DAVID CONTE -- SUPER SCOUT TALKS CAREER, AND MOVE FROM JERSEY TO VEGAS

DAVID CONTE -- SUPER SCOUT TALKS CAREER, AND MOVE FROM JERSEY TO VEGAS

By: Matthew Blittner

As one of the more prominent scouts in the NHL, and a key part of the Devils’ success over the last 30 years, David Conte shared with yours truly his insights on the scouting world and what he thinks about his new gig with the new Las Vegas franchise.

ON WHY HE TOOK THE JOB WITH THE NEW VEGAS FRANCHISE: “I needed a job, (lol) no actually I think the bigger part of it was, that I’ve been part of a team since I was 6 year sold, and it felt very strange not having a vested interest in something that has been a focal point of my life. A year out of it, when you watch hockey games, it’s not the same. The other side, i just wasn’t comfortable with how it ended in new jersey, it’s not how I envisioned it. I’m not blaming anybody but that’s the way it is. That’s not a criticism, it’s just that you invest a large part of your life in something, you would just like it to transition to you in a good place, not an abrupt stop, I was a little more anxious to move on and felt that a better opportunity would be a blank canvas. I’m really excited to start at square one again.”

ON THE CHALLENGES OF STARTING ANEW: “There’s no question that the infrastructure of information gathering systems and a database that has been established over years and a core group of managment people that have not worked together, collectively, not everyone, of course it’s challenging, but its synergetic. I think it will be challenging, energizing, enjoyable and productive. It’s a little daunting, but for me personally, George has done an excellent job of hiring some great people in their prime. Hopefully my experience will be of benefit to them. I think this is a really cool thing to be involved with.”

BACKGROUND: “I came to New Jersey in 84 the Devils came to New Jersey in 82. I was there before Lou. I did break into scouting five years prior to that though with the Washington Capitals.

ON POTENTIALLY JOINING LOU LAMORIELLO IN TORONTO: “I take great pride in the success, friendships and associations with the Devils and Lou – no one can diminish or take that away  but change and new challenge will be invigorating for me and for Lou. I wish him the best, know he will do great and personally want to replicate similar success and relationships in Las Vegas. No rear view mirrors just go forward and do the best I can for and with a new project. All the advice I got from friends of mine was to take some time to take stock of what happened, instead of a knee-jerk reaction. It’s probably better, since my relationship with him is so strong, that working with him again, and the people that are now working for him, wouldn’t be able to feel totally trusting in me because of our relationship, that I latched on with Vegas with a blank slate.”

SCOUTING: THEN AND NOW: “Now that the NHL has expanded, so have the junior leagues and developments of countries in Europe, it’s been spread out. Obviously the computers changed everybody’s lives, with their access to information. Social Media, immediately when something happens in Hockey, it’s out there instantaneously. It still comes back to the basic premise of critical thinking and making a decision based on all the information you can gather. It’s a thoughtful process, it’s not an exact science. If you’re lucky enough to land on Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews’ pick your chances are enhanced. Choosing Martin Brodeur as a goalie was not the popular choice of a goalie that year. We felt, that he was the goalie we wanted even though we didn’t really need a goalie. He had something special, not just as a goalie, but as a person, the intangibles.”

HIS MENTORS: “Lou Lamoriello, that’s a given, but also Marshall Johnston, he was exceptional. As a mentor he brought up great points. He played college hockey in Denver and junior hockey in Canada. Then he played with the Canadian National team and then the NHL, so he covered all the bases which led to objectivity. Very similar to my situation.  When you have the privilege to watch and/or work with Lemaire, Robinson, Burns, Ftorek, Brooks, Fetsov, Carpenter, Stevens, brodeur, Niedermayer, Elais, Holik, Brylin- there was so much to be learned by accident and I was so very fortunate to have had that exposure in addition to Lou and Marshall. There are just too many to name, in terms of mentors, but I always like to mention Herb Brooks.”

NEW SCOUTING AREAS: “The United States is booming with new areas – a great by product of NHL expansion, the NTDP that blue chip athletes are coming from California (Gretzky effect) St. Louis, this year’s draft a great example California, Texas, Pittsburgh , New York areas – everywhere – amazing growth in players and popularity. Europe still has hidden prospects in Russia due to huge geographic areas but the Swiss and Denmark, have grown with higher end prospects as well and the traditional sources in Scandinavian countries also search other countries like Slovenia – so not a lot is hidden but it is a big project.  In Russia, previously there were two major teams. The Moscow Dynamo and the Red Army, now they’re spread out all over. The geographic demands are impossible. Is there fruit there, absolutely, but it’s impossible to give it the appropriate coverage. The other areas have been somewhat easier, because players like Anze Kopitar, were from one country but played in a different country, usually an established hockey power, like Sweden. The biggest challenge is the United States. There’s been so many new locations and so much expansion into non-traditional markets, such as Dallas, California, and St. Louis. Thanks to the shift in economics players are coming from more and more diverse locations, even in Canada. I’m not that clairvoyant, but I doubt you’re going to see much change in areas that don’t have athletic talent.”

HIS PROUDEST PLAYER CONNECTIONS: “You’ve got to start with Martin Brodeur, a player who wasn’t supposed to be great but was. Then there was Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and so many others. When I walked to the podium and got the player that I least thought we would be able to get, it was Zach Parise. Some players are clearly destined for greatness- a Niedemayer, Stevens, or a Crosby Ovechkin or Malkin so you need to good luck to have picks available when they are but the others like Zach are so rewarding as was a Patrik Elias but sometimes the ones you want get picked just before your turn or your list is off by one (Brady-Leetch) It is not an exact science and you are only perfect in hindsight.  When you get a great player in the mid rounds you were luck- you should have taken him earlier. He represents everything I value in a player. Sometimes you’re sitting on the edge of your seat hoping that a player doesn’t get away, I’ve been on both sides of it. You don’t always know what a player is going to become. One that stands out in my mind the most is the year (1986) we took Neil Brady, and the next player we wanted was Brian Leetch, but it didn’t work out. I am sure we can all tell you who won last years Kentucky Derby but predicting the next one is a bit tougher- same in the hockey world – it is always a work in progress to determine the best players and like the stock market “ past performance is not a guarantee of future return” so your efforts and research need to constantly reevaluation.”

WHAT HE LOOKS FOR IN A PLAYER: “When a player elevates their game when they need to the most. Claude Lemieux, Scott Stevens, these players and others like them really had the intangibles that you wanted to see. Sometimes, you can’t only go off of the scouting reports, if there are discrepancies in the reports you have to wonder what intangibles went into the differences. You always hope that the reports will all be the same and make your decision easy, but that doesn’t usually happen. When you draft a player you would like to draft by need, but sometimes you just have to go by the best talent that is available regardless of position. The year we traded for Cory Schneider we had the 9th overall pick and we wanted a forward, and in the next round we still really wanted a forward, but the next best prospect was a defenseman, and there was a real difference in their abilities, so we had to take the defenseman. The best player I’ve ever scouted is Connor McDavid, reminds me of Bobby Orr but he plays center- superior skater and beautiful to watch.”