March and April are two of the busiest and most exciting months for sports fans.  Between the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments, the NFL draft, and Major League Baseball getting underway, there is always something to watch on TV.  These months also bring NCAA hockey playoffs and, inevitably, the conclusion of seasons for those that do not make it further.  With the end of the NCAA hockey season comes signing of players to professional contracts.  This is a pivotal moment in many players’ careers because, much like a football player declaring himself eligible for the draft, once a hockey player makes the decision to forgo collegiate eligibility, there is no turning back.

One of the most discussed players in the coming days and weeks will certainly be Jordan Schroeder from the University of Minnesota.  Schroeder was drafted #22 overall in the 2009 draft and fans of the Vancouver Canucks know him as a future franchise forward.  According to recent reports, Schroeder will inform both the University of Minnesota and Vancouver of his decision by the end of this week.  While Schroeder had mild success at the collegiate level, he admits that it he was disappointed with his production.  After a successful two-year career with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) and an equally successful three-time campaign representing the U.S. at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010, Schroeder will almost certainly have success at the NHL level.

If he decides to sign an NHL contract, Schroeder will definitely not be the only NCAA Division I hockey player to make the early jump to the professional ranks in the coming weeks.  Several players have already decided to turn pro and are already playing at minor league levels, and for some, the NHL level.  For example, Casey Wellman, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, signed with the Minnesota Wild earlier this week and should see playing time by sometime this weekend.  Wellman followed the path of the starter for the Los Angeles Kings and Olympic backup, Jonathan Quick, who left UMass as a sophomore in 2007.  Soon to follow Wellman to the pros is James Marcou, a junior and also from UMass, whom is reported to be signing a professional contract in the coming weeks.

With turning pro, there are several factors for players to weigh.  Under NCAA Article 12.1.2, student-athletes are prohibited from being paid for playing their respective sport.  This means that a once a player turns pro and starts receiving compensation for playing time, there is no turning back to a collegiate career, even if their pro career is unsuccessful.  While there is a certain allure to being paid to play, players must also keep in mind the best interests of their future development.  All of this information is certainly a lot to consider for a player that is generally around 20 years-old.

On Monday, March 15, the NCAA did its best to assist student-athletes with the decision process by issuing an informational memo to “Men’s Ice Hockey Student-Athletes with Remaining Eligibility.”  Almost every player in the position to turn pro will have an advisor during this process, which is permitted by NCAA rules.  The March 15 memo informs players that an advisor may not “contact teams on [their] behalf to arrange private workouts or tryouts,” but may provide other valuable advice during the process.

An NCAA hockey player’s decision to turn pro is unique in that unlike with the NFL, where players must wait several months between deciding to turn pro and actually being able to play, hockey players that make the same decision, can play almost immediately for a professional team.  For some players, this means going right to the NHL, for others this means starting at other minor league levels, such as the AHL or ECHL.  The professional level at which they play will be a combination of their skills, their player contract, and certain NHL CBA stipulations.

Regardless of whether Schroeder turns pro, this is an exciting time for players that want to see their careers taken to the next level.  What other players do you think will leave early for the pros after their hockey season ends?

Over the past few weeks I know I’ve mentioned the fact that my goal is to make this column a truly interactive experience for all of you readers. I encouraged more questions and comments to be asked and made, and I’ve tried to keep my Twitter and Facebook accounts current as far as my day to day activities go. However, I was still feeling as though something was missing. Well, in case any of you aren’t aware of this by now, I tried to fill that void by launching a “Rookie Duties” Fan Page on Facebook last week. By becoming a “fan” of the column, not only will you be able to get current status updates on things I’m working on, I’ve also posted pictures of some of our hockey clients and random mobile pictures (with the possibility of video in the future) I take on my BlackBerry that you’ll have access to. I’m hoping that by actually getting to see the things that I see when I’m working, you’ll feel a little more connected to my situation. In case you’re among those people who aren’t on “the Book,” don’t worry – I’m going to continue to respond to post comments and questions to my column on SAB. One advantage of posting them to the Facebook Fan Page, though, is that they get sent directly to my phone, so you’ll probably get a more timely response. Also by joining, you’ll be able to connect with other aspiring agents that have been following my column. Now that I got that little plug in, let’s get back to the good stuff.

