Another Ludzik joins Dogs
Former Niagara Falls Canuck captain Steve Ludzik new Niagara IceDogs scout
Steve Ludzik is living the dream.
The 30-year-old Niagara Falls native has been working for the Montreal Canadiens the last two seasons as a scout and recently added another title to his resume after begin hired by the Niagara IceDogs to help in their scouting department.
“The moment the team came here I wish had been young enough to try to play for the hockey club, but this is the next best thing,” Ludzik said. “I jumped at the opportunity to be involved, even in the smallest way.”
“This is as hometown team as it’s going to get for me.”
Luzdik, who scouts the Ontario Hockey League as well as the Ontario Provincial Junior A and midget levels for the Canadiens, plans to work out a schedule that can accommodate both the Canadiens and IceDogs.
“I have a good knowledge of the league (OHL),” he said. “Hopefully, I will get a unique experience of learning. I have met the brothers (Joey and Billy Burke) and the ownership and the family is amazing.”
The chance to join the IceDogs also gives Ludzik the opportunity to work with younger brother Ryan Ludzik, who is the team’s goaltending coach.
“The ability to be with the same hockey club as my brother, no matter how small my role is, I’ll never forget it,” he said.
Ludzik, the son of former Niagara Falls Flyers great and National Hockey League player Steve Ludzik Sr., was a solid player is his own right for the Niagara Falls Canucks.
He began scouting five years ago with the Owen Sound Attack as a way to stay involved with the game he grew up with and loves. “You want to play as long as possible, but the reality was I wasn’t going to make a career out of it as a professional. The skill level wasn’t there. A lot of things weren’t there,” he said. “I have a passion for it and I’ve been learning since I was child what professionals look for, what management looks for.”
You’re trying to build a hockey club, no matter what your role is, big or small, you are there to bring your best to put the best team on the ice.” Steve Ludzik
“It was natural for me to try and stay involved. I wanted to be involved in management and you just don’t jump in.”
Ludzik loves being part of a team, even if it’s in the boardroom.
“I like the evaluation (part). Everyone is different. Everyone sees things differently, but it’s still great to be part of a team and you come together and you work differently, but very much the same, as you did when you were on the ice,” he said. “You’re trying to build a hockey club, no matter what your role is, big or small, you are there to bring your best to put the best team on the ice.”
Ludzik’s main responsibility for the Canadiens is to scout draft-eligible players. He will see them three or four times in the first month to get a base rating and then continue to monitor them throughout the season.
Watching the games is the easy part. Then comes detailed evaluations on each player.
“I can’t watch the game like when I was a kid. You watch your players for certain qualities and traits,” he said. “We have many meetings and the reports are elaborate. They want projections, what their role in NHL would be, their trade value, where he would be picked.”
“It’s a big investment. You can’t afford to make many mistakes when picking a player.”
Ludzik feels hockey IQ is among the top traits a player can possess.
“You want high hockey sense and compete level and character but you have to be able to skate as well,” he said. “If you think this game and can skate, that’s a great package. If you don’t have hockey sense, it’s becoming harder and harder to play.”
“If you don’t think the game, you won’t last long.”
Ludzik loves his job, even if it means long hours on the road, lousy meals, and a ton of time alone in the car.
“Watching the game is awesome. You still get invested and you still feel like a kid and you get just as excited to see the game every night,” he said. “It’s not for everyone, but it’s awesome and fun to be involved.
“Just like being a player, you have to make commitments and sacrifices.”
Part of that sacrifice is being away most evenings from his wife Deanna, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, a girl.
“I see my wife in morning, but it’s no different than working an afternoon shift,” he said. “Part of the job is commuting and the rest is at the rink and writing up a report later that night.”
In a perfect world, Ludzik would love to move up to a management position with a team at some point.
“I have a great job and if I can have a lengthy career scouting for Montreal Canadiens, I’d be fine with that,” he said. “You want more responsibility. If you still have that competitive spirit you want to be able to make the decisions or at least have your hand in making the decisions that are the most impactful on the hockey club.”