Devils go to school to find talent

[Rock]

Devils go to school to find talent

TIM WHARNSBY

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...ortsHockey/home

HOCKEY REPORTER

Martin Brodeur first noticed the composition of his New Jersey Devils when the idea came up for a pickup game in practice that would have pitted Canadians against Americans.

There was a big problem, however. The all-world goaltender realized there were only a handful of Canadians on the Devils' 22-player roster. (Five, if you're scoring at home.)

"We tried to make a game [in practice] Canada versus the United States and we didn't have enough Canadians to play," Brodeur said after his team's 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. "It's tough for us Canadians who pride ourselves at being the best in the sport. We have only [five] guys and that's it."

Brodeur, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is a rare bird on the Devils. He's not only Canadian, but the Montreal native honed his skills playing major junior hockey in Canada.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello has stockpiled a roster of players either born in the United States or who were developed in the U.S. college system. New Jersey has an National Hockey League-high 14 U.S.-born players on its roster and 11 were U.S. college products.

"Times have changed," Brodeur said. "The U.S. is a great place to play hockey and the [college ranks] are producing a lot of good, young players.

"I think you have to look at the history of our team where some of our scouts and GM come from. U.S. colleges are important to them and that's where they look for their players."

Lamoriello, of course, was a long-time hockey coach at Providence College, where current NHL general managers Brian Burke of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and John Ferguson of the Maple Leafs once played, as did Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson.

The Devils' executive vice-president and director of scouting, David Conte, hails from Niagara Falls, Ont., but played for Colgate University in upstate New York.

Two other scouts on the New Jersey staff coached college hockey: Former Maple Leafs defenceman Fern Flaman coached at Northeastern University, and former Brown University goaltender Lou Reycroft coached at Cornell University.

But just because of all the U.S. college-educated players, don't expect the conversations to be any more scholarly than in your average NHL dressing room.

"Not many of us finished four years," said rookie centre Travis Zajac, who left University of North Dakota after his sophomore season. "Still, this is a close-knit team."

Taking into consideration the makeup of the New Jersey roster, first-year head coach Claude Julien has an odd pedigree to run the Devils bench because he is from Blind River, Ont., and spent his early playing days patrolling the blueline for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. But Lamoriello liked Julien's fondness for defensive hockey.

"There are a lot of guys who have been in this organization for many years and they understand the type of system we play here," said Julien, whose Devils lead the Atlantic Division thanks to a strong 12-6-1 start. "That has made it a smooth transition for me. There are a lot of Stanley Cup rings still here and hopefully I can follow suit.

"What you have to keep in mind is the type of players they draft rather than where they come from."

The Winnipeg-born Zajac is the type of player the Devils desire. He is skilled offensively, but is mindful to the importance of proper defensive positioning. One of only two rookies in the lineup against the Leafs on Saturday

[RowdyFan42]

Lou may enjoy dipping into the college ranks, but he only scouts certain schools. When the Devils were still in Albany, it was suggested to Lou that he bring in a player from RPI, if only to give the Rats a local name the fans could rally around. Now, the ECAC may not be as glamourous as the WCHA or Hockey East, but RPI's no slouch of a hockey school. Adam Oates and Joe Juneau are RPI alumni. Lou's response to the suggestion: "Oh, we don't look at those schools." Phbbbt.

[njdevil26]

just a sidenote... justin papineau is tearin it up on lowell.

[Triumph]

Lou may enjoy dipping into the college ranks, but he only scouts certain schools. When the Devils were still in Albany, it was suggested to Lou that he bring in a player from RPI, if only to give the Rats a local name the fans could rally around. Now, the ECAC may not be as glamourous as the WCHA or Hockey East, but RPI's no slouch of a hockey school. Adam Oates and Joe Juneau are RPI alumni. Lou's response to the suggestion: "Oh, we don't look at those schools." Phbbbt.

