from Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic,

Over the years, there have been Hall of Famers elected from many walks of hockey life – pro, amateur, male and female.

But one category where they’re still looking for their first inductee is from the world of scouting.

And that’s a curious turn of events because most NHL teams employ a dozen or more full-time scouts and many more in a part-time or regional capacity. Let’s conservatively estimate that upwards of 500 people beat the bushes for player talent on behalf of NHL teams in any given year – understandable given prospects coming through the developmental pipeline are the lifeblood of any NHL organization....

But within the context of a sensational late-round pick that pans out, how do you determine organizationally who gets the credit for making the choice?

According to Holland, even that can be tricky because scouting is, above all, a collaborative exercise.

Holland cited the Red Wings as an example of how the process unfolds. Jim Nill was Holland’s assistant GM and he oversaw the draft until leaving to join the Dallas Stars as their GM in 2013 while Hakan Andersson is the team’s long-time European scout, responsible for selecting, among others, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, in the late rounds.

“So Hakan Andersson has a list of names and he’s sitting over Jim Nill’s left shoulder, and he’s saying, ‘I like this Pavel Datsyuk kid. I like him a lot.’ So, Jimmy Nill looks over his list and he doesn’t have anybody else and Hakan is pushing, pushing, pushing and so the Red Wings draft Pavel Datsyuk. And Pavel Datsyuk goes on to be one of the best players in Red Wing history.

“Now is that Jim Nill? Or is that Hakan Andersson? Well, it’s actually both.

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