Scouting! What is it good for? Absolutely....everything!

[KC15 340]

A Nod to the All-Important Playoffs

 

With just 8 games to go in the season, a young centerman’s thoughts turn to just one thing. Playoff hockey! The San Diego Marlins are a VHLM team on the rise under the capable leadership of GM @thadthrasher, AGM @Eldredman, and Captain @LuluSalesAway From the bottom of the juniors barrel to a winning record of 30-28-6 and 66 points in one season is quite a feat and good enough to have already clinched a playoff spot. Once we get to the playoffs, we know we will be playing the part of David to the Goliaths of the VHLM, Mississauga, Saskatoon, and Miami, but we also know that it turned out pretty good for David!

 

On to the topic of Scouting

 

But actually a centerman’s thoughts turn to at least one thing beyond the playoffs and that is the upcoming VHL Entry Draft which will determine his first steps in his big league career. Luc Tessier of the San Diego Marlins is that centerman and here are some of his thoughts on the scouting process that begins the draft season.

 

Why Scout? The Team Perspective

 

Scouting takes a good deal of time and effort so is it worth it? Clearly yes - scouting is important for a team as it seeks to find the best players to round out the roster to make a playoff run in the coming season or seasons. You can glean some important data just by looking at current TPE earned and the user’s history of earning, the player’s current build, past players the user has had. And this forms the very first step in the scouting process, but real scouting where the user is engaged in some conversation and questions are asked of juniors GMs will reveal much more. The VHL is a very competitive league and strong scouting can make the difference between getting a solid first round selection and a superior pick and maybe more importantly identifying those diamonds in the rough later in the draft.

 

And just a quick word about how scouting impacts the value of an incoming draftee. You can can sometimes identify a great draft selection without much engagement with the player’s user and this is especially so if the player is a 2^nd gen or beyond. The user has history in the league and the team knows they are getting a quality pick. But if the user doesn’t get at least a certain level of engagement in the scouting process, they can come into the LR feeling a little neglected or taken for granted. If they are a solid user, they are going to still invest in the team as best they can, but they may lose just that little edge of enthusiasm.

 

Why Scout? The League Perspective

 

It’s important for the team doing the scouting, but it’s important for the health of the league as a whole. Being scouted feels good. It just does. Someone is paying attention to you, your experience in the league, and your engagement and hopes and dreams for your player. This draws you in and makes you feel better about the league.

 

This is especially important for a first gen user as it will form part of the all-important first impression of the league. Is this something I want to invest my time and energy in or am I better served with a different hobby or pastime? For those on the fence, it may keep them engaged enough to get involved early. From my experience, those that get tucked in quickly are more likely to enjoy the league and stick around longer. That’s where the VHLM GMs and their scouting plays such a crucial role for the league.

 

But if that first gen user is not scouted well by the VHL GMs, that initial excitement can wear off fast. And VHL GMs and their scouting can play a vital role in scouting 2^nd gens and beyond as well. We all experience waxing and waning interest in the league over our time here. If someone is going into one of the valleys in sim life, being truly scouted can reignite that passion for the VHL.

 

What’s Most Important?

 

So, just doing the scouting is important, but what should a GM look for as they decide how to spend those precious draft picks?

 

Fit

 

The say in real estate that the three most important considerations are location, location, location. I’d grab that concept from real estate and say that the three most important considerations for scouting are fit, fit, fit. I mean fit between the user and the team’s management and LR, of course.

 

A GM recently told me – as I was being scouted, in fact – that they look at the team as a family. I get what they mean. First and foremost, the vast majority of people in sim leagues are not just looking for a competitive experience. They aren’t just looking for a hockey video game. Those are out there, but they come here to the VHL for something beyond that. They come for a personal experience that includes the opportunity to inhabit one particular player and role play them to a lesser or greater extent and to do that within a community of like-minded people. That latter is key. Sim leaguers want to be in a community.

 

Well, in any larger group of people there are people you really click with and those that really rub you the wrong way – hopefully very few of the latter in sim leagues or real life. Good scouting that truly engages the user can go miles toward learning whether this is a user who will enjoy the current management and future teammates or not. Likewise, it can reveal whether this user is someone they the GMs and current team actually want to hang out with. Doesn’t mean the person is a good or bad person, but just “different strokes for different folks”.

