As The Pre Draft Combine enters its third year, we are receiving more and more emails asking how we make the event happen each spring. With players coming from all corners of North America and from around the world, I can say it is no small effort.
The most complex part of organizing the event is actually screening players for athletic and academic standards. The Pre Draft Combine is not an open enrolment event where anyone can sign up, it is by invitation only, and that’s the hard part.
The work begins with advance scouting of players. While this years event will end on May 4th, our team will be back out scouting for the following years event on May 9th. With a network of 14 scouts the only time we take off is the week after our event, and the traditional Holiday Season break for a total of 50 weeks of preparation.
Throughout that time we attend showcases, games, practices, team tryouts, and just about any other hockey related function you can imagine. On the average weekend, 14 scouts see a combined 140 games, sometimes that number can double depending on the event.
We also use a network of High School, Midget, Prep and Junior coaches to help select candidates to attend. While we also scout the USHL and Major Junior hockey, that is done largely in the pre-season as we look to identify players who are close to, but not quite ready for those levels. Coaches are very important in the process because they can tell us more about the players personality.
Notes are taken on all players, and then entered into a database. This database is updated throughout the course of the player’s career with notes and information. Currently we have more than 20,000 players and information in our database. These players range from Bantam age to Tier II players with at least one year of eligibility remaining. As players age out of our system they are eliminated, and every year new players are added into the system.
While we may talk to as many as 1500 players and have as many as 1000 applications, every application is sorted through individually so that we can bring in the players that the scouts want to see based on athletic ability and academic standards. It is a very time-consuming process, but one that allows us to assure that every participant will be seen in the best light and receive the best opportunity.
While some applicants may not be accepted this year, that does not mean they wont be accepted next year. It is a process of gaining information over the course of multiple seasons that allows us to predict player growth and the likelihood of a team selecting that player for his next level of competition.
All players are welcome to apply to attend The Pre Draft Combine. While we see as many players as possible each year, we are not able to see everyone. Those players we have not seen that do apply, we do a full reference check and try to scout before making a decision on their application.
Hopefully this helps you understand the process more completely. If you have any questions or wish to apply please send an email to [email protected]
Joseph Kolodziej
Photo Courtesy of Jason Kessenich http://www.aepoc.com/