I think Lou hated the idea of bringing in a player from RPI just to appease the local fans - I'm sure they do look at those schools, if only casually, though it should be noted the Devils haven't drafted someone out of the ECAC in a long time. Willie Mitchell wasn't yet at Clarkson, nor Tony Romano at Cornell when they got drafted.

RPI also hasn't produced a regular NHL player in some time.

[mddevsfan]

Lou may enjoy dipping into the college ranks, but he only scouts certain schools. When the Devils were still in Albany, it was suggested to Lou that he bring in a player from RPI, if only to give the Rats a local name the fans could rally around. Now, the ECAC may not be as glamourous as the WCHA or Hockey East, but RPI's no slouch of a hockey school. Adam Oates and Joe Juneau are RPI alumni. Lou's response to the suggestion: "Oh, we don't look at those schools." Phbbbt.

Oh, he must mean those schools as in the ones that beat his Providence program for the national title in 1985.

[mddevsfan]

I think Lou hated the idea of bringing in a player from RPI just to appease the local fans - I'm sure they do look at those schools, if only casually, though it should be noted the Devils haven't drafted someone out of the ECAC in a long time. Willie Mitchell wasn't yet at Clarkson, nor Tony Romano at Cornell when they got drafted.

I don't understand why. Look at the national rankings, there are just as many ECAC teams in the top 20 as any of the other 3 major conferences. Was Dan Glover at Cornell when he was drafted? Also, while they may not have played there yet, they have probably already committed by then. Obviously people knew in June that Romano was going to Cornell in August.

RPI also hasn't produced a regular NHL player in some time.

Oh, I must have missed Brian Pothier playing almost thirty minutes a night for the Capitals.

RPI is no North Dakota or Minnesota, but they're hardly bush league.

[bostondevil11]

I don't understand why. Look at the national rankings, there are just as many ECAC teams in the top 20 as any of the other 3 major conferences. Was Dan Glover at Cornell when he was drafted? Also, while they may not have played there yet, they have probably already committed by then. Obviously people knew in June that Romano was going to Cornell in August.

Oh, I must have missed Brian Pothier playing almost thirty minutes a night for the Capitals.

RPI is no North Dakota or Minnesota, but they're hardly bush league.

So you don't want me to call it the Easy AC?

[RowdyFan42]

And it wasn't like he was just dissing RPI, he was basically putting down the ECAC as a whole... because, y'know, any league that produces guys like Martin St. Louis (Vermont) is clearly garbage.

[mddevsfan]

So you don't want me to call it the Easy AC?

No, I'm just pointing out how ridiculous it is to dismiss an entire program, or conference, or whatever, out of hand. Anze Kopitar was passed over by how many teams because no NHL players had ever come from Slovenia? Now 7 or 8 GMs are kicking themselves while he's tearing it up in LA.

Lou is supposed to be smarter than that.

[mddevsfan]

And it wasn't like he was just dissing RPI, he was basically putting down the ECAC as a whole... because, y'know, any league that produces guys like Martin St. Louis (Vermont) is clearly garbage.

Not to mention other current NHLers: (and this is after a 5 minute internet seach)

Clarkson: Erik Cole, Craig Conroy, Chris Clark, Todd Marchant, Willie Mitchell

RPI: Brian Pothier

Cornell: Joe Nieuwendyk, David LeNeveau

Harvard: Craig Adams

Princeton: Jeff Halpern

Yale: Chris Higgins

EDIT: stupid double post...

Edited November 20, 2006 by mddevsfan

[Don]

It's the ol' "Hit 'em where they ain't" mentality.

You go to any CHL game on any given night and there will be a dozen scouts in the stands. So if you're not drafting in the top 10, it makes more sense to take the standout players in leagues that aren't under the microscope. I'm not saying that other teams don't look at American university players; I'm saying that other teams spend far more time looking at the CHL.

[Triumph]

No, I'm just pointing out how ridiculous it is to dismiss an entire program, or conference, or whatever, out of hand. Anze Kopitar was passed over by how many teams because no NHL players had ever come from Slovenia? Now 7 or 8 GMs are kicking themselves while he's tearing it up in LA.

