By Chris Pryor

What makes a player? That question could have a variety of answers, depending on what scout you ask.

There seems to be a constant in the scouting circles of the categories that each scout views a player. These can be broken down into five categories; hockey sense (IQ), skating, skill (hands), heart ( passion, toughness, compete)  and size. Depending on individual team philosophies or scouts’ viewpoints, these can vary from team to team or scout to scout.

Usually a player will to have at least three of these traits to be considered a “prospect.” Example: Let’s say a player is 6-3, can skate and works hard. He might not be very smart or skilled, but he is big and can give you energy and some speed. He would have three out of those five, missing the skill and sense. On the other hand if you have a guy that is 5-9 and skilled, he usually needs to have some speed, too.  A 5-9 skilled player who can’t skate very well might have a tough time.

Scouting is far from an exact science. Like most professions, you learn from your past mistakes and you get better with age or at least you hope you do.

The factor that is most hard to wrap your arms around in this profession is the internal wiring or what makes the player tick. As parents you know that each of your sons or daughters are different. You would have a tough time projecting what your own kids at 17/18 years old are going to be in 5-7 years and your around them on an everyday basis for their whole life.

You can only imagine how hard it is for a scout to project what a player is going to turn out to be based on the games he’s seen him or her play. You can interview the player, coach, parents, teachers, etc., but what it really comes down to is trusting your instincts.

If you were to interview a scout, he would probably say that he has made a few wrong picks in his day but that’s all part of the profession. You learn from your mistakes and move on and hopefully if a similar scenario presents itself in the future, you can use your past experience to make a more accurate projection.

Chris Pryor is the director of hockey operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is in charge of the amateur and pro scouting departments. A native of St. Paul, Pryor spent eight seasons as a scout for the Flyers. He played parts of six seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. If you have a question for a pro hockey scout, e-mail it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .