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Confessions Of A Junior Hockey Coach – What Makes Scouts Attend Certain Games

To be sure all player want to be seen by the scout.  It is a part of development and want to grow up in the game reaching the higher levels.  There so many myth of why certain scout go to certain game over other game, or watch certain team and not watch other team.

There are real reason why scout go or not go to games.  Not one of those reason have anything to do with the name of the league a team plays in.  All leagues have good player and bad player.  A league name is just that, a league name and nothing more.  Every league have good team and not so good team.

If whole league is seen as being not good well then you have a big problem.  League level is only an indication of what the sanctioning body feels the level of play is, was or may be.  A label is just a label, be careful you do not buy the fake Louis Vuitton.  Just because it say it is one thing do not make it so.

It is the team organization that bring the scouts out.  If it were not so and it were the league who bring the scout, then you would see scout at games featuring both last place teams because they are in a certain league.  A league name is not an indication of scouting levels.  Common sense say that a bad team is just a bad team and no one want to watch.

The team invite the scout, they make the scout feel welcome, roll out the red carpet so to speak.  They call with the player updates and email with latest information all the time.  The scout show up and the coffee is waiting in the scout room as well as updated information.  Someone check in with the scout a couple time per game to see if they need anything.  It is called customer service.

The good team understand what it takes.  The good team are constantly moving player on to the higher levels or at least trying to move player on.

When you talk to team this summer, ask them what they do to bring scout out and promote players.  Ask them how many player they move on last year.  Ask them if they allow player to move up without holding them hostage for money.  All these question need to be answered because all these thing influence what game scout go to.

Scout do not want to go watch game where if they want to call player up they are going to be taken to the bank.  Scout do not want to go to game where he not made to feel welcome.  Scout will avoid the freezing cold rink at all costs because he spend every day in freezing cold rink.

Is the team so far out of the way that travel to scout game is not easy?  Geography play important roll in scouting schedules.

Do the smart thing, ask the smart question.  Ask the scout if you see him, don’t ask the league, every league will say they are great.  Don’t ask the team, every team will say they are great.

Coach

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