Lou is supposed to be smarter than that.

Except that when a player was drafted high from Switzerland (Michael Riesen, drafted by Sather) - he sucked, was dubbed 'The Swiss Miss' for his finesse and is now enjoying life back in his home country. Teams had good reason to be wary.

Lou hasn't drafted a player from the ECAC as such in a long time - yes, Romano committed to Cornell, but Lou drafted him before he got there. I don't think the Devils spend much time scouting there, though I'm sure they do spend some time - but as I said, they're not going to sign a player out of RPI just to appease the fans in Albany.

Also, what conference is Hugh Jessiman from?

[bostondevil11]

Also, what conference is Hugh Jessiman from?

ECAC with Dartmouth College

[NJDevs4978]

Geez everyone's piling on Lou for a quote he could have said ten years ago for all we know. I'm pretty sure he meant he looks at the more successful TEAMS because he drafts plenty from the North Dakotas, Minnesotas, teams that actually win. He wants to draft players that know how to win. Just because a few players come from a particular school (and some of the names listed above are either scrubs or were drafted twenty years ago) doesn't mean that's what Lou's looking for when he looks at American colleges. Anyone can be an individual and be successful.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Hasan4978

[RowdyFan42]

but as I said, they're not going to sign a player out of RPI just to appease the fans in Albany.

Which was par for the course. They wouldn't do ANYTHING to appease the fans in Albany, which is why they're now in Lowell.

Also, what conference is Hugh Jessiman from?

Nice cheapshot. <_ look one of the biggests busts in recent memory came from ecac therefore entire conference sucks. didja think that maybe it just rangers suck>

[LL Cool NJ]

Has Hugh Jessiman done anything in the ECAC?

[Triumph]

Which was par for the course. They wouldn't do ANYTHING to appease the fans in Albany, which is why they're now in Lowell.

What's the incentive for Lou here? In glancing over the years from 1995-2000 with RPI, it's pretty clear that aside from Brian Pothier, Matt Murley, and Brad Tapper, most of these players were unsuccessful pros even in the AHL. So he's supposed to sign someone local even though it hurts his team and he won't see a dime of that money? The whole arrangement was screwed up, but blame the arrangement, not Lou, for this one. Oddly enough, Matt Murley is now with the Albany River Rats.

Nice cheapshot. "Oh, look, one of the biggests busts in recent memory came from the ECAC, therefore the entire conference sucks." Didja think that maybe it's just the Rangers that suck?

Someone compared the situation of the ECAC to that of Kopitar from Slovenia. I mentioned Michel Riesen and Hugh Jessiman as the downfalls of selecting players like that - especially players who dominate against vastly inferior talent, yet still may not have what it takes to reach the NHL. Kopitar is different since he got to play in Sweden.

Edited November 20, 2006 by Triumph

[mddevsfan]

ECAC with Dartmouth College

I think that was a rhetorical question...

As for the Kopitar vs. Jessiman examples, I wasn't looking for one example to prove anything. I just don't understand why you wouldn't even consider looking at someone from the local teams. Lou's answer wasn't "I looked, but they suck" it was "I'm not going to look." That just seems awfully narrow-minded.

Lou could at least bring someone in for an AHL tryout or something. But it's all irrelevant now, anyway with the move to Lowell.

Someone compared the situation of the ECAC to that of Kopitar from Slovenia. I mentioned Michel Riesen and Hugh Jessiman as the downfalls of selecting players like that - especially players who dominate against vastly inferior talent, yet still may not have what it takes to reach the NHL. Kopitar is different since he got to play in Sweden.

This is missing the point of the example. Teams passed on him because he was from Slovenia. Where he played had nothing to do with it. They blindly said "He's from Slovenia, so I'll pass." And now they're all kicking themselves.

The fact that he played in Sweden is probably the reason he got picked as high as he did.

