Caser
@RUSProspects
Alexei Lipanov has been confirmed to play for Team Russia in the upcoming CAN/RUS Series.
Hate to hear Syracuse struggling so much
Not sure if the kids need to excel as much as they need to stay healthy, contribute smartly, and keep learning the system. Excel is something that will come as long as they do the other three.
NHL clubs' scouts fly around Europe in business class, watch a game and then take a few drinks at their luxury hotel. Wrong.
Scout's job is not a lazy man's luxury job. If anyone, Kari Kettunen knows this. Kettunen started his 20th season as Tampa Bay Lightning's European scout.
- Just scheduling and traveling takes a lot of time. Observed players often do not play in big cities but in some small villages, so it can be a difficult traveling from the closest airport to where you want to go. I must look for all background information about the player, interviews his family and former and current coaches. The player must also be seen in practice. After the game I then write a report for my employer, Kettunen says.
NHL players earn millions. The scouts pay isn't a seven-digit sum, at least in euros.
- Salary is okay, but there is no pension. Pension payments must be handled by ourselves, says Kettunen.
Kekäläinen encouraged
Kettunen started as Lightning's scout in 1998. Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, had a strong influence at Kettunen's career choice.
- We've been friends with "Keklu" since the 1970's. I watched a lot of games for my own pleasure, and sometimes Keklu asked me to watch some players. At that time, Keklu was the GM of HIFK and worked as a scout for Ottawa Senators. He told me that Tampa was looking for a scout from Europe, and that's where it begun. I went to the Hotel Hesperia where two Tampa scouts interviewed me and a week later I signed a contract with Lightning. It was an honor to get the job, Kettunen says.
From today's Finnish crop of scouts, only Toronto Maple Leafs scout Ari Vuori has worked longer than Kettunen as a scout. Vuori started in Los Angeles Kings as a scout in 1996, joined Detroit Red Wings in 2007 and Maple Leafs as European Director of Scouting in the year 2015.
Kettunen has worked for Lightning under six different GMs. The first GM Phil Esposito had just changed to Jacques Demers when Kettunen started his job.
Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup, from which Kettunen has a championship ring.
Hard work morale
Almost all Finnish scouts have a player background. For many it's in NHL or SM-league. Kettunen did not play under bright lights.
- I went through the KalPa juniors and played in the lower leagues in the 1980s, and also in the German lower leagues, Kettunen says.
There's a lot more in scouts job than having been a good skater or a good shooter.
- You have to have an eye for the game, you have to understand the game and you have to like the game. Experience of course brings wisdom. You have to have the work ethic and there must be humble and diligent work there. The scout's work is hard because the competition is a lot tighter because of the NHL salary cap. As a result, the number of scouts has increased dramatically, Kettunen says.
Game after game
Before the Internet era, scout's work was more complex than it is now.
- European Scouting Service director Göran Stubb sent us paper versions of different league schedules, but there could be changes. You had to make a call to find out if a game is being played according to schedule or not and whether the player you're looking at is injured or in the lineup.
Kettunen watches about 300 hockey games every year.
- Over the past year, I watched 290 games, with a total of 627 in the previous two years.
Kettunen follows KHL, Swedish SHL, SM League, youth leagues and tournaments of all different national teams.
- There isn't time for everything, so I do not have time to follow players aged 15 to 16 years.
Foreign travel for Kettunen is mostly directed to Sweden or Russia.
- Sometimes I was in Russia for 60-70 days a year. Many players were drafted out of Russia before KHL was born, then there was a small drop, but now the number of players is rising again, Kettunen says.
In addition to Kettunen, Lightning has three other scouts in Europe, former Swedish NHL player Mikael Andersson, Czech Anton Routa and Russian Yuri Yanchenkov.
Only a few prospects from Finland
Lightning has not drafted many Finnish players over the years.
- That's what I wondered myself a little bit. I guess that's just how it is. We do not have a lot of Swedish draft picks either. Drafting has been focused on Russian players, Kettunen says.
Kettunen states that the nationality of the player does not matter in drafting.
- I always look for the best possible player. I put players on a list and the list changes during the year. The big picture, however, is that all scouts and clubs know the best players and the upcoming draft choices. Even though I personally like a player, some other club may take him before we can draft him, Kettunen says.
Diamonds in the rough
Last summer, Lightning had no first round picks. The first pick was at 59, at the end of the second round.
- You can find great player there still. For example, we drafted Nikita Kucherov in 2011 with the 58th overall pick. Ondrej Palat was drafted in the seventh round, Kettunen recalls.
Pekka Rinne of Nashville Predators, the best goalkeeper of the NHL last season, was drafted in the 8th round in 2004 with the number 258.
- Nobody really saw Rinne play because he played so little before being drafted. Those kinds of finds are decreasing all the time, says Kettunen.
Kettunen wanted Bäckström
Every scout hopes the club will have a player like Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine on their ranks. It's only possible by playing the previous season really badly and luck in the draft lottery where the first picks are awarded.
However, good players can be found in the pros where a player doesn't have to be drafted because of his age.
Kettunen is bummed that one player of this kind went by.
- Goalkeeper Niklas Bäckström was always on my list and I tried to get them to draft him even in the ninth round of 2002 when he played at AIK. They didn't and when Bäckström was free to sign with anyone, he went to Minnesota Wild, Kettunen remembers.
Bäckström played in the NHL for 10 seasons with 413 regular season games and 11 playoff games.
Pretty sure he's injuredIs Sosunov injured or are we just not playing him? At least send him to the Echl so he can get some playing time.
It's crazy how Conacher can light up the AHL but has only rare glimpses of offense at the NHL level. I mean, there've always been guys like that, but it's odd.
Nice to see the Power-play for the Crunch clicking finally. Leading the league in pp% although most teams have a game or two on the Crunch still. Also like that we have a en-goal specialist in the pipeline in Volkov when Callahan is gone .