Hockey scouts look for many things when evaluating a player. Obviously, they want to see how skilled the player is, but they also want to see how physical he is, how fast he is, and most importantly, how smart he is. The position of a hockey scout is very important, as he is responsible for evaluating not only the players on his team, but also the players that play against their team. This is why you will often see scouts watching opposing teams’ players more than their own. It is also important to understand what a hockey scout does not look for. If a player checks all of the boxes without being exceptional at anything else, they will probably score very low on the assessment. Scouts are only as good as the players they are scouting, and this is why it is so important to develop your own personal scout pool. Once you have your own scouting pool, you will always know who to watch out for and who to look out for yourself. This is why when you are playing against weaker teams, it is so important to go for broke every game. Go out and score as many goals as possible because the scouts will be watching you. Scoring goals is the best way to prove to them that you are a top-notch hockey player and deserving of a spot on an NHL roster. However, just because you score doesn’t mean that you will automatically make the cut. There are many other things that a hockey scout looks for, but if you want to get ahead in this highly competitive game, it is essential to focus on scoring goals and setting up your teammates for greatness.
Table of Contents
Skilled
The first thing that a hockey scout looks for is obviously skill. How skilled the player is is going to determine how well he is going to perform in the game. They want to see if he is able to maneuver the puck around defenders or if they are just there to clog up the lane and not move very much. The more skilled the player, the better, especially if he is a player that is very difficult to handle with the puck. In order to tell how skilled a player is, they will usually use a point system. The more points that a player scores, the more skilled he is considered to be. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, it just takes one amazing performance to break the stereotype. After all, nobody is indispensable. There are many factors that a hockey scout has to take into consideration, but ultimately, it all comes down to one thing – how good is the player?
Physical
When it comes to physicality, most people think that it is just about how much weight the player can take. However, this is far from true. A hockey scout wants to see how well the player can adapt to the rigors of the NHL. This is why they look at many different things such as how the player reacts when he gets knocked down or checks-checked, how hard he plays, and how much muscle he has. The more physical the player, the better, especially on the defensive zone. This is where most of the action takes place and the defenders are always pushing each other around. Therefore, your body has to be able to handle a lot of hits and keep moving. So, if you are looking for a physical player, strength and stamina are going to be more important than how much weight you can lift.
Intelligent
If there is one thing that a hockey scout looks for more than anything else, it is intelligence. Just because a player is big and strong doesn’t mean that he is necessarily smart. There is a great deal of difference between having raw intelligence and being able to apply it to playing hockey. A scout wants to see if the player can think outside of the box and approach the game in a way that is unique to him. They want to see if he can come up with an escape plan or has an additional trick hidden up his sleeve that he can bring to the ice. The more intelligent the player, the better, as this is what makes him difficult to read at times and unpredictable. Just because a player has a good hockey mind doesn’t mean that he is not physical or skilled, but rather that he has a good mix of all three that makes him very special indeed.
The Scout Pool
The first step to becoming a good hockey scout is to build a good scout pool. Your scout pool is just a collection of the players that you deem to be the best in their league at what they do. Once you have your pool, you can start to look for trends and see which players are on the rise and which ones need to be placed in a different light. Your scout pool should be made up of players that are at least a half-way decent at all other positions. If you have a clear division in your pool, then you can start to specialize in certain areas. However, it is usually best to have a good mix of the two
If you want to get ahead in this highly competitive game, it is essential to focus on scoring goals and setting up your teammates for greatness. Once you start gathering a lot of points, you will notice that scouts will start to take notice of you. This is why when you are playing against weaker teams, it is so important to go for broke every game. Go out and score as many goals as possible because the scouts will be watching you. Scoring goals is the best way to prove to them that you are a top-notch hockey player and deserving of a spot on an NHL roster. However, just because you score doesn’t mean that you will automatically make the cut. There are many other things that a hockey scout looks for, but if you want to get ahead in this highly competitive game, it is essential to focus on scoring goals and setting up your teammates for greatness.