As I mentioned last week, with three Steel home games over the weekend and at least one NHL scout scheduled to be in town, I knew my week was going to lead into a very busy couple of days. Over the past few weeks I put together a list of all the NHL teams I had contacted about Brian…hold that thought.

This past Saturday morning I met up with Brian, Joey, Nicole, and Nicole’s husband Hugo (sorry – inside joke) for breakfast and talked with them a bit about this column. They hadn’t read it before, so I explained how they’re mentioned frequently, but only through the use of fake names to preserve confidentiality. We had a good laugh when I told them all their code names and I asked if it would be alright to release their real ones. After all, Brian already signed with us and my relationship with Joey won’t jeopardize his NCAA status since I’m just a long-time friend who’s only making phone calls to Junior teams for him. So, for any of you who haven’t already figured out Brian’s true identity, Brian is #91, Andrey Kuchin. Joey’s real name is Teddy, Nicole’s real name is Marina, and Hugo’s real name is Gene. There it is! That’s the big one!!! (any Christmas Vacation fans out there?) Alright well now that I don’t have four less aliases to deal with, let’s get back to the hockey stuff.

As I was saying, I had put together a list of NHL clubs that I had contacted regarding Andrey, or “Kuch” as I refer to him at times (hockey players have a real difficulty just calling someone by their first name and while I might be an agent now, I’ll always be a hockey player). Wow, I feel like I’ve got some serious ADD going on right now. ANYWAY, I broke my list of teams down into groups based on whether I’d actually spoken with the person I was trying to contact and what type of feedback I was getting. I still had a few clubs that I hadn’t heard back from, so I spent most of my time last week following up in an effort to get someone on the phone. My real goal was just to find out which clubs would be sending scouts to the Steel games, which scouts would be in attendance, and when they planned on being at the rink. I was able to get a hold of a few guys, and as I had thought, it sounded like there’d be a couple of scouts in town this weekend.

As expected, Friday is when things started getting crazy. The day started off slow with me meeting Teddy and Kuch to get Andrey some sticks. I wasn’t surprised at all when the total cost of the two sticks added up to over $450, but I knew the guys back at my company HQ would be when they got the receipt. Fortunately, they’ve continued to let me know that they’re thrilled with my work thus far, so there weren’t any issues.

After we wrapped things up at Total Hockey, I had to swing by my office for a bit to take care of a few things. I didn’t anticipate being there long but about an hour after I arrived, I got a call from  a number I wasn’t familiar with. It turns out it was The Scouting News. I had sent them an email a few weeks before asking if they’d be interested in any of my scouting reports and they wanted to discuss my company, some of the kids I’m advising, and some of the other players I considered to be at the top of the ’95 DOB class. After about five to ten minutes, I was asked if I minded doing a podcast interview with them for their site. I knew this would be another great opportunity to get some players’ and my company’s names out there and demonstrate that I know what I’m talking about, so naturally I accepted. In total, the interview lasted about ten minutes and I feel like it went pretty well. I’m still waiting on my access to the site to show up, so I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to it, but if you’re interested and subscribe to their website, the interview can be found in it’s entirety here.

That evening, the Steel would be hosting the Tri-City Storm, so after a quick workout at the gym, it was time to get showered up and back up to the rink. During the game, I exchanged a few emails with an NHL scout I had been in touch with, but unfortunately he wouldn’t be coming to Chicago until the next weekend. The Steel ended up losing the game 4-1 and Kuch took a high stick off the chops. Not exactly the best night, but there was still plenty of hockey left over the next two days. After the game, I followed Andrey and his entourage back to their home for a late dinner and a few drinks. We discussed some of the things I’d been hearing from scouts and I showed them a few of the scouting reports on Andrey that I had online access to. I knew I had a long day ahead of me Saturday, so around midnight, I hopped in my car and headed back for some sleep.

