DanStewart
Registered User
Future Considerations said:The scouting season is upon us.
The annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament is the first big event of the scouting season and generally is the ‘welcome back’ point for the scouting community after a month’s vacation from hockey rinks.
It also represents the ‘gentleman start your engines’ moment for the 30 NHL teams in the 10 month race to see as much of these potential prospects before next June when teams have to make that difficult decisions on whom to select at the NHL Entry Draft proceedings.
The tournament hosting arenas in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic can be some of the most scarcely attended junior games in terms of fans but is a must see for most NHL personnel. The drab, damp and often foggy venues give a great European cold war spy game backdrop for the tight lipped scouting community in attendance. The scouts scattered through the stands are there for one reason; to see the raw, still developing prospects that could possibly become a big part of their organizations on-ice success down the road.
The rest of the FC Hlinka article.
