Prospects and video game addiction

[BruinsBtn]

We all hear about Laine playing video games all the time and laugh about it but I think teams and scouts have got to be worried about how much time prospects are spending on video games. Looks like one team is going to blow a first rounder over it.
From Jeff Marek (Friedman discusses NHL trade and contract potential)

Marek and Friedman were chatting about their own kids and the inevitable introduction of video games, when Marek shared this tidbit:
“On video games – and I’m not going to say the player’s name,” began Marek. “I really doubt he’s going to make it to the NHL and it’s because of a video game addiction. To the point where his junior general manager told me that they’ve had him go to counseling over it because he’ll play until all hours of the night and into the morning and then he’ll have no energy the next day. He’ll be a write-off. And it is that bad. He has this compulsion for playing video games until all hours.
“I swore that I wouldn’t say the player’s name. But it’s unfortunate. He’s a recent first-round draft pick for a very, very prominent NHL team – will probably never play in the NHL because of a video game addiction.”​

First rounder, very prominent team, plays junior. That can't be a very long list.

Click to read more...

 

[Peasy]

God damn Fortnite.

 

[CupInSIX]

Or maybe he just lacks true passion for the game. Some prospects can't stop eating hot dogs.

To be honest this just sounds like an old man writing off suspicion that the kid is lazy and doesn't have the drive to be a pro. "He has no energy again! That darn kid and his video games! If it wasn't for them video doodads..." For all we know he could be up to much, much worse things all night.

 

[ijuka]

I definitely wish they were doing something else instead. It's just about the least productive thing one can do. At least for such long periods of time. You would imagine there would be some off-ice training opportunities for something.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Jeff and Friedge gave a lot of clues in that quote there. I came up with only 9 names (went as far back as 2014 draft) and even a couple of those are current AHLers.

 

[VIPettersson]

Theres already a thread about this topic?

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Sounds like my students

 

[John Price]

They're still kids. like it or not

let em game

 

[member 157595]

They're still kids. like it or not

let em game

Playing video games is fine. Staying up all night playing video games while you have an important job to do the next day? He needs to grow up.

 

[Hansen]

They're still kids. like it or not

let em game

Let em post !

 

[ObscureAlien]

I definitely wish they were doing something else instead. It's just about the least productive thing one can do. At least for such long periods of time. You would imagine there would be some off-ice training opportunities for something.

they literally cannot train all day. I can only imagine the stress and demands of an aspiring NHL prospect and video games are a form of escapism and in moderation, are not inherently bad. would you rather try other forms of escapism like illicit substances because quite frankly in some of the small market CHL franchises, there isn't that much going on in those towns.

 

[Tryamkin]

I was wondering why Michael Dal Colle didn’t show any improvement

 

[Yamazaki]

I wonder who it could be, it would be funny/sad if he was addicted to nhl 18

 

[MarAlain MongYeo]

THis sounds to me like Logan Brown or Michael Dal Colle, just a guess

 

[TheBradyBunch]

THis sounds to me like Logan Brown or Michael Dal Colle, just a guess

Why does it sound like Logan Brown?

I had that fear at first but I don't think it would be him for a few reasons:
1) His father is a coach and by all accounts, he instilled pretty strong professional values in him from a young age.
2) Brown hasn't really struggled. 9th in PPG in the regular season, trusted with a lot of responsibility on both of his teams, led the playoffs in scoring through 3 rounds.
3) Not sure if the Sens are a "very, very prominent team".
4) If this has been known to be a problem for over a year, why would the Sens reward him by keeping him up with the team for several weeks this year?

 

[Hansen]

I was wondering why Michael Dal Colle didn’t show any improvement

you mean Olli Juolevi

 

[Leopain]

Considering what they said, if he is still playing junior, the list is really small. My guess would be Rubtsov. I think Philly is a very prominent NHL team.

 

[Papa Francouz]

I’m sure whoever it is will grow out of it eventually. Unfortunately, it might happen too late for their talent to be salvaged.

