LD Andong "Misha" Song - Madison Capitols, USHL (2015, 173rd, NYI)

[SI90]

Teams rarely run out of guys on that list. Its rare teams have the same 100 guys. If they do, they turn to a respected area scout and ask him for a guy he likes from his area who they may not have got enough viewings of (I've heard this is what happened with Datsyuk). Teams don't think there are 212 guys worthy of being drafted that they have enough viewings of. They rank everyone who they think is a legitimate prospect, and that rarely ends up being over 100.

Edit: I'd heard this before from people in the industry, but here it is laid out by New Jersey Devils top scout Paul Castron

Ten Questions with Devils Director of Amateur Scouting Paul Castron



I'd add, I bet if you took the top 100 from sources that provide them, and went through the draft. They would probably never run out of guys until the 7th round.

I said it was unlikely but the time it takes it also makes sense to norrow down the list. Also allows you to focus on your list and concentrate your scouting.

I wish I could be a fly on the wall in some of these draft meetings.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I said it was unlikely but the time it takes it also makes sense to norrow down the list. Also allows you to focus on your list and concentrate your scouting.

I wish I could be a fly on the wall in some of these draft meetings.

if u were a fly on the wall someone would swat u

 

[93LEAFS]

I said it was unlikely but the time it takes it also makes sense to norrow down the list. Also allows you to focus on your list and concentrate your scouting.

I wish I could be a fly on the wall in some of these draft meetings.

It'd be interesting. In general, the feeling that if someone isn't a legit prospect and you have 20 plus reports to confirm it, there is no point in ranking someone you don't think has a legitimate shot of being a prospect. Once you run out of the guys you may have the required viewings of, you take long-shots who one of you scouts may have a feeling on, but hasn't been adequately cross-checked. For example, any kid who spent 2 years in the OHL and was healthy they probably have something like 50 to 100 reports on between area scouts and cross-checkers. If it is a hyped kid who goes to Hlinka and the U-17 challenge they probably have even more. Now, if you are, for example the kid the Leafs (I use the Leafs as an example, just due to my familiarity with them) took from an Ontario prep-school this year in the 7th round, that is possibly a kid they had less than 20 viewings of but went off the board. Although, Leafs probably had a decent amount of viewings for him while due to the amount of former OHL guys who were recently GMs in that league, but those viewings would now be pretty outdated and not very relevant for NHL scouting purposes (as the viewings would be when he was 15 playing AAA).

Edit: Here's the Datsyuk story. Basically describes what I was talking about.

Red Wings scout Hakan Andersson recalls process that led to the discovery of Pavel Datsyuk

"Before draft day I talked to Kenny,'' Andersson said. “He looked at my list and said, 'What's this name?' So I explained who (Datsyuk) was, what I'd seen and what I thought, and he said, 'OK, keep him on the list.'

“As the draft went on we finally got to the point where all the 'good' names were gone. Kenny had the confidence in me to let me (choose), so we drafted (Datsyuk) based on what I said.''

Holland said the team relies on its scouts to step up and make a case for a player in the later rounds.
“Hakan Andersson knows when to fight (for a player), and if he has a player he really likes he'll be banging the drum with Joe McDonnell (director of amateur scouting) and Jim Nill (now the GM of the Dallas Stars),'' Holland said. “They respect Hakan's skill and experience. When Hakan is fighting for a player, they'll listen.''

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

If there was a top 1,000 Prospects list does he make it?

Absolutely not. Heck, there are probably a handful of posters in this thread who were (at times) a better prospect than Song.

I saw him play vs Chicago last year and he was noticeably bad (didn't play much). His transition skating is really awkward, he's got a very poor first step, he's got slow hands of stone, and pretty much chased the game every time he was on the ice. The one thing that he did well is that he didn't try to do anything with the puck, kept his game simple, and committed to defense.

But being a depth defenseman as a 20 year old in the USHL is legitimately terrible for an NHL prospect drafted in any round. Probably one of the worst players to be drafted by an NHL team in some time.

I doubt that he'd even stand out in tier 2/3 hockey (NAHL / USPHL), even at his age, as he doesn't really have any offensive instincts. I'm shocked Cornell wanted him to be honest. He probably won't be able to have a career in hockey at any level.

 

[Bronson]

Drafting him was a PR stunt for the Islanders to get Chinese fans. There should be at least three of them now: Misha and his parents.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

He probably won't be able to have a career in hockey at any level.

