Bobbie Hagelin’s interest in scouting began early in his career.
Having played hockey at a high level, including with the Swedish National Team at the junior level, and was familiar with the inner workings of what it took to not just be a great hockey player, but how to develop into a great hockey player.
“[I’ve always been a student of the game, [I’ve] always been into details of the individual stuff when it comes to training, nutrition, and everything that goes into watching these young men become pro athletes in the end.” Hagelin said.
Having had his career cut short due to multiple injuries that required surgery both to his shoulder and his back, he decided to pursue his interest in the developmental side of the game by studying physical therapy in college. Hagelin is now an amateur scout for European players with the Canucks, through which he has had the opportunity to see the expansion of the game across Europe.
“I’m head of European scouting, which means you go wherever the players are in Europe,” Hagelin said. “That’s fun because players pop up everywhere nowadays, it’s a lot of countries where you wouldn't think [they] have hockey players, so it’s great for the sport.”
Throughout his now 14-year long career, Hagelin has seen scouting evolve into the robust and detail-oriented process that it is today, as well as the change in the degree of preparation, communication and resources required to have an effective scouting process. Teams are realizing the importance of drafting and developing young players for the future, and scouting departments have begun to reflect that demand set by teams across the league.
“Back in the days, we didn’t have any Zoom calls or Zoom meetings, [it] was more we met at midterms and went through it,” Hagelin said. “In Vancouver, we have [a] very good analytics staff. Good people, easy to talk to and everyone is here for the right reason, which helps make us better.”
Hagelin’s scouting philosophy centers around not just focusing on points but projecting how a young player’s natural skills and fortes will translate at the professional levels. Young players often play in different leagues, which often mean different playing expectations, styles, and demographics which adds to the challenge of assessing these players and makes looking at points in isolation a limiting indicator of a player's developmental path.
“I don’t go in and watch the points. I don’t know very often how many points if you ask me about a player. I don't know how many points he has so far because I just look at if that’s going to translate the way he produces.”
Ultimately, the goal of scouting is to draft players that can be pieces in a championship winning team for an organization. That can be a complex task, even for the most experienced scouts, but Hagelin finds the challenge rewarding and what makes his job so enjoyable.
“Personally, I love trying to find players for this organization and just try to be a small piece to the puzzle in the end, can win a cup because that’s what we’re all here for,” Hagelin said. “If we can keep finding players, it’s going to hopefully give us a better chance in the end.”
The Vancouver Canucks are back home after an extended road trip, and will face the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow, January 18 at 7:00 p.m. to kick off the first of an eight-game homestand.
Listen to this and much more as Hagelin joins Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
