Director of Scouting David Conte Interview

[NJ CUP*]

the problem with the devils and their prospects is simple its 2 fold.


the first problem is the scouting department. its been the same head scout for what 15-20 years now? i know he was great in the past but conte has either lost a step or has just not cared since he seems to have immunity to his bad picks. no one is holding him accountable.

i know he has found some "good" players in the later rounds but i'm really more worried about our 1st round selections. why do we keep drafting busts?


that brings me to my second problem with the devils. albany is a huge disaster they had 1 playoff team (mac coached them) in the past 10+ years. problem is though lou has his son as the gm and has had past devils alumni in the coaching ranks.


solution to the problem. clean house get rid of all former devils that hold coaching or scouting positions in this team. bring in some blood from outside the devils. your telling me lou's son is the best choice to run things down there? or that stevens and barr are the best coaches to have up here? t-bone is the best goalie coach? you really want him teaching kincaid to play goal?


gotta start at the top replace lou replace conte and get rid of all former devils holding any positions in this team. let them go out and learn the trade with other teams. have stevens coach for some other team and then bring him back. too much of "lou's thinking" throughout this franchise and its killing the team from within

 

[Devils Dominion]

Also we drafted a ton of NA skaters for a long time. With the exception of a handful of Czechs and then our most recent runs of Swedes and Russians (jury is out).

But yes, you're correct.

Here are our Euro draft picks since Sykora was drafted 18th overall in 1995 (a fanstastic pick at the time and proven to be over the years).

Only in top-2 rounds for sample size:
year, round & overall

1997
Stanislav Gron, 2/38

1998
Christian Berglund, 2/37

1999
Ari Ahonen, 1/27

2000
Teemu Laine, 2/39
Alex Suglobov, 2/56

2001
Igor Pohanka, 2/44
Tuomas Pihlman, 2/48
Victor Uchevatov, 2/60

2002
Anton Kadeykin, 2/51

2003
Petr Vrana, 2/42

2005
Niclas Bergfors, 1/23

2006
Alexander Vasyunov, 2/58


2008
Mattias Tedenby, 1/24

2009
Jacob Josefson, 1/20

2011
Adam Larsson, 1/4

That track record is an utter failure by our Euro scouts and there were not any gems in rounds 3 and later either, with the exception of a minor role player like Jiri Bicek.

Can anyone find a link that confirms if Conte has let any of our Euro scouts go and replaced them with guys that can evaluate talented hockey players?

 

[SeidoN]

When he got his cup of coffee with NJ(or did he yet?), he didn't fare so well(or am I remembering Kinkaid?)

this is the most ambiguous fact/opinion ever

 

[glenwo2]

this is the most ambiguous fact/opinion ever

Well it's been so long since Frazee has been even a thought in Devils fans minds that I don't recall when or if he was even up.

 

[glenwo2]

Here are our Euro draft picks since Sykora was drafted 18th overall in 1995 (a fanstastic pick at the time and proven to be over the years).

Only in top-2 rounds for sample size:
year, round & overall

1997
Stanislav Gron, 2/38

1998
Christian Berglund, 2/37

1999
Ari Ahonen, 1/27

2000
Teemu Laine, 2/39
Alex Suglobov, 2/56

2001
Igor Pohanka, 2/44
Tuomas Pihlman, 2/48
Victor Uchevatov, 2/60

2002
Anton Kadeykin, 2/51

2003
Petr Vrana, 2/42

2005
Niclas Bergfors, 1/23

2006
Alexander Vasyunov, 2/58


2008
Mattias Tedenby, 1/24

2009
Jacob Josefson, 1/20

2011
Adam Larsson, 1/4

That track record is an utter failure by our Euro scouts and there were not any gems in rounds 3 and later either, with the exception of a minor role player like Jiri Bicek.

Can anyone find a link that confirms if Conte has let any of our Euro scouts go and replaced them with guys that can evaluate talented hockey players?

Vasyunov could've been something and then we all know what happened.

The jury is still out on Larsson, though.

