OT: Public Tryouts for the Leafs

[ruaware41]

Not as many saves as the accountant who stepped in against the jets, but hey why interrupt a self-pity party with facts.

That was pretty impressive too. People who hate on that are a salty little bunch too without enough going on in left aside from fandom.

 

[ruaware41]

Mhm, seems like the most salt would be coming from those who can't move past a meaningless game from over a year ago. I'm just pointing out the facts. Not that it has much relevance to what I said, but he actually made saves at a pretty horrible rate, and worse than the previous emergency backup who did the same thing (that nobody seems to care about, funny enough).

Plenty of people cared about Foster that was a similar spectacle. They are not professional players, that’s why it was a spectacle to watch. A fan who’s team lost saying people need to move past it seems like the one who needs to move past it. That was a special day in their lives and no one can take that away. Sometimes you have to see the human side of things and if you can’t it validates stepping outside the house more and less emotional attachment. I feel like that is something you’d really benefit from, hockey discussion aside. Not meant as an insult.

 

[cupcrazyman]

Habs could have really used this guy last night.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

That was pretty impressive too. People who hate on that are a salty little bunch too without enough going on in left aside from fandom.

Ah yes, anyone trying to inject it into any conversation whether relevant or not is simply trying to rejoice in how special a moment it was for some random person they’ve never met. Sure thing.

Haven’t seen you around here much, I guess you just like to pop in to talk about “special moments for strangers” as much as possible eh.

 

[DopeyFish]

I remember when I had those dreams

then I played what was probably an AHL level player of some sort at the local rink... just 2 of us. I'm not a great offensive guy... I'm really good at neutralizing players and making breakout passes so I basically was doing defensive drills with him.

How quickly I ran out of energy trying to contain him on the walls was insane and I'm usually an energizer bunny. Playing shinny is one thing but having to defend angles in the defensive zone and trying to restrict space and play at a high pace for that time is really really demanding.

When you're a fan of the sport, you can sometimes lose your perspective of your abilities. You can't forget that those in the NHL are basically the best player from 1 team like 10 times that eventually got picked. They are basically the best out of 500-1000 players.

I'd consider the guy I played against to be probably similar to Jeff O'neill... I now can't imagine trying to contain someone like McDavid, Crosby or Nylander. I'd look like a child. They'd delete me from the play near instantly.

 

[therealkoho]

there's the requirements, get in the time machine and go for it

 

[Dekes For Days]

Plenty of people cared about Foster

No, not really. It was a quick "hey that's cool, good for him" moment and then everybody moved on.

They are not professional players, that’s why it was a spectacle to watch. That was a special day in their lives and no one can take that away.

I'm not taking anything away from Ayres. It was a cool moment, and I'm sure special for him. The issue is people taking that moment, and distorting it into something it wasn't, and/or using it to push false narratives about the team, and/or inserting it into threads that he isn't relevant to.

 

[Confucius]

there's the requirements, get in the time machine and go for it

I believe that to be a joke with some names and dates changed, it's remake of a letter that was sent out in 1962.

 

[DopeyFish]

also did you all forget about that whole big campaign like 10-15 years ago from bell (if i remember correctly) where they ended up choosing 3 people to try out for the leafs? All I remember is one guy was called Noel or his last name was Noel... either way not a whole lot came from it XD

 

[wingman75]

Yeah, ECHL teams regularly do open tryouts.

Any higher is a no.

Right! And as others have said, some Canadian Universities too... but lets be clear here, any of those guys taking part in those tryouts have played hockey at the highest minor hockey levels their entire life. No one who has not played competitive tier 1 hockey through minor hockey could ever even come close to making even an ECHL team... I am sure lots of guys on here have played mens league hockey in varying divisions and even the guys who played Junior A stand out ffs with half an effort; and those guys didn't go anywhere in most cases.

 

[Spirit of 67]

No NHL team would waste it's time.

 

[therealkoho]

I believe that to be a joke with some names and dates changed, it's remake of a letter that was sent out in 1962.

yeah for sure, the 20 bodychecks x2 was initially 20 pushups and 20 situps and a note to bring your golf clubs

 

[therealkoho]

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Vince,
You'll never go anywhere
You'll never make any money
And you'll never make a name for yourself

 

[al secord]

Sign me up coach....