I woke up Saturday morning around 7:30am to the painfully annoying sound of constant beeps and vibrations emanating from my phone. I ignored them for a bit, but they just kept coming. What could possibly be so important so early on a Saturday??? Finally, I surrendered to the seductive call of the BlackBerry and grabbed my phone to see what the emergency was. Of course…St. Patrick’s Day was being celebrated in Chicago and my friends wanted to know why I wasn’t already with them “observing” the holiday. I explained that I had to work that night, but that I’d try and meet up with them for a couple hours during the afternoon. Let’s just say that my response wasn’t exactly greeted warmly.

After our Saturday morning breakfast that I mentioned earlier, I did in fact head into the city. On my way down, I got a call from Paul Marshall – a good buddy of mine who had just finished up his college career at my alma mater, Ohio University. Paul’s an excellent goaltender who currently holds eight of ten Ohio University goaltending records. He needed to get a hockey resume together and asked if I’d be willing to help out. Of course I agreed and let him know what kind of stuff he needed to get over to me.

I made it down to the city aware of what I’d be walking into, but unsure as to how bad of a train wreck it’d be. I was able to hang out with some friends for a couple hours and enjoy a Guinness or two, but then it was time to head out. “What do you mean you’re leaving?!? Where are you going?!?” Ok, maybe the situation was worse than I thought. “Work…remember??? Andrey’s got a game tonight and I have to head back and get ready.” I took some friendly heckling, but thankfully I was able to get out of there without too much trouble.

Saturday night the Steel would be facing off against Tri-City again. This time, though, I was able to locate a few scouts from one NHL club that were in town. This particular team had sent four guys down, which tends to make the initial approach a little more difficult. When scouts travel in groups, it can be tough to really get a good conversation going. I mean, who should you approach? I never want to upset someone by neglecting them, so I try to engage everyone in the group. At the same time, though, these guys are there to watch the game – you don’t want to start distracting them from play and become a nuisance. I kept my conversation short and to the point, and was able to get some contact information from one of the guys there. They’d only have two scouts at the game on Sunday and they’d be in town the following weekend, so at this point, I just wanted to establish some sort of contact that I could build off of. They didn’t really give me a whole lot to go on as far as Kuch’s draft potential, but as I said, I knew I’d have more opportunities to discuss that stuff later.

That evening I also ran into another NHL scout who’d I spoken with on a couple other occasions. This guy had let me know that his club probably wasn’t going to be looking for a player like Andrey based on the team’s style of play, but I knew he was a really good guy and it never hurts to talk. In this business, it’s all about building relationships and that’s what I’ve remained focused on.

On my drive home from the rink Saturday night, all I was thinking about was relaxing and catching up on some Entourage that’d I’d missed this past season. When I got back I sat down at my computer to quickly go through some of the emails I’d received during the game, including one from Marshall regarding his resume. I decided I’d just start getting things organized with his statistics and other information so that when I’d go to put his resume together, everything would at least be in place for me. Two and a half hours later, his resume was complete. I’ve always considered myself to be a hard worker, but over the past couple months I’ve noticed a definite increase in my drive to get things done immediately. For better or for worse, it’s gotten to the point where if I’m not doing work, I start to feel a little anxious. Lately, I haven’t even been able to enjoy Sports Center in the morning while eating breakfast. It’s probably a sign that I need to slow down a bit, but there’s only a few more weeks left in the hockey season (excluding the NHL playoffs) so I figure I’ll just power through it now and try to get that stuff sorted out come next year. I should note that another side effect from my work I’ve been noticing is a constant feeling that my BlackBerry is vibrating. I guess that’s why they’re commonly referred to as “CrackBerries.”

