Seattle’s scouts on very different course
John Goodwin had the honor of being the first, and it was a bit unnerving. He was a pro scout representing a franchise without a nickname and nearly two years away from having a roster — with an arena still under construction — and walking into an NHL arena for the first time on behalf of Seattle’s expansion team was daunting.
“I got there about two hours before. They weren’t even open yet, so I waited,” Goodwin recalled.
Seeing Seattle’s scouts in places like Toronto, Boston, Dallas, or Vancouver is no longer a novelty. But when Goodwin or any of his counterparts show up, they are scouting a different game than their colleagues. While scouts from the other 31 franchises might watch another team’s power-play or the way it rotates lines, Seattle’s scouts are specifically looking at the players.
“With what you’re doing for an existing franchise, you’re looking for perhaps a specific player in a specific role. Whereas now we’re looking, I wouldn’t say for specific players, but players with skills and abilities and characteristics that we want,” said Dave Hunter, who is based in Boston. “So as opposed to looking for a third line left wing who is aggressive and can kill penalties, we’re looking for a player that can skate, be creative, has a good hockey sense. It’s not a specific role.”
Last week, Seattle’s five pro scouts gathered near where their team will drop the puck for the first time in 20 months. Less than a week later they were down to four after former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson left to take a head-coaching position in Sweden. But he took part in that meeting in Seattle along with Goodwin, Hunter, Stu Barnes and Cammi Granato.
They reviewed players, talked about their reports and the kind of data being sought by a front office made up of general manager Ron Francis, assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk and director of hockey strategy and research Alexandra Mandrycky. They also conducted a mock draft of players they would like to see on the ice when Seattle plays that first game in October 2021.
Maple Leafs
Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen left the 5-3 loss Monday night against Florida after the first period due to what the team said Tuesday is a neck injury. Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that Andersen will not travel with the team for the game against the Rangers in New York Wednesday.