Greeeeeeeasy

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

The talent level in the NHL is crazy high. No one is just walking on the ice and making the team. I suck but I've played with very talented players that made the OHL and even one guy from the AHL, just as a fighter, and he made us look like ignoramuses even though he was like 40 lbs overweight (and we had some decent players in our game).

Then there are the levels above that. This guy was a nobody even in the AHL, above him you have decent AHLers, then you have prospects, then you have prospects that get a look then you have prospects that crack the lineup for a few games, then you have everyday players, then you have good players, then you have stars. And that's just starting from the AHL up. Under that you have all the kids who excel at rep but only a handful get drafted into the OHL (or move to the NCAA system). And only a handful of that handful get drafted and on and on.

Who on the planet is going to just be a walk-on over that type of system? It's too structured. The other sports are taking guys out of high school. It's totally different.

All that said, the closest story to a walk-on I can think of is Chris Chelios. Couldn't even make Junior B then got drafted by the Habs after elevating his game (and stature).

 

[mydnyte]

I'm sure quite a few folks here thought about making the team out of camp with some kind of tryout similar to American Idol.

I'm past my best before date and never would try out myself, but seeing how baseball and basketball execs can find diamonds in the rough overseas, is it possible for any Joe Blow to make the team out of camp by just walking in to some kind of training camp?

I know it's pretty far fetched because you would need to know how to skate first and foremost among other things, rather than learning skills on your own with a ball and / or stick. I would bet there's quite a few people on these boards that might catch a small look if there were some kind of public camp. Clarkson came out of nowhere and he's just one example.

Is it near mandatory to make the team the conventional way by starting young in junior and making your way up through whatever leagues until a scout notices you? I would imagine there's lot of politics behind the scenes I'm not even aware similar to how someone might plateau in the corporate world. Don't flame, it's just a question I've always wondered and never knew who to ask. I'm sure some of you thought the same thing at some point in your life.

the Blue Jays used to have public tryouts many many years ago... i almost went, but, blew out my elbow the same week as the tryouts, and never fully recovered.

 

[Confucius]

the Blue Jays used to have public tryouts many many years ago... i almost went, but, blew out my elbow the same week as the tryouts, and never fully recovered.

I remember that back when they were an expansion team. I knew a few delirious guys that wanted to go try out. They were alright house league players but just not even close to college level.

 

[namttebih]

Who on the Leafs roster could anyone doing a public tryout displace? Sandin, Lily, because they are not regulars...maybe young Adam Brooks...Kerfoot because his cap hit is too high...or maybe a 4th liner like Jason Spezza or Joe Thornton? Maybe the guy will get lucky and play on the first line with Matthews and Marner.

I agree with the sideshow comment.

The crazy thing about your post is that the guy who is lowest on the depth chart/pedigree that you named is probably Brooks.

Brooks ranks 10th OA ALL TIME in points in the W.

Your average walk on try out here that played some AAA would almost certainly not make the worst team in the W.

 

[mydnyte]

I remember that back when they were an expansion team. I knew a few delirious guys that wanted to go try out. They were alright house league players but just not even close to college level.

Its not as big a difference as you may think ...a lot of it is being 'discovered' and staying healthy, and in Canada (back then) nobody was discovered. ...1st Canadian i remember 'scouted' was Ducey maybe, and that was late 80's already?

i knew 2 others that were ready to go with me that had a decent chance...
one had a mid 90's fastball (when a good fastball back then was ~92) he could hit 95-96, and averaged 92-94 but, had no control, none.
the other was the best athlete i have ever met, but made a baby at 17, and that ended his sports aspirations.
me, i could barely hit 90 (usually topped at 88), but, i could throw any pitch for a strike, and had too many pitches for my own good, then elbow went poof, then hips, and knees and back... self abuse pays you back tenfold

 

[cannucky]

Different sport, but Toronto FC did something like this prior to their first season. A friend of mine from high school participated in tryouts and made it pretty far... ultimately he played college 'soccer' in the US followed by pro stints across Europe.

With scouting today, it's almost impossible that a player will be so much of an unknown that it allows for something like this to happen. 'Making the Cut' from the early 00s is a hockey example (albeit quite scripted) - Dominic Noel got an invite to camp from the Leafs!