 

[SeidoN]

Well it's been so long since Frazee has been even a thought in Devils fans minds that I don't recall when or if he was even up.

according to hockeydb he played 19 minutes in the 12-13 season and made 3 saves (0 GA)

 

[glenwo2]

according to hockeydb he played 19 minutes in the 12-13 season and made 3 saves (0 GA)

SIGN THIS BEAST!

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

I know some people have difficulty accepting the randomness of certain things, but the draft is a total crapshoot.

No team consistently evidences an ability to draft above the competition over the long term. It's quite typical for teams to have amazing years, then lean years (the Red Wings are vaunted for the draft success, but have had quite a few poor draft showings over the last decade) .

People often attribute this to "scouts getting better, or scouts losing it", but in reality it's probably regression to the mean at work.

Now, what teams should do more of is looking at adjusted points statistics, because those have shown to be a pretty good determinant of NHL success.

 

[NJ CUP*]

I know some people have difficulty accepting the randomness of certain things, but the draft is a total crapshoot.

No team consistently evidences an ability to draft above the competition over the long term. It's quite typical for teams to have amazing years, then lean years (the Red Wings are vaunted for the draft success, but have had quite a few poor draft showings over the last decade) .

People often attribute this to "scouts getting better, or scouts losing it", but in reality it's probably regression to the mean at work.

Now, what teams should do more of is looking at adjusted points statistics, because those have shown to be a pretty good determinant of NHL success.

it is a crap shoot but when your paying people good money to give their advice on the pick then it really becomes more of an educated guess then just to throw a dart on the board. these people are getting paid for their "expertise" in scouting thats the huge problem i'm having with this. they aren't producing so that doesn't mean keep going with the same people.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

it is a crap shoot but when your paying people good money to give their advice on the pick then it really becomes more of an educated guess then just to throw a dart on the board. these people are getting paid for their "expertise" in scouting thats the huge problem i'm having with this. they aren't producing so that doesn't mean keep going with the same people.

If we got some statistics minded people in there I would be all for it, because certain stats have shown to be very good predictors of NHL success. However, turning over the scouting department just for the sake of change isn't going to yield positive results necessarily.

 

[NJ CUP*]

If we got some statistics minded people in there I would be all for it, because certain stats have shown to be very good predictors of NHL success. However, turning over the scouting department just for the sake of change isn't going to yield positive results necessarily.

i think we have gone past the "making change for the sake of change". you don't agree? ted/jj/bergfors/cormier any others off the top of your head

 

[The 29th Pick]

Vasyunov could've been something and then we all know what happened.

The jury is still out on Larsson, though.

If we failed with a first round pick like JJ and Teddy ...well I can live with it
but
If we fail or failed with a 4th overall pick....something is wrong with the NJ Devils
(whether its scouting or developing)

 

[Devils Dominion]

i think we have gone past the "making change for the sake of change". you don't agree? ted/jj/bergfors/cormier any others off the top of your head

Corrente, Frazee, Foster, Kadeykin, Ward, Damphousse, Ahonen and countless other Euros I listed above.

 

[SeidoN]

If we failed with a first round pick like JJ and Teddy ...well I can live with it
but
If we fail or failed with a 4th overall pick....something is wrong with the NJ Devils
(whether its scouting or developing)

when it comes to Larsson it cant be a scouting issue. the guy was universally considered top-5 and spent alot of the year in the 1st overall discussion.

 

[Devils Dominion]

when it comes to Larsson it cant be a scouting issue. the guy was universally considered top-5 and spent alot of the year in the 1st overall discussion.

,let's see how he turns out.
Some of us wanted Hamilton, Murphy and Zibajanidad.
Huberdeau would have been a perfect fit.

 

[SeidoN]

,let's see how he turns out.
Some of us wanted Hamilton, Murphy and Zibajanidad.
Huberdeau would have been a perfect fit.

I wanted Zibanejad before we won the lottery. after we won it I was pretty convinced we were gonna get Landeskog. I wasnt far off lol

 

[AfroThunder396]

Really? Adrian Foster? Players bust, it happens. Different player bust for different reasons. I specifically remember Conte saying that draft was garbage and they didn't like anyone in the first round, so they just went for the fences on a boom-bust guy with the highest ceiling. It didn't work out but I hardly blame them.

