from Jason Bukala of Sportsnet,

To give you an idea of how a scouting department operates, every team in the NHL customizes its evaluation process around the organizational philosophy provided by its GM and/or President of Hockey Operations. Pro Scouts and Amateur Scouts utilize the same tools and travel throughout the world to view players live. Directors from both departments communicate their findings and opinions throughout the season.

Ultimately, organizations will create “lists” that rank players in descending order of value and interest. Examples include:

• NHL Trade Targets by Position
• Amateur Draft
• Amateur Free Agents (CHL, NCAA)
• NHL Team Depth Charts
• NHL Restricted Free Agents
• NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
• Minor League Free Agents
• European Free Agents
• Future Amateur Draft (Underage)

And now this insight will come to you. I’m excited to be joining Sportsnet in a role that will allow me to freely provide opinions and analysis on all things hockey, and give you a peek behind this curtain to how scouting teams operate.

Today, more than ever, fans of the game are craving more information. Our society is programmed to expect insider intel ASAP. We want to know something before it actually happens.

more