The NHL scouting combine can provide the most physically and mentally exhausting days in a draft prospect's season. I've seen the whole draft and this guy is better than what you are talking about. This year, it's almost like it's been dragging on and on. This is an edited version of a story that appeared in The Hockey News 2020 Draft … If selected first overall, Lafreniere would become the first Quebec-born player taken No. Through interviews with hockey experts and his own unique experience, Malloy … of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team and the son of former NHL player Geoff Sanderson, as well as center Cole Perfetti (Whitby, Ont.) NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. It was about nine years ago that then-Kings GM Dean Lombardi and the “Original Insider” Rich Hammond and I had an off night in Calgary. In its 45th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Photo Gallery: Bruins vs Flyers (03/10/2020), Wood Uses His Best Traits as Devils Succeed, Photo Gallery: Penguins vs Flyers (01/15/2021), Long Absence is Keeping the Competition Alive, Photo Gallery: Jets vs Flyers (02/22/2020), Photo Gallery: Sharks vs Flyers (02/25/2020), Minutemen Special Teams Prevail at Matthews, PHOTO GALLERY: Miami RedHawks v. Ferris State 10/18/2019, Book Review: Philadelphia Flyers – The Big 50, Photo Gallery: Penguins vs Flyers (01/13/2021), Photo Gallery: Hurricanes vs Flyers (03/05/2020), Photo Gallery: Rangers vs Flyers (02/28/2020). "It was like okay, let's stay home for a couple weeks and see from there," Allvin said. All Rights Reserved. Heading into the 2020 NHL Draft, Penguins director of amateur scouting Patrik Allvin explains how they finished the scouting process virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Lafreniere has exceptional skills and attributes which make him a scoring threat every time he steps onto the ice,” said NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. National Collegiate Scouting Association® (NCSA) is the nation’s leading collegiate recruiting source for more than 500,000 student-athletes and 42,000 college coaches. 1 among North American skaters for the 2020 NHL Draft, followed by a pair of his Team Canada gold medal-winning teammates from the 2020 World Junior Championship: No. "Those have been really helpful," Allvin said. “Stuetzle is a smart, creative, playmaking forward,” said Goran Stubb, Director of NHL Central Scouting’s European Services. Create a free womens basketball recruiting profile to connect with college coaches. They were comfortable in the setting.". Overall, it's been a long process. "We always appreciate the last couple of games, the playoffs, the big events like the World Under-18 Championship. "But we still had some different views on players," Allvin said. Our 8-week online Hockey GM and Scouting course, taught by Hockey Hall of Famer Harry Sinden, will teach you the skills teams hire. While you've certainly read a great many team previews, brushed up on on-ice and roster rule changes, … "I wanted the scouts to be kind of fresh, so they didn't forget about some things," Allvin said. The staff originally prepared as if the draft was going to be in June, and then when they heard it would be postponed, they took July off to recharge and started back up in August. But this year, they began that process in early April through weekly WebEx video meetings, right after it became clear that they wouldn't be watching any more games. Editor's Picks. To reach the big time, you'll need a combination of knowledge about hockey player skills, a good intuition, some detective skills, a strong passion for the game, and the willingnessto live life on the road. We use cookies for various purposes on our website including analytics. 5 Rodion Amirov (Salavat, Russia), a left wing for UFA (RUSSIA). Out-of-state teams roll to impressive wins. The Arizona Coyotes renounced the draft rights to Mitchell Miller over the bullying of a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. 2 Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves and No. Dean invited the two of us to go to … If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. A hockey podcast that doesn’t talk about last night’s scores. In addition to Lafreniere and Byfield, No. National Collegiate Scouting Association® (NCSA) is the nation’s leading collegiate recruiting source for more than 500,000 student-athletes and 42,000 college coaches. Michelle Crechiolo. ), a center for the Sudbury Wolves (OHL). 3 Anton Lundell (Espoo, Finland), a center for HIFK (FINLAND), No. They ended up meeting with about 20-25 prospects, and Allvin felt they went well on both sides. During a typical year, the amateur scouting staff - which consists of Allvin, two global crossover scouts, eight regional scouts based in North America and two European scouts - comes to Pittsburgh in May to finalize the draft board that they will take with them to the host city in June that has their overall ranking of the players. The most NHL-ready player in the draft, Lafreniere has a chance to be one of the better wings of the past few years. The most up-to-date breaking hockey news from the official source including interviews, rumors, statistics and schedules. "Obviously everybody has passion and wants to get it right. That's where the regional scouts' work during the season became even more important. In my nearly 45 years of covering pro hockey I remain intrigued by what goes into scouting and rating a hockey prospect. "(WebEx and Zoom) are definitely things I want to use moving forward. They also went back and watched plenty of old games online. When it came to their on-ice evaluation of players, the scouts would not get the chance to see how they performed under pressure, whether it was in their respective postseasons or the World Under-18 Championship, the last international tournament before the draft. Mike MacPherson began scouting in 1999 for the Chicago Blackhawks and was responsible for the ECHL. That's where Penguins director of hockey research Sam Ventura came in, providing the scouts with analytics to assist them in that process. He has died at age 97. He can become the third German-born and trained player picked in the top 10 of the NHL Draft: Leon Draisaitl (No. 2 Quinton Byfield (Newmarket, Ont. 2 Alexander Holtz (Stockholm, Sweden), a right wing for Djurgarden (SWEDEN), No. Byfield recorded 32-50—82 in 45 GP in 2019-20 where his 1.82 P/GP ranked tied for fifth among all OHL skaters. by "I thought that overall, it was a really good mindset from the whole group there during this time," said Allvin, who will be making the Penguins' picks remotely from PPG Paints Arena. "I do think it's easy to be on the negative side where you start to question everything," Allvin said with a laugh. The NHL source for news, analysis, stats, scores, and rumors. It turned out to be a unique challenge, but one that the staff handled as best they could under the circumstances. Scouting Nightmares: inside the scariest road trips, craziest prospect interviews and more. Round 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft, which was originally set to be in Montreal but is now being held virtually, will begin on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network while Rounds 2-7 will begin on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. on NHL Network. This week, prospects eligible for the 2019 NHL … And now, the scouts are chomping at the bit to finally make their picks and begin preparing for next year's draft. When the NHL first pressed pause back in March, Penguins director of amateur scouting Patrik Allvin told the amateur scouts to return home for the time being. "I wanted the players, these young kids, to be used to Zoom or WebEx so they would be comfortable with it," Allvin said. "I thought it was excellent," he said. What sets him above in this Draft class is the natural compete and battle traits that are ingrained in his game, allowing Alexis to lead the way and make others around him better.”. We also mourn the passing of Leaf great and broadcaster Howie Meeker. And the Penguins did get ultimately get the chance to interview the players, albeit virtually, and not right away. NHL.com provides fantasy hockey rankings, lists and more offseason coverage to prepare you for drafts in the 2020-21 season. One of the first media personalities to be welcomed into the secretive scouting fraternity, Shane Malloy has been covering hockey prospects, scouting and player development for the past decade and brings to hockey fans an enlightening and fascinating narrative that explains the culture, history, art and science of hockey scouting. , Lafreniere has a chance to interview the players, albeit virtually, and not away. From the Carolina Hurricanes ' draft headquarters inside the team 's locker room at Arena! And Pebblebrook record impressive wins game and has few if any weaknesses in game! 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