Josefson was a guy almost universally applauded as a great pick at the time of the draft. Pierre McGuire and Bob MacKenzie both raved over the selection and thought he would be a great Devils player. But he was rushed and it ruined his development.

I agree that our European scouting has been garbage for the most part, but the player development has been even worse. That's the bigger problem here. Only the freaks like JT, Stamkos, and MacKinnon can just jump into the NHL immediately without any development. To take an 18 or 19 year old kid and make them play 8 minutes a night until they "pay their dues" is a dinosaur mindset that ruins players. This is 2014, not 1996.

 

[CKPLAYA]

If we failed with a first round pick like JJ and Teddy ...well I can live with it
but
If we fail or failed with a 4th overall pick....something is wrong with the NJ Devils
(whether its scouting or developing)

You actually think the Devils aren't trying to develop these guys? The development process is two fold and unfortunately at the pro level the biggest development is determined by the players themselves. The amount of work they do on their own outside the organization or doing additional work within. Larson, JJ and Teddy are responsible for their own development for the most part by working in the offseason. All three of them are dogs when it comes to offseason work. Teddy is the biggest dog of them all. His work ethic is non existent. At the pro level there is no development being done.

 

[Chessarmy]

The fact that Adam Larsson isn't playing in the NHL today (well, nobody is right this second, but you get the point), is a very telling sign that A). He's a bust or B). NJD has no idea how to develop him and is going to end up ****ing up his career

Either way, its bad news.

 

[AfroThunder396]

The fact that Adam Larsson isn't playing in the NHL today (well, nobody is right this second, but you get the point), is a very telling sign that A). He's a bust or B). NJD has no idea how to develop him and is going to end up ****ing up his career

Either way, its bad news.

Larsson is tearing it up in the AHL and the few times he's had the muzzle taken off in the NHL he's played very well.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Well, at least we know that Mr. Conte gives a good interview. Thank you very much, it was enjoyable. However, it must be taken with a grain of salt. I understand it's a prospect interview, however, would have liked to hear about some recent failures, the Swedes and supposedly our crown jewel in Larsson. He did sound a bit upset that they brought up Boucher, which I found very interesting. Guy sounds very professional and knowledgable. What would be a great boost for this organization is if Boucher, Matteau and Severson can all make the squad next season, which would also include Larsson, Gelly and Merrill, I doubt it but that would be a beautiful thing

 

[Wingman77]

Just like the on-ice success we consistently had each year, people's current expectations are ridiculously though the roof and poorly thought out

How many teams have drafted a generation of solid NHL players? Niedermayer, Guerin, Rolston, Shanahan, Marty, Elias, Morrison, Sykora, Gomez, Brian Gionta

While we were busy pulling all of these guys out of the draft, what do you guys think pretty much the other 20+ teams (depending on which year) were doing? Struggling with their picks somewhat as we have been doing recently

To draft a group of guys like that, there isn't really another team that stacks up

 

[SeidoN]

Larsson is tearing it up in the AHL and the few times he's had the muzzle taken off in the NHL he's played very well.

9 points in 14 games while playing great defense and covering Gelinas. any other GM would clear a spot by now.

 

[NJ CUP*]

when it comes to Larsson it cant be a scouting issue. the guy was universally considered top-5 and spent alot of the year in the 1st overall discussion.

when he was taken at #4 i hated the move. knowing that we were going to lose a pick somewhere in 3 years time. i think they should've traded down and took some more picks/prospects. i know its hard to pass on a "franchise" d man but still we already had merrill and gelinas on our prospect list.


just looking at larrson he doesn't strike me as a serious nhl player. he looks more like eli manning a "ooops my bad" look on his face all the time. no snarl/grit/size to his game

 

[SeidoN]

Albany stats

Jon Merrill - 14GP - 2G - 7A - 9P - (-1)

Adam Larsson - 14GP - 1G - 8A - 9P - 0+/-

guess which one is given tons of NHL time