At the Network Goaltending Symposium, where 103 of the top goalie coaches in North America and Europe gathered for three days of learning and sharing, we had three “Net Talks”.
These were small group sessions where each group discussed the same topic and collected their ideas on a huge sticky note. Those were then posted for all to see.
Each group was ‘captained’ by a pro goalie coach – I was happy to be paired with my friend Brian D’Accord.
One of the topics was “Scouting And Talent Evaluation” – so how do scouts identify talent and prospects. You might be surprised by the responses.
Here are the common threads from all groups…
- Research player’s character on and off the ice
- Look for work ethic
- Look for someone you want to work with
- Compete level
- Trying to win vs. trying to do well at the evaluation
- Identifying passion
- Does he/she progress/improve
- Open mindedness – are they coachable
- Body language
- Consistency – ability to bounce back
- Athleticism
- Foundational skills – do they have the basics down
Do you see that there is nothing in there about flash? It is all about who you are. I think about three out of the 12 groups mentioned size, but the characteristics listed above were common themes for each group.
So take it from 103 top goalie coaches – this is what they are looking for. If you are coachable, someone they want to work with (because you are not a pain in the @ss), you are an athlete and you want to learn…they can clean up your techniques and teach you the tactics.
They are not looking for a goalie who is ‘fully cooked’ they are looking for one who has the potential.
Let that be YOU!
Cheers,
M
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