Good scouts trust their intuition
The good scouts are the ones who look beyond the obvious. The good scouts are the ones who do their homework and rely on their own intuition rather than just going with the flow.
The good scouts are the ones who venture beyond the Greater Toronto Area to find the late round gems. The good scouts are the ones who will take the time to seek out the un-drafted players and have the faith in what they see to recommend them to their general manager.
There are plenty of good scouts in the Ontario Hockey League.
The ones whose names that are heard and relayed are the ones who have a reputation for paying attention to detail and thinking outside the box.
Scott Halpenny of the Erie Otters, Pat Higgins of the Ottawa 67’s, Errol Hook and Matt Rabideau of the North Bay Battalion, Ken Hornick of the London Knights, Matt McGuffin of the Kitchener Rangers, Beau Moyer of the Kingston Frontenacs and Mark Seidel of the Niagara IceDogs are examples of OHL scouts that the words “work ethic”, “keen eyes” and “think outside the box” are often associated with.
The four-team, three-league Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canada Tournament is being held in northern Ontario this week and there are a few young players of note who loom as potential free-agent finds for teams in the OHL and Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League.
Soo Thunderbirds, who are the two-time Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion and defending DHC title holders, have three young players who could well be described as un-drafted talent just waiting to be un-covered by the right OHL team.
1999 birth-year forward Mark Tassone and 1998 birth-year, twin-brother forwards Darian Pilon and Drake Pilon not only appear to have what it takes to play in the OHL or QMJHL but all three are being watched by representatives from Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association schools.
It should be noted that the Pilon boys attended the Sudbury Wolves training camp as free agents last fall but were not signed.
The good scouts should be able to see beyond the cold, hard fact that Tassone and the Pilons have been bypassed on OHL draft days.
The good scouts should be able to stand up say: “It doesn’t matter what others say. These kids can play.”
We shall see if the good scouts can see what so far seems to have not been seen in the right place at the right time.
please dont spilt the pilon twins up it would crush them to get seperated
I seem to recall that the Pilons twins looked good at the Wolves Camp and were with them til the end of Camp. There stats with the Sault Thunderbirds this Season are impressive and the Woofers need alot of help all the help they can get.
Thanks Randy! Appreciate the kind words! FYI, we’ve invited Tassone to Camp!
Could not agree more. There are lots of “good scouts” but, unfortunately, there are too many scouts who either go with the flow or get seduced by stats or get fooled by the team their prospect plays for. The old adage “any defenceman will look bad if you make him play enough in his own end” could not be more true. Same applies for talented forwards who rarely get a good outlet pass from superior D. I’ve seen lots of “can’t miss” prospects crash and burn because they shone brightly on very good teams. Totally agree on Tassone and the Pilon twins. They’re outstanding and always impact the game.
Doesn’t seem to matter how well you do at the Wolves camp. If Burgess doesn’t want you there, you won’t be there — my opinion. A lot of good kids got drafted there and did stick. What happened to Silveri last year? And why in the heck was Peters not playing there?
A lot of good kids got drafted there and did not stick