The Blue Jays did it before their inaugural season anyone 15 or older could show up with a permission slip from a parent in that young and try out at Exhibition Stadium I was 13 skipped school and tried to BS my way in but no dice . At the time I was 5'10" 103 lbs with glasses but I could throw frozen rope strikes from center field .

 

[therealkoho]

The crazy thing about your post is that the guy who is lowest on the depth chart/pedigree that you named is probably Brooks.

Brooks ranks 10th OA ALL TIME in points in the W.

Your average walk on try out here that played some AAA would almost certainly not make the worst team in the W.

I got a year of JrB in before reality set in. Until then I truly believed I would eventually play pro.

I was a very good AAA player, always an all-star, wore the C from peewee on up, I could keep up with OHA JrB guys, but really wasn't winning many races at least not like I was at the lower levels. We had an exhibition against a SrA team supplemented with some Jr A Red Wings players, I couldn't believe how much bigger, stronger, faster and talented they were then the guys I was playing with. Night and day.

None of the guys I played with ever made the NHL, only two players I played with ever got drafted for that matter, one went in the 4th round in both the NHL and WHA. He was the best skater I ever shared ice with, he had a boomer of a shot and had the killer instinct, nice guy and funny as hell off ice, but scary to play against, he'd hurt you if given the chance. The player ended up getting 4 games with the old Houston Aeros in the WHA when he was 19. He told me a few years later that even though he played and got some shifts he really didn't feel like he belonged on the ice with those guys, that was a team that featured the Howes and some other NHL defections. He told me to think of everybody I ever played against that was bigger, stronger more talented then me and to multiply it by 10, and those were just the guys that were last cuts and players who were designated to the IHL, the AHL or the old CHA, the men who played regularly were in a class way above that. The other guy got drafted 6th rnd in the NHL and 8th Rnd in the WHA, he was a gifted puck handler and tough centreman(not a fighter, just strong and great at puck retrieval) and had what could only be called an abbreviated look in the IHL.

So good luck with the walk-on

 

[HansonBro]

Ive said it before and I'll say it again. In some hockey markets, its impossible to get your shot when half the team is made up of "whos dad does your dad know" players. Or the shitty goalie because hes the coaches son. Ive seen it happen to others and its happened to me as well. I seriously hope they've bucked that trend in my city (very big hockey market) because its absolute bs.

So per the OP, yes I think there can be players worthy out there

 

[Cams]

Ive said it before and I'll say it again. In some hockey markets, its impossible to get your shot when half the team is made up of "whos dad does your dad know" players. Or the shitty goalie because hes the coaches son. Ive seen it happen to others and its happened to me as well. I seriously hope they've bucked that trend in my city (very big hockey market) because its absolute bs.

So per the OP, yes I think there can be players worthy out there

As much as this is true (sadly) in a lot of hockey markets, this still won't prevent a pure raw talent natural kid with potential pro career from finding a place to play, no matter what level, especially with today's scouting. No doubt kids will get overlooked, but to have a joe public walk-on make a high end pro league will never happen. If they are that good, then they would have been playing at least tier 2 JR A here or Div II college hockey (US). As someone mentioned already, I could see maybe ECHL, but even then...the ECHL today is still really good hockey.

There is so much to high end hockey now, that I don't see it even remotely possible. Don't forget too, at the highest levels you the actual "systems" teams use are very similar, so this player would have had to have some exposure to stuff like this as well, and you are not going to have that without some scout/GM taking notice at some stage.

I could see it happen at the OHL level for sure. In fact Matt Martin was a walk on for Sarnia, after being cut locally (Windsor) from the AAA bantam, so he moved to a nearby association before his walk on year. As people in the GTA know...for upcoming kids they will find a place for you if you are good enough (wink wink).

 

[freshwind]

much more difficult today than years ago i suspect ... closest i heard was an incident a little over 40 years ago .. a fellow i knew was a walk on at an ahl camp (they held an open tryout) ... he went to the main camp and went right to the last cuts ... it was between him and a draft pick ... the gm kept the pick and released the walk on - i guess the gm didn't want to tell the owner a walk on beat out his draft pick LOL........
these days kids go to multiple camps, specialized and costing an awful lot of money ... for a self taught unknown to move ahead of them would need to be an awfully gifted player