Everyone and anyone can see the obvious talent, it jumps off the page. It’s the quiet talent that people often miss. For instance, I saw a kid last night that got about 8 shifts the entire game. Everyone of those shifts he was outstanding, he made something happen, he was creative, engaged and impactful. His efforts were no doubt overlooked by the masses last night and perhaps even the most watchful eyes may have missed him based on his lack of time on ice, but that kid epitomizes the concept of quiet talent. In some cases, “quiet talented”, players don’t even know how good they could be themselves, which makes them even more intriguing, but they have so much untapped potential. Many players who exude quiet talent are so driven and fixated on the process of getting better each and every day, they have don’t even give a rats ass about their ice time or role, they are just happier than a pig in shit for being part of the group.
“Quiet talent.”
I was talking with a longtime scout almost three years ago now when they mentioned that term to me. What wonderful descriptor, one that I will never forget.
There are so many young aspiring players out there with quiet talent. Their talents might be buried in the undercurrent of their team or within themselves.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean their talent isn’t there. You see my interpretation of quiet talent is that type of skill and talent takes times to grow, time to develop, time to surface. You can call it late bloomer if you wish, but quiet talent takes on a lot of different perspectives.
Perhaps the hockey world doesn’t appreciate or truly valued quiet talent.
Obviously, quiet talent hides within players that might not be the flashiest. The quiet aspects of their skill set and the intangibles they possess takes some time to see, evaluate and project, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
Quiet talent might be the honest, two-way players, the stay at home defenders or hard nose competitors, the grinders, that’s who the quiet talented players are. Quiet talent might be the kid that gets 8 shifts a game, but makes something good happen every time they’re out there. They might be the player that constantly takes a hit to make a play, to create time and space for others. Quiet talent might be the player that works their arse off in practice and does everything the right way on and off the ice but doesn’t get the opportunity or chance to showcase what they can do but is more than ready and willing to play up and down the lineup when called upon. Quiet talent is the kid that no matter how much ice they see, they find a way to contribute and put points up in a secondary role.
Scouts often share stories of the first time seeing or viewing certain players. Everyone has one of those stories, “oh I saw this or that player when they played here.” Well, when it comes to quiet talent, the talented player might have been in front of you all along. Quiet talent is often missed, because all of the focus is directed towards the highflyers. Every scout and organization are looking for the diamonds in the rough, but moreover they are looking for the sure thing.
The “sure thing” doesn’t always materialize. The later round draft picks often surprise the most and make the largest impact on and off the ice, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if you have done your work and identified the quiet talents these players possess.
It’s not about taking a flyer in the later rounds of the draft, it’s about the quiet talent. It’s all about time. Time for growth and development because when its time for the opportunity, quiet talent is more than ready to jump at the chance to show they belong. The adversity quiet talent face on a day to day, year to year basis has a way of galvanizing their character and resiliency.
As scouts we have to drill down, always look closer and project no matter what. It doesn’t matter where the player is playing now or where they played last year, or what their current role is on the team, what matters the most is where they are going to be when it’s time, their time and the organizations time.
Quiet talent takes time, but when its time, look out because quiet talent will be more than ready to have an impact.
“Where the hell did that player come from”? That’s what you will hear from those on the peripheral, but those that know really know what the quiet player is all about and it’s just a matter of time.
Here’s to all the quiet talented players out there maximizing their time, to grow, develop and improve.
Here’s to all the quiet talented players out there that are patiently waiting for their opportunity to final show what they can do and the impact that can have.
Here’s to all the quiet talented players there that might be thinking their time may will never come, your efforts and overall talent won’t go unnoticed. It’s just a matter of time and ironically the quiet talented players know all too well how time works because of their ongoing situation or scenario.
Here’s the scouting report I wrote on the player in question from the beginning of the story.
I’m not going to mention his name, because he’s in the midst of quietly making a name for himself. In my opinion, the NHL team that drafts him in the late 3rd or early 4th round won’t be disappointed.
Player A has pure athleticism running through his veins and it shows every time he steps on the ice. When I saw him play in one of the final preseason games, I wanted to see him engage more and get to the middle of the ice. That takes experience, grit and confidence especially given the fact that he played prep school hockey a season ago, and again that’s where the athleticism and natural ability comes into play, Player A is the type of player that is smart enough and skilled enough to play up and down any line up, but he has the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time offensive and has all the tools in his arsenal offensive to score goals when he gets there, He might not have the hardest shot, but he just finds ways to score, This kid is the epitome of “quietly talented” player as I’ve seen in quite some time. He’s not flash or dash, he just brings compete and grit every shift, and he never backs down from a battle in all three zones. He’s a very good skater with solid edge control, and he definitely possesses another gear at any time he needs it, He has great hands in tight areas and is a very underrated passer of the puck, He makes good things happen all over the ice, He missed some time early this season because of illness but in his first game back scored two goals and was all over it and around it all night long. The puck has a weird way of finding him due in large part to his smarts and natural ability and instincts to process the game. Whenever he has the puck on his stick things seem to slow down for him, he’s very creative and is always two plays ahead. He will have to continue to get stronger and quicker which is well within his reach and another scary aspect of his game is that he’s still growing and has a great frame in which to grow. He’s almost 6’1 and 190 now, but I project that he will be at least 6’3 and over 200 by the time he graduates from the league.
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