Photo credit: RocketFAN
I will never be an NHL scout
Things that make me go hmm…
Oct 4, 2023 | 12:04 PM
- It was only seven short years ago that the NHL scout’s room at CN Centre in Prince George was a ghost town. The number of Tim Horton’s donuts easily outnumbered the warm bodies in the room. It appeared scouts preferred to watch prospects perform anywhere but the WHL’s most northerly location. Oh, how times have changed. The scout’s room was packed last night with NHL personnel, including former Hockey Canada director of player personnel Alan Millar. The days of mailing it in and not playing at your optimum level in Prince George are over. Eyes are watching, everywhere!!
- I couldn’t be an NHL scout. Not a chance. Why? I like to talk. If you ever walk into a scouts room, it is typically a library. Very little is spoken. The silence, in my ears, is deafening. Remember, I am a radio guy. Silence, or as we refer to it as dead-air, isn’t a good thing. I am sure the conversations pick up after the game at local restaurants and pubs, but the scout’s room, from my uninformed ears, is uncomfortably quiet.
- It was nice to run into former Kelowna Rockets alumni Carter Rigby at the rink Tuesday morning. Now 29, I asked the second-year assistant coach of the Prince George Cougars about his aspirations of being a WHL head coach someday. “I would love to,” Rigby not batting an eye at the question. “I am a type ‘A’ kind of guy. I want to learn as much as I can at this level. I don’t put a time frame on it. If I am an assistant coach for 10 years, I am fine with that. I want to be a part of a winning organization and a winning team.”
- Speaking of alumni, Zach Franko is doing some scouting for the Cougars. A former teammate of Rigby’s in Kelowna, Franko reached out last summer and asked if the Cougars needed some scouting help in Manitoba. Fortunately, there was no one covering the area, so it seemed like a good fit. Franko has previous experience scouting for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose while working for the Portland Winterhawks.
- I have a bit of egg on my face today. No, not literally, but I am a mess at the diner table. I didn’t look at the pre-game itinerary before last night’s puck drop, so in error, I didn’t know there would be a moment of silence in the building. So, with my headset on, unaware of what was being said over the PA feed at CN Centre, when the moment of silence was held, I was the only one in the building talking, at the time, preaching the virtues of the Cougars season a year ago when they scored 290 goals. I saw Carter Rigby’s eyes from the Cougars bench glare at me up in my broadcast booth location, and Rockets d-man John Babcock told me after the game he could clearly hear me from the bench. I will take the fall for this one, noting from this day moving forward, that piece of paper the game operations staff hands you, are indeed packed with useful information.
- The Prince George Cougars have five first-round WHL prospect picks on their roster. Yes, a whopping five. Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer lead the list, followed by Keaton Dowhaniuk, Lee Shurgot, and Tyson Buczkowski. Does any team in the WHL have five first-round picks playing per night?
- I’m feeling old….again. Cougars rookie forward Tyson Buczkowski is the son of Paul Buczkowski. Now 48, I remember Paul from his days in the mid-90s with the Saskatoon Blades. Paul was a terrific player, scoring 48 goals and 98 points in the 1994-95 season. I already felt ancient knowing that 17-year-old Hunter Laing earned a roster spot in PG. Laing is the son of former Kelowna Rockets forward, and now assistant coach, Quintin Laing.
- Kris Mallette likely says he has aged since he was named the Kelowna Rockets head coach late in the 2019-2020 season. The fact is, Mallette is 44 years old, which makes him and Dennis Williams of the Everett Silvertips as the second youngest coaches in the Western Conference. Mallette is the youngest bench boss in the BC Division, four years younger than Victoria’s Dan Price. The youngest head coach in the Western Conference is Chris Clark of the Wenatchee Wild, who is 41. The oldest is 66-year-old Mike Johnston of the Portland Winterhawks. The average age of a head coach in the Western Conference is 52.
- Out in the Eastern Conference, the oldest head coach is Medicine Hat’s Willie Desjardins, 66, while the youngest is Brennan Sonne of the Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current’s Dean Praught. Both are 36. The average age of a coach in the East is 48.
- Travis Moen’s son, who turns 15 in late February will be eligible for the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. Carter Moen is playing in Swift Current under the watchful eye of his father, who spent four seasons with the Kelowna Rockets before being drafted by the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Carter is a 5’8, 173-pound forward, which is well put together for a player of his age. Moen’s grandpa is former Kelowna Rockets director of player personnel Lorne Frey.
- I was as stunned as any at the death of long time hockey coach Brad Tippett. The 64 year-old passed away suddenly on Friday. My only interaction with Brad came when I was a young radio reporter in Swift Current while Brad was the head coach of the Regina Pats. I went to interview him after his team was soundly defeated by the Swift Current Broncos. I don’t remember the question I asked him, but my voice and my arm were trembling in fear as I held a microphone in front of his face. I remember Brad Tippett’s answer like it was yesterday. “That is a shit horse question”. It was a life lesson I will never forget. Don’t ask hard hitting questions to a coach who’s team just lost 9-2.
- At 1016 words, it is best to wrap up my thoughts for the week. I don’t want to bore you with my endless nattering. Using this format, we will be back next Wednesday.
Comments