I didn’t expect much scouting activity for Sunday’s game, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. During the game, I was able to speak with scouts from four different NHL clubs – and those were just the guys that I noticed. As I expected, I got some mixed reviews – some guys sounded genuinely interested in speaking with me about Kuch while others seemed like they really didn’t care much. Every once in a while I get to hear those magic words, “he’s on our radar.” Translation (or at least as I like to interpret it) – let’s stay in touch and keep me posted so we can get that radar locked. Regardless of the initial interest level that I sense, though, I always make sure to get that contact information so I’ll be able to follow up down the road.

Well with another week behind me, and more doors opened, I have a lot of leads that need to be followed up this week. This Friday the Steel are set to square off against the Team USA U18’s and it should be a scouting frenzy. That means I have to figure out who will be there and how I can get in touch with them. Once again, I want to remind you to check out the “Rookie Duties” Fan Page on Facebook and let me know what you think. And until next week…it’s time to hit the showers.

In the past year, I’ve gone through more changes in my life than I had in the previous five. Since last May alone, I got my dream job running the hockey division of a sports agency, graduated from law school, took and passed the Bar Exam, moved back to Chicago, opened up a law practice, started authoring this column, met some great people, and watched more hockey than most Americans do in their entire lives. My ride thus far has been nothing short of insane – spending most weekends in my car driving from one rink to the next, running on next to no sleep, and practically living off the revitalizing nectar of the coffee bean. To be honest, if I recapped everything that’s happened in my life since I started contributing to SAB, I’d be seriously testing your attention span as readers. So although I’ve always been willing to share details of my personal life and work outside the agency (i.e. my immigration legal work), I’m going to keep my highlight reel focused on the sports side of my life – in the end that’s what this column is all about. Alright, well get yo popcorn ready and here we go!

August 1, 2009. At this point, I have one client – Matt Szypura. I grew up playing club hockey with Matt and he had recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. While at UW, Matt had played four years of NCAA DIII Ice Hockey and was looking to take his game to the pro level. He knew I had gotten a job working with a large sports agency and asked if I could help. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started calling teams in the SPHL and CHL, but I knew getting him on a team wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Knowing most coaches aren’t going to know who Matt is, I start putting together a player resume for Matt. Basically all it contains is a profile picture, his career stats from Juniors and College, and a player biography – nothing too flashy but the final product is professional and gets coaches what they want without wasting their time.

September 26, 2009. After getting him into the Texas Brahmas (CHL) camp, Matt separates his shoulder. If I thought getting him a roster spot was tough now, how bad would it be now that he couldn’t skate for a few weeks?

October 28, 2009. Matt signs a Standard Player Contract (SPC) with the Chi-Town Shooters of the All-American Hockey League (AAHL). It’s not ultimately where we wanted him to be, but I knew we had to get Matt on the ice if he wanted a chance of playing at a higher level.

October 30, 2009. Matt plays in his firs professional game. Despite having a pretty good performance, Matt goes -1 and the Shooter lose to the Chicago Blaze 3-2.

November 7, 2009. While scouting at the Bauer International Invite here in Chicago, I have a great conversation with a coach of a team that has three players I’ve had my eye on. Sean (one of the kids I’m currently advising) is one of them, and the coach introduces us. We spent a few minutes talking but it was late and Sean’s team had an early game the next morning. I attended their game the next day and although they lost, I got a better opportunity to talk with some of the kids about who I am and what my company does.

December 13, 2009. My phone rings and it’s Matt – he’s getting called up to the Dayton Gems of the IHL. Finally, it seems as though his strong play on the ice is getting noticed.

