Pinpointing, evaluating, selecting, nurturing talent

Pinpointing, Evaluating, Selecting, Nurturing, Developing = Winning & Rewards

I observed the testing @ the NHL combine and all the games in the Stanley Cup final. My thoughts returned to scouting, nurturing and developing players. I did put in some time (one dozen pages of type written notes represent time and thought; not always smarts) but it is only time and they are only thought provoking comments. Joe Ciardelli, our strength and conditioning coach, did the analytics on the testing for me. We all know tests are what they are. They give us some indication of where we are the day we take them. While they give us some back up material, the results are only good if you can test them each year to measure improvement. There are too many high ranked players who have tested poorly and gone on to be premier players in the league. This is why the person becomes more important than the player. This is why “real people” are more important than regular people and acquiring the skill to express your skills is paramount.

I have to assume the coaches want real people who are fun to hang out with, but have a work ethic that sets them apart from others. They like players built by aggression and power; propelled by a fierce competitive spirit and strong leg drive. All the players on the list have talent. We need to find the talented players who are not afraid of getting better in specific areas; always looking to improve on their liabilities and maximizing their assets. Players end up forging a career because of things they do extremely well. Their liabilities get managed and unnoticeable, but that has to happen. There are some that turn a liability in to an asset.
When it comes to the body, the players with “room” (frame) to get better, as well as some genetic power and jump that can be measured, will probably move on by their opponent in the game; this depending on the person’s work ethic, not the player’s skill set. There are a lot of “ifs”.

Every player has to get improve and all have to get bigger, quicker, stronger and faster. We are looking for players who are wrapped up in “results”, not “themselves”; young people who care about their teammates before any personal gains. The success ratio would be higher if young people were aware of how life and careers work. We spend every day teaching them how to skate, shoot, pass, receive, make plays and score. We might give one or two lectures on how life works. This is a quick fix with little or no staying power. When they figure out how life works, their careers take off, but much of this is left to the player when it doesn’t have to be that way.
Once you reach a certain threshold of skill, size, speed & strength, sense (common & hockey), your career level can be defined and you have as good a chance as the next player. Our priority is to help every young person reach the highest possible threshold.

The list gets narrowed down pretty good, because most young people are unaware of how life really works. When they figure it out (and the good ones do), their game seems to get better. I wonder why?

This is what I’ve told every young person I’ve ever met that “thinks” they want to be a player; that “thinks” they work out; that “thinks” they have a passion for the game. There are times in our lives and careers when preparation and perseverance meet opportunity and adversity in life’s journey. Are you ready for the adversity and that critical moment or do you “think” you are ready? Are you prepared for the scrutiny coming your way when performance and winning really matter?

Once all this is sorted out, players are selected. They need someone they can trust, someone who visibly believes in them; someone with a history of helping young people help themselves. The process gets to be pretty complex. This gets scouts off the hook. There are no bad picks; just flaws in the nurturing process.

If every parent, mentor and agent that represents young people would work at making this happen, the NHL would be greater than it is. Notice I said “mentor”, not “coach”. There are coaches and there are mentors. Mentors are a quite a few levels up on coaches. Watch the bench. Some coaches put their hands on the shoulders of the person they are talking with; others simply get behind them and talk. The shoulder method gets more results and could be the difference in beating a superior opponent. I use the word person and not player because that player they are talking with is a person. I notice both Dan Bylsma and Tom Fitzgerald with their hands on the shoulders of the players when they are talking with them. I use the words “talking with” and not the words “talking to” because there is a difference. I assume Mike Yeo does the same because it seems to be the way they work as a staff. The staff has a way of “talking with” players. This is the most glaring reason for the successful march for the Cup in 2009.

Gilles Meloche told me on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, “This staff is the real deal. They are very thorough, know what they are doing, how they are going to get there and are fun to work with.”
The march to the Cup is as complex as pinpointing, evaluating, selecting, nurturing and developing players with charisma, zero inhibitions, willing and able to express themselves and capable of over achieving in their asset categories; a multiple stage and complex process. These players get to be who they are because someone created an awareness of constructive criticism and they helped them figure out how life really works.

There has been more than one person say, “The underlying reason for my success is they believed in me and I believed in them. Someone showed me how to see myself the way others see me so I could grow.”

Everyone has at least one unique skill; some more. Judge them on their execution and infectious level when they are in a position to use those talents; especially during "critical moments". Play free, play proud, play smart and play on the edge with the consequences in mind. This means you know the score of the game, the time of the game, how your play affects your teammates and organization and what would happen if you made a wrong decision.

-Ole Gringo

ã copyright Chuck Grillo, Minnesota Hockey Camps
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