 

This matters why? A better fit means more fun first and foremost and that’s the whole dang point of being in a sim league.

 

Activity and Longevity

 

But a good fit also means more likelihood of sticking around in the league and being able to build something special on the ice as well as off. A bad fit can turn someone off the whole league and cause them to walk out the door. At the very least it will mean less engagement and less earning so that the player never reaches his or her full potential.

 

If you look at someone who is a 2^nd gen or is still active in the later years of their first player, I guarantee you are looking at someone who has had a very positive LR experience because they found a good fit.

 

But when I point this out as something to be learned in the scouting process, I also mean that scouting can help get a feel for how active the user will be in the upcoming season and how likely it is that they will stick around for the long haul. People tend to be overly optimistic in stating some version of “I’ll be a max earner forever and never leave the league”, but a longer conversation can often help determine how close to reality this truly is.

 

Positional Need

 

Fit and potential activity levels are primary, but it is of some importance to take a look at where on the ice the team has the most need. If you have the best forwards in the league, it might make for a stronger overall team to draft a defenseman or goalie who is not quite as high on your draft board. That can’t be taken too far, however. A good fit with 100+ TPE per season earning potential is almost always going to be a better selection than a good fit with 50-something TPE per season potential earning.

 

Timeline Considerations

 

Hard on the heels of the above positional needs criteria is consideration of the team’s current timeline. Almost no one is going to make an immediate all-star appearance the first year they come out of juniors so when making positional need assessments, you have to look at least 2-4 seasons down the road. My team may not need a forward today because ours are the best, but our forwards all may be retiring in 1 or 2 seasons as well. If so, we had better be looking for that next great winger or center now.

 

Conclusion

 

Though it all looks quite straight-forward as to what GMs should be looking for in their scouting: fit, activity and longevity, positional need, and timeline fit, it really isn’t that simple or easy. Scouting is more of an art than a science at times. Users can be super engaged today and truly intend to maintain that activity level and then something happens in their life and they drop from the league altogether. Others can show little commitment in scouting, but then get turned on by a playoff run or a great relationship in the LR and they become the new max earners and mainstays of their team. No, there is no guarantee in scouting, but solid effort in the process can definitely up the odds of success a great dea.

 

And for sure, strong scouting is good for the overall health of the league and the ability for all of us to have a great time in the VHL for years to come.

 

1579 words: claiming for weeks ending 4/25, 5/2 and 5/9

[CharaZardd7 11]

Idk what I can say to do this media spot Justice. Outstanding job. Incredibly insightful. I love the unique concept of this article, especially the different perspectives. This article was also perfectly organized into an easily readable fashion. Not a single thing I can say against this article. Perfect 10/10

[animal74 1,808]

Review: Obviously a lot of thought and work went into this article. You took a full 360-degree look at scouting by exploring different perspectives, valued traits, and personnel vs. statistical viewpoints. This was extremely well done. Hopefully you have your sights on a AGM or GM position in the future!

 

My one suggestion would be to throw in some color to the headings and/or a graphic (imgur works best) to make it more enticing to read as it currently looks like a black and white wall of text.

 

Great job though @KC15! Looking forward to your next article! 9.75/10   

[Vat 234]

Very well written with information.  Maybe add a picture or use some colours? other than that an outstanding article 9.5/10

[Hoopydog 195]

Very good job on writing this media spot. You cover a lot of aspects about drafting that I didn't even think off. The media spot is laid out really well and is easy to read. It's clear you spent a good amount of time writing this so fantastic job. Overall, nice job!

 

9.5/10

[Prout 373]

Awesome article ! Formatting here is solid for how you got your points and views across with your own twist on perspectives. I think you did good here with something that a person can read and understand the process and also how you felt which is always great. Great way on boldness and such very effective on this article and in right areas without it looking like it was used to much. Good details. Good work 8/10

[Toast 887]

Already a ton of reviews here but I'm going to pile on. Good overview here of why scouting is crucial for teams. Well done KC. Goes into things teams may not consider if they are blinded by builds and TPE. Like the formatting too! 10/10

[Eynhallow 412]

No matter how well you have scouted players.  No matter the care that a GM has taken to assemble his team.  Ultimately we can all get screwed over my that evil STHL engine.

[KC15 340]

Claiming week 3 of 3.