December 27, 2009. While in Toronto for the annual Marlies Holiday Classic, I have a sit-down with Sean and Chris to discuss the future direction of Sean’s hockey career. Sean wants to play D1 college somewhere, so right off the bat we know there can’t be any agreements between myself and Sean’s family (remember those NCAA eligibility rules). I really like the way Sean plays and he seems like a great kid off the ice, so I let his family know that I’d be happy to help advise them through the recruiting process. Chris tells me that they like the dedication and drive that they’ve seen from me up to this point, and he gives me the green light to start distributing Sean’s statistics to U.S. college teams.

January 8-10, 2010. The International Silver Stick Finals are being played up in Port Huron, MI. Some of the rinks are over an hour away from one another, so I’ve been spending a lot of time in my car. I have some good meetings with a few parents and players about advising them, and by the end of the weekend it looks as though I’ve got a solid lead on a kid named Colin.

January 30-31, 2010. Shattuck St. Mary’s has sent their U16 team to the Chicago area to face off against both the Chicago Mission and Team Illinois. I get the chance to see some great games and players, and while I’d at one of the games, I meet Oren Koules – the then-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His son plays for SSM and he was able to find the time to fly up for the weekend games. We talked a few times over the weekend and he seems like a really nice guy – hopefully we’ll be crossing paths professionally in the not-too-distant future.

February 11, 2010. After hearing that a potential 2010 NHL Draft pick is interested in signing with me, we go out to dinner with his host family to discuss business. It seems as though things are going very well and that we’re on the same page with how and where we think his game should continue to develop. At this point I know I need to remain very visible and hope that my hard work will pay off.

February 12-14, 2010. Another weekend trip – this time to catch Matt’s game in Dayton and an ECHL game up in Toledo, OH. Not as much scouting for me as usual, but getting to see my buddy who coaches for the Toledo Walleye could be good for Matt and/or other future clients and their careers.

February 21, 2010. I receive the call I’ve been waiting for. It’s Brian’s host mother, Nicole, and after a week and a half of making phone calls and sending out emails to OHL and NHL clubs, Brian’s family is impressed with what they’ve seen from me and want me to represent their son. I already know that Brian is comfortable with me representing him, and in getting his parents on board, it looks like I just cleared the last major hurdle in getting him signed.

February 26, 2010. It’s been a busy couple weeks, but my company is extremely happy with the way the Hockey Division is coming together. While I’m in Indianapolis with three of my co-workers, the founder of our company lets me know that they’re promoting me…not a bad start to the weekend.

March 1, 2010. Brian officially signs with our firm. I should note that I’m still using a fake name, but I may be revealing his true identity soon – I just have to run it by Brian himself and get his permission.

March 5-7, 2010. This past weekend was yet another busy but productive one. After actually finding some time to spend socially Friday night, I drove up to Detroit where I’d be staying for the night. Unfortunately I was only able to get a couple hours of sleep and then it was up again early on Saturday – the qualifying rounds of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Championships were being played in Guelph, Ontario and I still had a three-hour drive ahead of me.

I arrived at the rink around 11am and they were just dropping the puck in the first game. Sean’s team skated away with an easy victory and after losing a game the day before, it seemed as though they’d be back on track to advance through the qualifiers. It was around 2pm EST, though, when I received an upsetting call from Nicole – she wanted to give me a heads up that an agent from another firm had been calling Brian and his family everyday. I knew that this guy had been calling last week, so just this past Wednesday I left him a voicemail letting him know that Brian had signed with us and asking him to stop contacting Brian and/or his family. Apparently he wasn’t getting the message (both literally and figuratively). I tracked down his cell number, but not surprisingly he didn’t answer that either. We’ll have to see how this develops over the next few days but needless to say I’m not happy about the situation.

With six months in the bag, who knows what’s in store for the next 26 weeks? Hopefully by the time I’m typing up my year in review, I’ll have Brian heading towards a successful NHL career with some of my other advisees not too far behind. If my work to this point as taught me anything, though, it’s that in this business, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected.

