Tod Button on 960
http://www.sportsnet.ca/960/the-big-...tton-big-show/
Summary:
it went awesome! Hockey in July, what could be better than that?
tries to watch the kids who finished their first year pro to see how much they progressed
2 guys on their draft list that they invited - Brayden Burke and Mathieu Sevigny
Brayden is a guy skilled guy put up 107 points
Matthew is a gritty energy type player who is physically underdeveloped
bringing Burke and Sevigny to Penticton to see how much progress they made from now to training camp
after rookie camp and Penticton, his staff's attention turns to the next draft classes
really up to the development staff after they are drafted but stays in contact
talks a lot about the development process, how they develop plans and how his staff supports the development staff
new coaching staff doesn't impact him in any way
coaches and amateur scouting staff don't really interact but they might ask what they need to know about a specific player but is pretty rare
on late round picks and how they came one their radar (e.g. Tuulola and Phillips)
it is just the process they go over on the year
the common fan knows about the top guys like Tkachuk - they can go watch the memorial cup
the guys like Phillips and Tuulola - there isn't as much exposure so there is a uniqueness to the fans
the initial process of identifying players is important so that you can allocate your resources and not end up chasing your tail throughout the year
why Falkovsky wasn't at camp:
thinks it was a Belorussian issue thats why he wasn't there
their administrator sent out an e-mail saying he wan't going to be there
pretty sure it was a visa issue but not 100% sure
on 2017 draft
knows the top 10 or 12 players very well
good mix of skill and size
Nolan Patrick has been on our radar for 2-3 years
Liljegren is a quarterback on the PP at 16 in Sweden
couple of Finns that they like
it looks like a good 10 or 12 but will probably go deeper than that
likes Comptois from Victoriaville
kids are getting bigger and are just skilled
there are 3 or 4 good Swedes - mentions Lilas Andersson
some Russians too will be travelling all over the world for this draft