The last five games I’ve scouted there’s been some players that will no doubt get drafted, but there’s only been about two or maybe three that I would pound the table for if it came right down to it.
Over the years I’ve been wrong on players, and I’ve been right about some to. As a scout you carry both of those aspects with you every time you step foot in a rink. You have to trust your instincts and experience, but you still have to challenge yourself and you can’t let bias play a role in any projection.
Just because one player might not fit your mold of a player you value you still have to consider their potential in your assessment, evaluation and rankings.
Case in point, I wouldn’t pound the table for an offensive defenceman that fails to defend, shows no urgency on the other side of the puck and consistently makes the same mistakes and takes the same risks night in night out, I just wouldn’t go there. Now perhaps, I’m bias when it comes to those types of players who are flash and dash, but I couldn’t overlook that shit when it came to draft day. Look the player in question is having a great season in the Q, and has no doubt turned a lot of heads and gained a lot of notoriety, but what have they done and how have they grown defensively? I guess everyone has a standard or benchmark. That’s where player comparables and comparisons take shape. One NHL scout might think that particular player will go in the 3rd round while the next might think that player won’t get selected at all. That’s where the process of scouting becomes intriguing especially from an NHL perspective. What we are seeing every night in let’s say the QMJHL might not even be close to the standard of play in the OHL or the WHL.
What about the wait and see approach on that particular player? “Oh, it’s early Craig, they’re going to be a great player.” Well, that might very well be the case, but I still wouldn’t put my job on the line for a player like that if the draft was today. Perhaps, I would lose my job for not selecting or passing on a player like that?
That particular player in question might go onto have a great impact with the organization that end up drafting them and that’s great for them and it might very well be one of those mistakes that you carry with you for the years to follow, but presently there’s too many variables or tendencies to his overall game that leave me questioning his trajectory and potential role at that level.
Can young players or draft eligible prospects change, grow, adapt and reinvent themselves? Of course they can especially when they experience the next level and realize that they have to adapt to survive. However, some of them might believe the hype surrounding them and fail to make subtle but meaningful adaptations to their game during their draft year subsequently failing to elevate or reach their full potential.
Multiple viewings in critical situations reveal so much about the skill and character of any player. Have I been watching a future NHL regular? Have I been watching a diamond in the rough? Time will tell and that’s what makes the scouting world so exciting. The player in question will no doubt be drafted, but right now I still wouldn’t draft them.
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