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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
So there are generally two different types of experts in regards to prospects and the draft.
1. Insiders who get their information from NHL contacts. This would be like Bob Mackenzie. This is the best information hands down because Mackenzie is polling 10 different scouts and combining their data. This is why Mackenzie also has the most accurate draft predictions. Does Bob Mackenzie scout? No. Is Bob Mackenzie putting his own spin on the list? No. He's simply averaging lists he takes from actual NHL scouts
2. People who are actually out there doing some scouting themselves. Pronman and Button are examples of this. Redline Report, ISS, etc. Button used to be paid by NHL teams to scout and manage. I'll take his experience and his eye for talent all day long over a guy like Pronman. But Button isn't any better than sources like Redline report, Future Considerations, etc IMO.
Then there are people like Cosentino who are a bit of a blend of the two. They have great scouting contacts but they're also out there watching a lot of junior for themselves. He's a good source too.
You just gotta realize the pros and cons of each source. Some people have clearly gone overboard in their hatred of all things Button. His lists have some merit but they are clearly biased and lacking in certain ways. As some have mentioned his list is often very tournament biased (WJC biased) as he obviously isn't out there scouting the CHL every day. His lists aren't the gospel. They aren't completely worthless. Somewhere in between. Just take it with a grain of salt, realize he's probably overrating the WJC takeaways. Just like you've gotta take Pronman's lists with a grain of salt and realize he's wowed by the smaller, flashy guys and underrates the importance of winning physical battles (some posters here are guilty of the same thinking). Button is another source of information and if you're looking for that information I wouldn't completely ignore him.
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Great post.
I like to read different perspectives to form my own opinion. So I enjoy Button and Pronman's work because they are so different. And if you understand what they generally seem to like, you can gain a lot of insight about some players.