Bjugstad signed with the Gophers in April and will play at the U of M this fall after accelerating his high school education at the request of Lucia and company, meaning he graduated one year early.

So is he ready for big-time Division I hockey?

O the first of two days of fitness testing -- other groups will be tested Saturday -- Bjugstad finished in a tie for fourth. On the VO2 max test, which checks endurance, he rode a bike for 13 minutes. Thief River Falls goalie Zane Gothberg, headed for NoDak, was third, going three seconds more.

Just as impressive, Bjugstad tied for second on the bench press with 18 reps lifting a 150-pound barbell. Bjugstad is listed as 6-3-3/4, 188 pounds on the list of the players invited to the combine. But he might be slightly bigger. During an early May interview of Bjugstad, the person conducting it said he was 6-4, 205.

Bjugstad said he talked to former Gophers center Jordan Schroeder and present Gophers defenseman Nick Leddy about the combine for tips. Both were there last year.

Defenseman Mark Alt of Cretin-Derham Hall, another April signee with the U, was first in the vertical jump at 31.8 inches. He is listed at 6-3, 199.

NHL Central Scouting rated Gothberg the sixth best goalie at his age in North America. ... Canadian Joel Vienneau, who recently committed to the U, is rated No. 14 but, among the top 15, he made the biggest jump from the midterm to the final ratings.

He jumped from 15 spots from No. 29.

The NHL draft is June 25-26 in Los Angeles.

Three NHL.com writers made some predicitions about the draft.

In their mock drafts:

* the Wild at No. 9 will take C Alexander Burmistrov of Barrie of the OHL or RW Brett Connolly of Prince George of WHL or C Ryan Johanson of Portland of the WHL.

* Bjugstad will be taken by Ottawa at No. 18, by Los Angeles at No. 22 or by Boston at No. 17.

* Derek Forbort, a defenseman for the U.S. under-18 national development team headed for North Dakota, will be taken No. 7 by Carolina or No. 15 by Montreal or No. 11 by Dallas.