Hello everyone,

In spirit of the draft I am writing how I would scout and some of the things I have seen and or would like to see. As mentioned in my interview earlier this week (check it out if you have not yet I was interviewed by Noel Goal from Nothing But Net Studios) I value privacy and the right to remain anonymous. I have been scouted by multiple teams and of course am always open to talking with anyone I have yet to speak or text to. Some of the questions I have been asked included:

⁃ how has the league been treating me so far.
⁃ What type of player am I trying to make
⁃ How do I like the league so far.
⁃ How am I doing learning how to navigate the league/site/discord.
⁃ In a broader sense what is my players plan (not just the role but do I want HOF etc.)
⁃ How active would I be in a locker room discord
⁃ Have I have been in other leagues (sims)
⁃ My thoughts on SHL so far
⁃ One scout and I straight bonded and did not have a set, set of questions

I have answered those questions across multiple posts and happy to re answer in the comments or dm’s as needed for anyone who is curious. The point of the post is what I would do as a scout and how I would do things differently and why.

I think that while all of the above questions were valid I would personally have a longer interview then I had.  I would have liked to been asked in addition to the obvious above questions:

“why should I draft you over someone else?”

This question speaks volumes with how someone answers it. At the end of the day every player has potential in the league. The assigned tasks will be completed by a majority of the draftees this is a given - yes I understand not everyone is going to be like the all stars who post multiple times a week but they will still go far since the most important metric is time in league followed by being active. The teams are able to help tell us where to put TPE (I know this is our call as a player but guidance is welcome especially if new) the question is an open ended question that allows the player to tactfully approach the situation and learn about the vibes they are going to bring to the team and locker room. Is the player humble? Arrogant? Undecided? More active? Do they dodge the question and are perhaps shy at a hard pressed question? This question is the key to how a new player is going to mesh in the fabric of their future SMJHL team. NOTE: this question in particular is geared more towards the junior draft I would caution to ask players with a super strong tenured track record - scouts should pay attention to crazy records and proceed with caution as the answer could turn into “look at my record - duh”

"Describe your main strength and weakness as a player on the ice."

This question is another question that shows who a player truly is as a person. A common trap I have found peers growing up is saying “my weakness is having no weakness” this is not what anyone wants to hear and news flash no one is perfect! You can get a lot of information out of this question and further the vibe of what to expect out of the player.

"What do you do in spare time?"

This question is a gauge of interest and how your future draftee can bond with the team off the ice. Having a team that can be together on the ice and after (or before if not training) perhaps: jump into a Palworld session, play chess, watch a movie, go on a walk etc. what are the interest of your current team and how is the draftee going to fit. This is a critical question since activity levels will fall without engagement and interaction.

The silly question:

I feel like this was covered in the general draft interview but each scout should build a signature silly or off the wall question. My first thought here is:

"Which kitchen utensil would make the best hockey player and why? "

This question helps to break the ice if you will and get an understanding of how they approach a silly or off the wall question. Some other honorable mentions here to provide an idea include but are not limited to:

"Favorite ice cream?"

"What super power do you want and why?"

"If you were not doing hockey what would you be doing instead? "

"Favorite color? "

"Who would win dinosaurs or sea monsters? "

The sky is the limit on the question! I know I listed the question last but there is an argument to asking it first or in the middle.

With all the interview questions I advise asking your team and if applicable (assuming the coach is not the scout) your coach/staff team. The questions are fun and really help to get a check for the group that you have.

In summary the questions I ask asked were all standard questions none of them were bad nor were they out of the ordinary. If I were a scout I would ask a lot of the questions that I was asked and will be asked in the next few days leading to the draft. I would however, sprinkle in my questions in addition to the common questions.


I am confident that the scouts know what they are doing and trust that process! Sometimes all that is needed is a little bit of seasoning to take the dish to the next level (side note I’m hungry now!)

I hope that this article is of use to everyone - I certainly enjoyed writing it. Feel free to use those questions at your leisure - if you find them useful I would always take some $, a shoutout, some rep, or a dm (I do not out any dm without permission I will keep any dm post anonymous forever and always)

As normal my DM are open on the forum and discord. Scouts/players/recruiters feel free to drop a line!

Thanks and happy Friday eve before the draft.

As always… May the draft be ever in your favor S76 Draftees! Looking forward to seeing everyone! 



Oh in case anyone was curious the obvious answer to the kitchen utensil is a pizza cutter - round like a puck, sharp enough to cut pizza AND outwit the goalie and glides right into the net or over pizza! (Now I want a pizza!!) 


(Word count 1164 x2 draft media)