This upcoming NHL Entry Draft is an important one for Director of Amateur Scouting, Todd Harvey.
Harvey first became the Director of Amateur Scouting in 2021, when the pandemic made it challenging to scout players in person. Now, Harvey and the rest of the scouting team are preparing for what is one of the most important drafts in franchise history.
“Our guys have been together for a couple years now, and we've got a pretty good thing going here,” Harvey said. “We [are] just really excited about what we have this year and some of the players that we have a chance at drafting.”
Looking back at when he first started his role as director, Harvey noted some of the more difficult aspects of his role that he had to navigate at first. However, over time, it was precisely those challenges that helped Harvey grow into this role, to where he is now confident in their ability to identify and draft talent for this organization.
“It was overwhelming at times, I can say, but I’ve kind of grown into this and feel way more confident in our group and our abilities and the process that we have,” Harvey said.
A scouting group that has been built on this confidence that has been developed over the years is a key component of why they are ready for this pivotal draft in Buffalo this year. Harvey emphasizes that with confidence.
“You want everybody to feel comfortable to be able to speak their mind, and that’s a big thing, and we talked about it when we were here. Doing our meetings, it’s like there’s never a wrong thing to say,” Harvey said. “We’re respectful in the way we go about things, but we want to be passionate about it, and we want to hear from everybody,”
Harvey says that sustaining this dynamic is what allows the scouting group to continue to work well and make the best decisions for the team, even if there can be potentially contrasting opinions and analysis from amongst the group.
“You want guys to go back and forth and do it in a respectful way. It’s all for us to be better and to pick the right player. That’s the conversation that you have,” Harvey said.
The Canucks have two first-round picks in this upcoming draft at the third and 24th overall spots respectively, and will be an incredibly exciting opportunity to add skilled young players to the team for their rebuilding phase.
“We [have] got a pick in every round, and we want to make hay in those rounds,” Harvey said. “If we can get some player that can push from the bottom up here and make us more competitive, you win the day.”
This draft will be an opportunity to not only bring in good players but also bring in good people who will uphold Canuck values and want to be a Vancouver Canuck. Identifying prospects that hold those values is one of the most exciting parts of Harvey’s role as the Director, and believe it is important to take it seriously.
“We’re really excited to do the work here and make sure we put our list the way we want it and are players that we want to be Vancouver Canucks. I think that’s important, to bring good culture here and players that want to play here,” Harvey said.
Listen to this and much more as Harvey joins Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
