here. At the same time, it’s just another stepping stone, trying to get to the Hall of Fame. 

The Hockey Hall of Fame is one of your goals?

For sure. I always wanted to be the best at everything I did, and I think making the Hall of Fame solidifies that a little bit. 

In terms of your offensive production, how do you see that development going for you? 

I really think, you know, the sky's the limit. I think everyone saw my athletic ability at the [combine] testing, and I think that I think the game really good, but I’ve just got to become patient with the puck and make sure I’m poised under pressure. I think there's a lot more to show than what I’ve shown in my offensive ability. 

Any aspect of your offensive game you’re really working on? 

Yeah, after watching Connor Bedard rip it up, I’ve been working on my toe-drag release a little bit [laughs]. I think it’s gotten a little better — definitely not at his level yet, but we’re working on it. 

You’ve spoken a fair bit in other interviews about being a role model for other young Black players in the sport. How important is that to you? 

It’s super important. I feel like I should, you know — growing up you see a bunch of other Black athletes doing what they do. P.K. Subban was a huge role model for me. Willie O’Ree was another player that was pretty cool to see how far he could go in hockey. Just having that influence and to see that, and now I’m in a position where I can give back in a way and try and help other Black athletes get into hockey. 

What advice do you give young Black players who look up to you? 

I tell them that, like Dad always told me, ‘You gotta put your head down and grind sometimes and you're going to go through ups and downs. Really, you want to make your mark on the sport and hockey’s tough, but if you keep working, you'll eventually get to a spot where you're going to be in a position like me.’

It's tough when there's not too many people that look like you on your team or in the leagues you play in. You probably grow up a little different than everyone else. But when you start seeing more and more people that look like you, it becomes a little easier, and also special. You’re seeing guys like one of my buddies, Cayden Lindstrom, he’s making a big mark on the sport. He's one of those guys that’s representing the Black community very well. [Lindstrom is projected to go third overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.] 

What are you wearing on draft day? 

Oh, that's a secret. 

Can you give a small clue? Will you wear socks? 

Let's just say I'm going to be looking pretty good. With the suit I’ll have on, I think there could be a lot of reactions to how well-dressed I am.

What do you like doing in your spare time? Any TV shows you’re really into?  

I just rewatch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air over and over again. I love the humour and I think Will Smith in the show kind of represents what it’s like to be Black in the sport of hockey — you can relate in ways like that. It’s also super funny. You can’t find a better show than that. 

Do you like Will Smith’s style on the show? 

I think it’s almost close to how good a style I’ve got.