The Okotoks Oilers’ head coach is probably going to be busier at the Mac’s hockey tournament this year than when he won the darn thing.
Oilers head coach and general manager James Poole was behind the bench for the Calgary Buffaloes when the Midget AAA team won the Mac’s in 2008.
At this year’s Mac’s, Dec. 26 to Jan.1 in Calgary, he will be watching more hockey than Don Cherry at NHL playoff time. He will work with the Oilers’ chief of scouting Jay Magnussen and as many as eight other of the organization’s scouts to assess players for the team’s future.
“We are looking for the best talent that will help our team for the future,” Poole said. “When I was coaching at the Mac’s I was there for two hours before and maybe two hours after a game.
“Now myself and our coaches will be there 24/7 looking for players.”
The time to watch is during the round robin portion of the tournament when there are plenty of games, plenty of players and it’s a small courtesy to the players involved to leave them alone in the playoff rounds.
“During the round robin I will watch as much hockey as I can,” Poole said. “If you see a player you like, you want to see him again to see if there is consistency. It’s a lot of hockey but it is still a fun time of the year.”
It’s important to scout the player, not badger the prospect.
“I have to respect what the players are going through — I have some idea about what this tournament is all about,” Poole said. “But they do know the scouts are there and it is a scouting opportunity for us.”
The scouts have a job to do just like the players.
“The first thing we will do is make a short list of players and then try to sell them as to why Okotoks is a good fit for them,” Poole said. “Don’t forget, they are going to be told a million different things from a million different scouts.”
He said the Oilers are an easy sell thanks to the Okotoks community, the team’s winning record as well as its success in getting players university scholarships.
“You just want to be honest with the player and let them know what they can expect,” he said.
While coaching the Buffaloes, he would instruct the players on the scouts and how to deal with them. He was also a straight shooter when scouts came to talk to him about a Buffalo player.
Once the round robin is over, he said plans to be more of a fan of one of the top Midget tournaments in the country.
“In the playoff rounds, I might go and watch to see how a player handles the situation, but in terms of talking to players and coaches, I am going to back off,” he said. “You have to respect the players’ and coaches’ space during the playoffs. Their goal is to win hockey games.”
Raiders coach focused
The coach of the Highwood Raiders knows playing in the Mac’s is a wonderful opportunity chance for the members of his AAA girls hockey team. It is a chance for his players to catch the attention of university and college scouts.
However, Raiders coach Derek Puttick said he wants to make sure the Raiders see the scouts as an opportunity and not a distraction.
Puttick has coached in the boys side of the Mac’s tournament as an assistant with the Foothills UFA Midget AAA Bisons in previous years.
“The scouts can be a distraction,” Puttick said. “I don’t know from the girls side, but when I was coaching the boys, they (the scouts) would be outside your dressing room asking to talk to one of your players.”
Puttick added there was another contingent that can be pain for a coach.
“It’s the same with the reporters. There is a lot of fanfare at the Mac’s,” Puttick said. “The distraction is the players might get a big head or thinking about the scouts more than the game.”
He said the Raiders have proven to be levelheaded this season. One of their main goals at the start of the season was to earn a trip to the Mac’s. Puttick said the Raiders should be able to maintain that focus and compete at the tourney.
“We’re familiar with all our teams in our pool except Fraser Valley,” he said. “The girls have worked really hard to get there.”
For up-to-date results from the Mac’s see www.macstournament.ab.ca