Before I leave you for the week, I want to take a second to once again thank you all for your support over this time we’ve spent together. With my busy schedule and long weekends, sometimes the last thing I feel like doing is sitting down at my computer for a few hours to type this up. However, your thoughtful and encouraging posts, emails, and phone calls truly drive me to get this column to you week in and week out. While I certainly have gained a lot from this whole experience, “Rookie Duties” is really for you and I’m just happy to help in any way that I can. Please keep your comments and questions coming and I’ll continue to do my best to address them each week.

These next few days will be spent once again burning up the phone lines trying to get some leads on NHL scouts and their schedules. I’ve got some solid leads already but there’s still a handful of clubs that have been difficult to get a hold of. This upcoming weekend, at least one scout that I spoke with will be coming down to see Brian skate and we should have a few more in line for the next weekend as well. I hope you all have a great productive week ahead of you and until next Monday…it’s time to hit the showers.

Some of the teams involved were considered sellers because they were getting rid of overpaid players or those that did not fit into the team system.  Other teams were considered buyers of “rental” players because they were looking to add a missing piece in the push for the Stanley Cup.  There will certainly be plenty of analysis of who “won” the trade deadline in the coming days.  However, regardless of how the player performs for his new club, one also has to wonder whether these trades will hurt locker room chemistry with so many players changing teams at the deadline.

Take for example, the Toronto Maple Leafs.  It was widely accepted that GM Brian Burke would trade many of his players to continue rebuilding one of the most respected teams in the league.  However, as Alexei Ponikarovsky, who was traded the day before the deadline, stated: “I knew it was coming, but still, even if you’re ready you have to mentally step over that board and realize you are no longer a Maple Leaf.  You have to reset your mind and go to the next club and help them battle for the playoffs and Stanley Cup.”

While a player certainly appreciates going from a team unlikely to make the playoffs to the defending Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, how much will a trade of this caliber change the chemistry of the locker room in the new team or old team?  A player in the final year of his contract will almost certainly try to finish strong to justify a higher salary at the end of the season.  This will certainly help his new team as they seek to earn a playoff spot.

However, it is arguable that a player traded from a contender to a non-playoff team will have little to no incentive to continue playing strong, especially if his contract does not expire at the end of the year.  Some players in this situation may see the writing on the wall that a team is out of the playoff hunt and lose focus in the final weeks of the season.  In some cases, an attitude like this may cost his team wins or even fans that want to see a winner on the ice.

More importantly, in some situations, such as with the Leafs, players will likely be able to take a deep breath and play the remainder of the season without the fear of being traded.  This may actually lead to a more relaxed team on the ice because there will be less competition for a job in the current season.  In other situations, such as with the Washington Capitals, one has to wonder if there is an increased amount of pressure to win in the playoffs now that the team has made several trades.  The Capitals already had a double-digit lead in points in the Eastern Conference, which raises the question of whether they really could get any better by trading away players that got them into that position.

On the other hand, one team that has surprisingly appeared as a competitor this season also made substantial changes to its roster – the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Coyotes were involved in 7 of the 30 trades that took place.  Bringing in so many new players will almost certainly change the locker room atmosphere and more than likely change the on ice competitiveness.  Players that were once playing on the third or fourth lines may be forced to sit out when the new players arrive.  Such a scenario might spell trouble for a team that was previously well positioned to make the playoffs.

Being labeled the “winner” of the trade deadline does not necessarily translate into post-season success.  However, many teams make changes to their rosters in hopes of finding the missing link to win the Stanley Cup.  What do you think about trade deadline day?  Does trading players change locker room chemistry enough to throw off a team’s winning ways or does the increased amount of talent override any change to team chemistry?

