Over the next several weeks, Neutral Zone will be publishing features on our scouts. These guys are in the rinks all over North America and the world covering players for our site.
Ryan Goethals covers bantam, midget and junior in Manitoba for Neutral Zone and also scouts for the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the SJHL. He’s a graduate of Sports Management Worldwide. You can find him on social media @Goet91.
Let’s start at the beginning. What first got you into hockey as a kid?
Goethals: “My parents put me in hockey at the age of five. I hated it at first and cried to get taken off the ice but my parents refused and told me to stay out there. After a few ice sessions of me being miserable, I eventually grew to love it and had a lot of fun my first year while making a ton of new friends. I would go on to play competitively until the age of 24 and I definitely have my parents to thank for that.”
Was there a point in your playing days where you knew you wanted to be involved with the game beyond playing?
Goethals: “Yes. When I was playing my junior hockey I knew I wanted to get into scouting and/or the management side of things once my playing days were over. In 2012 I jumped right into things and took the Sports Management Worldwide Hockey GM and Scouting course to help get things started for me. I wanted to have something extra on my hockey resume other than just playing experience so that’s what led me to SMWW. I love the game so much so being able to stay involved outside of playing has been great and something I want to continue doing for as long as I can.”
What is the scene like in Manitoba right now? Where have you seen the most improvements in players from that region?
Goethals: “It’s been a really great season in Manitoba so far. There is a strong group of WHL Draft eligible bantams from Manitoba this year and the entire WHL Draft is looking to be deep with talent from all the western provinces.
“The most improvement I’d say has been the Manitoba AAA U18 league where we recently saw another team added a few years back in the Winnipeg Bruins. They have stepped right in and have been competitive from year one and the league as a whole – especially this season – has seen a lot of talented players play some tight, competitive games. It’s been fun to watch and there is a handful of teams with the potential to win it all this season. The MJHL continues to see a solid number of players commit to NCAA D1 programs and I expect that to continue with the league getting stronger and more noticed every season.”
How did you first get involved here at Neutral Zone
Goethals: “Back in 2017 I was still searching for my first scouting job after working in marketing with the Selkirk Steelers of the MJHL for a couple of seasons. I noticed Neutral Zones job posting online and saw they were looking to fill some scouting spots in Western Canada so I applied. After talking with Brendan Collins and Marlin Muylaert they offered me the Manitoba scouting position in which I happily accepted. This is my third season with Neutral Zone now and I absolutely love being at the rink scouting. I cannot thank Brendan and Marlin enough for taking a chance on me and I look forward to helping and watching Neutral Zone continue to grow for many more years to come.”
When you’re scouting a game, what is it you look for in a player? What are some of the first characteristics you’re looking for?
Goethals: “I have three main things I look for in a player. They are hockey IQ, attitude/compete level, and skill/skating. One of the first things I usually notice is a player’s skating. Hockey is a fast game and in order to keep progressing to the next levels of hockey you need to be a strong skater. You also need to think the game quickly and be able to anticipate the play. Having a smart brain is noticeable early on and the player’s who do have them usually stand out from the rest. I also always try my best to watch the teams warm up – it’s nice to get a head start on the players before the game starts. I usually watch for a player’s puck-handling, shooting, and passing in warm-ups and once the game starts in nice to see how they compete once the bullets start flying for real.”
You have a lot of experience scouting for Jr. A organizations in the SJHL, BCHL, etc. Are there differences scouting for a team as opposed to what you’re doing now?
Goethals: “Yes. The biggest difference is approaching and communicating with the players. With Neutral Zone I just watch a game and report on the player’s I feel had the best performance on that given night. There is no real need to approach players or parents with Neutral Zone. With Jr ‘A’ organizations a big part of your job on top of watching the kids is approaching them and their parents and seeing what kind of interest they would have playing for your organization. It was something that took a little getting used to for me but the more I do it the easier and smoother it gets. Another big difference is with Neutral Zone I usually report on at least 8-10 players from the game I watched whereas with a Jr ‘A’ organization I’m usually at an event focusing more on just 2-3 players.”
What are your goals for scouting?
Goethals: “Right now my focus is continuing to learn and grow as much as I can. There really is an art to scouting and I learn something new almost every time I go to an event. If down the road I get a chance to scout for a WHL team I would definitely jump at that opportunity. I would be lying if I didn’t say an end goal would be to eventually make the NHL as an amateur scout. Who wouldn’t want to watch hockey as a full-time job, right? But right now that seems like a pipedream so all I can do is put in the work and see where things take me.”