I never really understood just how fine of a line these kids have to toe until now, if only because I was addicted to video games at one point in my life, too. I managed to kick the habit early into my 20s, but by that age a lot of these young players will be written off as draft busts or career AHLers.

 

[Brando]

Could be Max Jones? Although not sure if Anaheim is a "very prominent team".

 

[Kipper933]

Timothy Liljegren starting to feel at home in Toronto - Sportsnet.ca

Off the ice, Liljegren prefers to get away from sports and keep in touch with friends back home.

"I usually play video games. The new Call of Duty is out now so I spend a lot of my time there," said Liljegren. "I haven’t been playing with a lot of friends (here). Usually play (online) with friends back home, keep up with them so it’s fun."

To add, Marek really sensationalized it though. People get in an out of various addictions all the time, it's hardly something to write off a career over this early, for whomever it is.

 

[Peasy]

Timothy Liljegren starting to feel at home in Toronto - Sportsnet.ca

Liljegren did not struggle this year. Marek also said this occurred 6 months to a year ago. So it sounds like this issue was on going during 2016-2017. Marek also said it was in Junior, Liljegren has only played in the AHL this year.

A lot of this generation plays video games. Look at what Laine said in an article, he said that every time theyre on the road he and Ehlers requests for an extra tv, and if they can't get one they just buy another. It doesn't mean that just because someone plays video games means that its taking over their life.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I think what irritates me the most about that anecdote is it goes straight to video game addiction. I could easily see this as "get off my lawn!" type older generation guys seeing that (1) this kid plays a lot of games, and (2) this kid doesn't sleep at night, which ends up involving playing video games, and concluding that he's addicted. A kid who is involved in very strenuous physical activity basically every day and then staying up all night has serious sleep issues. Most people could not even do that. They would fall asleep. That's what suggests this is legitimate problem.

It's just a generation gap thing. Kids these days play a LOT of video games. That might make it look like video games are the problem from the outside, but it's more likely that video games are just a way to cope with the problem.

 

[Martin Skoula]

I think what irritates me the most about that anecdote is it goes straight to video game addiction. I could easily see this as "get off my lawn!" type older generation guys seeing that (1) this kid plays a lot of games, and (2) this kid doesn't sleep at night, which ends up involving playing video games, and concluding that he's addicted. A kid who is involved in very strenuous physical activity basically every day and then staying up all night has serious sleep issues. Most people could not even do that. They would fall asleep. That's what suggests this is legitimate problem.

It's just a generation gap thing. Kids these days play a LOT of video games. That might make it look like video games are the problem from the outside, but it's more likely that video games are just a way to cope with the problem.

I mean games are fundamentally designed to be addictive from the ground up these days. There's full fields of study into increasing the average amount of time spent on your specific game/app. It's not far off of the same type of addictive dopamine hit that gambling gives out.

I'm sure some people who play games are using them to cope with other issues, but that doesn't mean that game addiction can't be the issue.

 

[Kipper933]

Liljegren did not struggle this year. Marek also said this occurred 6 months to a year ago. So it sounds like this issue was on going during 2016-2017. Marek also said it was in Junior, Liljegren has only played in the AHL this year.

A lot of this generation plays video games. Look at what Laine said in an article, he said that every time theyre on the road he and Ehlers requests for an extra tv, and if they can't get one they just buy another. It doesn't mean that just because someone plays video games means that its taking over their life.

He never said they struggled this year and they do have junior leagues in Europe too. The Leafs certainly qualify as a "very, very prominent team" (that sounds like an original-6 team).

He said it was information from 6-12 months ago, Rogle BK got a new GM within the last year, a canadian from Southern Ontario (Chris Abbott).

Ultimately it sounds like a second-hand quote that was sensationalized by Marek to get people talking about it.

 

[AppsSyl]

You want so bad for it to be Liljegren, lol.
Pretty sure it is not. He hasn't struggled. And do you honestly think Lou would tell Marek anything? Nothing gets out under him and he was the GM at the time.