Playing for China at the 2022 Olympics, and sitting on the bench for Kunlan Red Star's VHL farm team.

 

[schnapshot]

He’s having a hell of a season.

 

[APVJ]

Updates about this guy?

 

[lawrence]

A total of 1 goal in 47 games.

that said he will probably play in the KHL Dragons for the Beijing team.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

A total of 1 goal in 47 games.

that said he will probably play in the KHL Dragons for the Beijing team.

"play"

 

[Thebesthockey]

A total of 1 goal in 47 games.

that said he will probably play in the KHL Dragons for the Beijing team.

his fate will end up like 95% of those drafted this yr on the long run but given his educational pedigree will probably make more $ than 95% of those drafted this year

so really ...

 

[APVJ]

One poster on this thread called him the steal of the draft way back in 2015.

Didn't age well.

 

[Killerjas]

He's gonna be the steal of the draft.

LOL

 

[SensBrawler]

One poster on this thread called him the steal of the draft way back in 2015.

Didn't age well.

LOL

I see you two don't have sarcasm detectors lol.

Did I really need to add a for someone that was obviously picked just because he was born in China (a publicity stunt). He had 10 points in 26 high school games ffs.

 

[rt]

None of the players taken after him in the 6th round of his draft have played a game in the NHL. Almost all of them appear certain never to do so. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And in this case, nothing lost.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

None of the players taken after him in the 6th round of his draft have played a game in the NHL. Almost all of them appear certain never to do so. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And in this case, nothing lost.

These kinds of picks (ie. Anthony Brodeur or the sons of other various league officials aren't uncommon).

However, all three of the players taken immediately after Song had significant college and/or pro careers to this point. And one of the seventh rounders has played over 200 NHL games.

It does speak to the value that Islanders regime saw in its draft picks that they could use one for promotion rather than team building. Though I'd imagine the league had some say as far as the global initiative.

 

[tealhockey]

These kinds of picks (ie. Anthony Brodeur or the sons of other various league officials aren't uncommon).

However, all three of the players taken immediately after Song had significant college and/or pro careers to this point. And one of the seventh rounders has played over 200 NHL games.

It does speak to the value that Islanders regime saw in its draft picks that they could use one for promotion rather than team building. Though I'd imagine the league had some say as far as the global initiative.

Why does the League need to have any say? A member of the ownership is from China, the market is big enough to justify it to some extent

 

[Kevin27NYI]

None of the players taken after him in the 6th round of his draft have played a game in the NHL. Almost all of them appear certain never to do so. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And in this case, nothing lost.

It was the now late, Charles Wangs last draft as a majority owner and he got to see the first Chinese kid drafted. Great for Wang who has really tried to grow the sport over there.

 

[Zaddy]

I am assuming that the Islanders simply didn't have any names left on their draft list and hence took him simply due to publicity. They probably didn't think there were any players worth drafting left. I doubt they would take Song just for PR if they had someone on their list still that had some slim chance of making it.

 

[Zaddy]

Anyway it's fun looking back at the guys drafted after him. There were a ton of guys still on my list at that time and most of them aren't even close to the NHL. I would've taken a swing at any of Reddekopp, Bouramman, Hansson, Paigin, Korostelev, Niku, Daccord, Addison and Bourque. But it just shows you how far away and how unlikely it is for these late round picks to ever make the show. Like look at where these guys are now:

Reddekopp: Barely hacking it in ECHL
Bouramman: Barely hacking it in Allsvenskan, Swedish tier 2
Hansson: Plays for a team in Austria
Paigin: KHLer, not bad
Korostelev: Questionable KHLer
Niku: 48 NHL games, future still uncertain
Daccord: In the minors, jury still out
Addison: Canadian university
Bourque: Played in the LNAH, headed to France

So yeah, pretty damn awful.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Why does the League need to have any say? A member of the ownership is from China, the market is big enough to justify it to some extent

That was my point. I'm sure the league encouraged the pick as part of the Hockey Is For Everyone campaign. Interesting that he was selected in the sixth - and not seventh - round.

 

[tealhockey]

That was my point. I'm sure the league encouraged the pick as part of the Hockey Is For Everyone campaign. Interesting that he was selected in the sixth - and not seventh - round.

Yeah my point was the league doesn't need to encourage it at all. The incentives were there for ownership. Sixth makes it look like more of a legitimate pick, as though they thought he might be taken