BUFFALO -- Roger McQueen said that being a full participant in the fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine at HarborCenter on Saturday was as important as any of his results.

The forward with Brandon of the Western Hockey League was limited to 17 regular-season games because of a fracture in the L4/L5 vertebrae in his back.

"Being able to come here and have that back issue past me now, it's so nice to have that in my past," McQueen said. "I think I came a long way this year with that. So I think just having that in the past and being able to come here and compete with my buddies is awesome."

McQueen (6-foot-5, 198 pounds) was among the top 25 in one of the tests, finishing eighth in the horizontal jump at 112.8 inches. But he also had a 20.7-inch vertical jump, did nine pull-ups an

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