[Reggie Dunlop]

Flames' Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button discusses the upcoming entry draft and how his staff are preparing.

Originally Posted by Tod Button

It's always cyclical. Like, this U.S. team - the Under-18 team - is special. The (WHL) was weaker last year, and it's really good this year. There's going to be some high-end players, some top-10 picks this year. For our purposes, it's more about the travel schedule during the year, who you're trying to track and who you're following, right? I live in Ontario and I was out West maybe three times last year, and I was out West a lot more this year because of the quality of players. It changes year by year. Sometimes I spend more of my time in Europe, but this year, there weren't as many late birthday Europeans this year, so we didn't have to spend as much time there during league play. But you still go over to watch other guys. There's a German kid playing pro over there. We don't usually spend a lot of time in Germany, but we were in Germany this year to catch up on this kid. Every year's different, where you travel to, what you focus on, and the depth of the draft.

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/qa-w...on/c-307328716