Chris Pryor
A pro scout on year-round hockey
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- Last Updated on Friday, 07 September 2012 15:41
By Chris Pryor
What should a parent do when it comes to deciding on their son or daughter playing year-round hockey?
Year-round, it’s the nature of the beast in today’s sports. It’s very hard to find the three-sport athlete today that excels in all three. Kids are having to choose at a young age what sport they want to play, and because of conflicting schedules and time commitments, the athlete that is able to play more than one sport into their teens and play them well must be applauded.
High school vs. juniors
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 09 August 2012 15:55
By Chris Pryor
In recent months the subject of playing junior hockey vs. high school has popped its head up again. What’s the right call? Where is the best place to maximize your development?
As I talked about in an earlier article (LPH, Dec. 11), I believe this is an individual decision. What’s good for one player doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the same for the next. You need to play in an environment where you’re getting quality ice time and having fun. The two components are very important at a young age and go hand in hand.
Over the years, rather it be kids leaving high school too early to play junior or college, or kids leaving college or junior to play pro too early, the same scenario still exists – getting quality ice time. Yes, the players are playing against bigger and better competition, and if the player can physically handle the jump and gets playing time, this can be very productive.
Scouting and the NHL Draft
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- Last Updated on Monday, 09 July 2012 01:03
By Chris Pryor
In a few weeks the NHL will hold its annual draft in Pittsburgh.
The Draft is the Super Bowl for amateur scouts. It is the culmination of a year-long body of work. Scouts put in an enormous amount of time that for the most part goes unseen. Starting somewhere in mid- to late summer until late spring, the amateur scout spends countless hours traveling miles and miles to rinks all over the world with the hope of finding the player that will get his team the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. Scouts can see in upwards of over 200 games a year.
Scouting after the NHL Draft
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 16:01
By Chris Pryor
After the NHL Draft – now what?
Being drafted is just the beginning for a lot of these young men. The ones that have been fortunate to have been drafted means “opportunity.” The team that selected them thinks they have certain intangibles or an intangible (depending on where they were selected) to give themselves an “opportunity” to play at the pro level.
Are Europeans more skilled than North Americans?
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Chris Pryor
There was a point in time not too long ago that the above question had some value. The two cultures have had a different take on the game for a number of years but that gap is ever so closing.
European hockey has been, for years, a puck control, east-west style game, whereas the game played on the rinks over here is played at an almost reverse philosophy (north-south, dump and chase).
