Your assignment: You are a scout with an NHL team. It is Saturday and the trade deadline is Monday, 3 PM EST. Your GM informs you that he is contemplating trading this years #3 draft pick for Jeff Carter. Deal is close and trying to get the Kings to retain 25% salary. He is asking you to attend The Kings - Panthers game, since you are in the area. He wants a full report on what your recommendation be, by what you see in his game today. These are the following criteria, as set forth by your Ast GM and Chief Scout of your organization. Please observe critically and report on each item.
- What line is Carter on. Who are his linemates.
- First shift. What do you perceive?
- Is he engaged?
- How is he skating? First 3 steps? Acceleration?
- Is he a determined player and making things happen, by putting forth top effort?
- Does he let the play come to him, or is he dictating the play, and making the play, ala Auston Matthews?
7. Physical presence. Does he engage physically? Does he avoid contact and confrontation - stay away from dirty areas?
8. By his third shift, has anything increased / decreased from first shift?
9. Is he a catalyst for his linemates? Do his efforts show he is trying
to get them the puck? Has he connected his passes? Are they sharp?
Is he receiving passes?
10. Is he handling the puck? 1-10 rate it. Is he carrying the puck?
11. Zone entries. Describe zone entries he executes, or his linemates.
12. How are his linemates functioning? Does this line look like a cohesive unit? Are they creating offensive chances and shots?
Rate the 3 on this line, from #1 to #3, who is playing the best.
Is any one of them carrying the line?
13. Zone play. Rate Carter in all 3 zones. Defensive zone, Neutral zone, Offensive zone.
14. Are his shifts shorter or longer? Does he skate through an entire shift? Describe his effort and determination in a shift. Give 10 second
by 10 second breakdown of a shift.
15. Miscues. Is he making any miscues, bad decisions, and are his
Play and lines play setting the tone of their shifts, or is the oppostion
Dictating the play when Carter / line are on ice.
16. Faceoffs. Focus - execution. Wins / Losses
17. PK. Is he on the PK? Is he engaged? Is he passive, or aggressive? Describe overall PK performance
18. PP. Where is he on the PP? Is he involved in zone entries? Describe a PP he is on and what he did. Is he moving or mostly stationary, waiting for passes?
19. Does Carter give the opposing center a challenge to play against him? Which center is outplaying the other and how so? How is his defensive play? Passive / aggressive. Does he force mistakes?
20. How are defensemen challenged by him? Are they struggling to
Contain him, impede his attempts at passes and shots?
21. How creative is Carter? Scale of 1 being Low 4th line ECHL level, to 10, Kucherov level.
Does his skating involve cuts, stops, east-west skating, north-south? Is he skating near the boards,
to the net? Did he beat any opponent with his skating? How so? Who was opponent?
22. Tough to play against. Is Carter easy or difficult to play against? is he battling for pucks?
With immense force, or little? Stickwork - how does he use his stick?
Does Carter do anything that gives the opposition fits and they wish he
was not playing today?
23. Has Carter beat opponents today with; skating? Out-maneuvering? Attempted any risky plays?
What were the results? Did he make any power moves?
24. Net presence. Does Carter go to the net? Does he force his way to the net? How does opposition
handle him near the net? Hard to contain? Does Carter successfully make things happen at the net?
25. Describe shot release - deception - zip on it. What areas all shot attempts. Could he have gotten closer? Shot types - wrist, snap, slap?
or better angle, or are they perimeter shots, that required little or no drive to get to.
26. Creating chances. Does Carter create chances for himself? His linemates? How so?
27. By late in the game, what has Carter done to help the Kings win? How many plays did he make, that were above the norm, to put his team on top? Did he make his linemates better?
28. How many scoring chances and high quality shots did he take? The same for his linemates? Did his linemates make most plays on their own, or did Carter contribute in any way in the play?
29. Does Carter battle and do little things to make a difference? Does he want to win?
30. Describe his 3 best plays today. Describe his 3 worst plays today.
31. Is Carter fully engaged and looks like he is in a war and should be wearing war paint today...or does he look disinterested and thinking what wine bottle he will later fetch from his cellar...and time thinking about beach sunsets on their favorite patch of sand with wifey and little ones…
32. After the game - check his tweets. Are they about the game, or his dog Bo, competing in dog races?
33. Should I be trading our #3 draft choice and taking on 75% of several million dollars of a contract that runs 3 more years on Jeff Carter? By adding him, can he help us win a playoff round? In what ways will he improve our team and chances?
I will do this today...since Kings games are hard to watch...*would be cool if a few did this and compare results.
* may lead to mild depression...and may lead to drinking more than you normally would. you may get irritable and others will not want to be around you. Please refrain from throwing anything or heavy cursing; especially if children present. It's just a game, right? (but do this for your GM, you may be saving his and your job)