[Triumph]

I think that was a rhetorical question...

As for the Kopitar vs. Jessiman examples, I wasn't looking for one example to prove anything. I just don't understand why you wouldn't even consider looking at someone from the local teams. Lou's answer wasn't "I looked, but they suck" it was "I'm not going to look." That just seems awfully narrow-minded.

Lou could at least bring someone in for an AHL tryout or something. But it's all irrelevant now, anyway with the move to Lowell.

This is missing the point of the example. Teams passed on him because he was from Slovenia. Where he played had nothing to do with it. They blindly said "He's from Slovenia, so I'll pass." And now they're all kicking themselves.

The fact that he played in Sweden is probably the reason he got picked as high as he did.

You're going to doubt Lou? This is a guy with possibly the best draft record in the league over the last 16 years. I just checked the ECAC top scorers from 2005-06 - about half of them are drafted, and very few were drafted above the 9th round. The fact is, while the ECAC has produced some NHLers, it is a weak conference, and NHL teams by and large ignore it. I'll take Lou's narrow-mindedness any day - the man knows what he's talking about. Occasionally there are some big-time players produced by the ECAC, but compared to major junior or the bigger college Conferences, it's not very much at all.

They didn't 'blindly say' - they saw what happened with Michel Riesen and to a much lesser extent, Nikolai Antropov (though he is successful) and decided to take a pass. He wasn't the highest rated prospect in the draft IIRC - he fell, obviously, but just because he's succeeding now doesn't mean those other guys won't succeed in time. He's been playing against men since he was 17. Whatever reasons they had for not picking Anze Kopitar, I think those clubs are happy with the player they selected - 3 of them have played in the NHL so far, and none of them are looking like an outright bust as yet, and Kopitar has cooled off after his fast start - let's not hand him the Calder just yet.

[peteyvegas]

Went to the Princeton-Cornell game Friday. They had 7!! count 'em 7- kids affiliated with the NHL. ECAC is very good hockey. Princeton lost 3-2 on a great save by Davenport (look for him), otherwise they could've tied it. And they're the last place team with NO affiliated players. It's a good league. Also, I think Vermont went into Hockey East. I dont think they are in the ECAC anymore.

[RowdyFan42]

Also, I think Vermont went into Hockey East. I dont think they are in the ECAC anymore.

Right, but they were in the ECAC when St. Louis was there.

[mddevsfan]

You're going to doubt Lou? This is a guy with possibly the best draft record in the league over the last 16 years. I just checked the ECAC top scorers from 2005-06 - about half of them are drafted, and very few were drafted above the 9th round. The fact is, while the ECAC has produced some NHLers, it is a weak conference, and NHL teams by and large ignore it. I'll take Lou's narrow-mindedness any day - the man knows what he's talking about. Occasionally there are some big-time players produced by the ECAC, but compared to major junior or the bigger college Conferences, it's not very much at all.

They didn't 'blindly say' - they saw what happened with Michel Riesen and to a much lesser extent, Nikolai Antropov (though he is successful) and decided to take a pass. He wasn't the highest rated prospect in the draft IIRC - he fell, obviously, but just because he's succeeding now doesn't mean those other guys won't succeed in time. He's been playing against men since he was 17. Whatever reasons they had for not picking Anze Kopitar, I think those clubs are happy with the player they selected - 3 of them have played in the NHL so far, and none of them are looking like an outright bust as yet, and Kopitar has cooled off after his fast start - let's not hand him the Calder just yet.

I'm not even talking about drafting players out of the ECAC. Hell, most of them haven't even started school when they're drafted, so it's not like scouting the school would have gotten you anywhere.

What I'm talking about is just giving a free agent AHL tryout to some of the better graduates from the local teams like RPI and Union. There's very little commitment there on the Devils part other than maybe a few thousand dollars. If the players can't hack it, they're gone, and if they can, the Rats just got an instant attendance booster.

And again, all of this is moot, since the Devils are out of Albany anyway.