My week started off Monday morning with more calls to OHL and NHL clubs. Within only a few hours of getting to my office, I was already starting to hear back from the majority of teams I had contacted last Friday. Overall, things were sounding very promising – every scout and front office official I spoke with was extremely interested in hearing about Brian and was sure to ask me to keep them updated on his situation. One particular discussion that stood out more than others was when I called the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. I knew that former NHLer and four-time Stanley Cup winner Jeff Beukeboom was their Assistant Coach, but when he answered the phone in their office, he didn’t immediately identify himself. After about a ten-minute conversation, he gave me his direct phone line and email. “My email address is ___beukeboom – spelled b-e-u…” That’s where I stopped him. “Jeff…you played in the show long enough for me to know how to spell your name.” After a quick laugh, he thanked me for following his career and that was that. Even though this isn’t the first time in my work that I’ve crossed paths with a player I grew up idolizing, it’s still pretty cool when you realize that you’re dealing with them on the same level. On top of that, when the player turns out to be a good guy like Jeff seemed to be, it always makes me respect them that much more.

That afternoon I also made a call to Brian’s coach. I needed to get some of Brian’s game film from this season so I could start working on his highlight DVD, but I also wanted to sit down and discuss both Brian’s and Joey’s futures in the sport. I swung over to the rink to catch the back end of their practice and afterwards I met up with their coaching staff down in the team offices. We sat down for about thirty minutes while the players had some off-ice training and I asked them where they thought Brian and Joey would best continue to develop their games next season. I wasn’t really surprised to hear that they believed staying with them was the best place for Brian – after all, he is possibly the most talented player in the league. I basically explained that I truly value their opinions, but that at this point, my job is just to get Brian as much exposure as possible. If he gets drafted by a CHL team this June that wouldn’t be a good fit, he’ll still have the option of returning to his current club for another season. I told the coaches that when the time comes for Brian to make the decision, I’d appreciate them sitting down with Brian and I to make sure that Brian makes the right choice for himself. Information is always the key to making good decisions, and I certainly appreciate the experience that the team’s coaches bring to the table.

As far as Joey’s career path goes, the general consensus was that he should try and land with a team in the North American Hockey League. In their opinion, getting a starting job might be tough, but Joey’s a smart kid that works very hard. I’m confident that with a good off-season, we’ll be able to get him playing someplace where he feels comfortable and can succeed.

Monday evening, while I was going through some of the game film that Brian’s coach had given me that afternoon, I received a very flattering email from a reader named Colin (and no it’s not the Colin from Ontario). Besides just letting me know that he’s really enjoyed following my career over the past few months, he wanted to know if I would be willing to speak to the Sports Business Association at his college. While I continue to get a number of great emails from fans each week, I still don’t know if I have a real grasp on how helpful or inspiring this column has been. When I hear that high school classrooms in New York read my entries weekly as part of their curriculum or I receive invites to speak at universities, though, it certainly drives me to continue my work contributing to SAB. While we haven’t set a date for me to make a trip out, I let Colin know that I’d be happy to come and speak sometime soon.

After about five hours of sleep the night before (I’m getting freakishly good at functioning efficiently despite constant sleep deprivation), Wednesday started early with a morning Skype conference over at Nicole’s. Brian’s mother wanted to chat with Brian, and since I’d never met her before, this would be a good opportunity for her to get to know me. We spoke for about twenty minutes and overall it went very well. Although she had heard nothing but good things about me from some mutual friends, I think just getting to see my face and how I carry myself helped cure any anxiety she may have had left regarding me representing her son.

After we finished our talk, I drove out to meet a college hockey buddy for lunch – as my life insurance agent, he wanted to drop off my recently-purchased policy. It’s funny how the minute you graduate college, suddenly your best friends see you as an easy target for a potential client. Regardless, adding a professional relationship to an existing friendship can create a convenient excuse to hang out. Plus, with the U.S. facing off against Switzerland at 2pm CST, I’d have just enough time to catch the first period with him before heading up to the rink for another practice and to get some more game film of Brian. After lunch and a brief stop at the rink, it was back to Nicole’s house for dinner and the highly-anticipated Russia/Canada game that night. Despite the drubbing that the Russians took, it was fun being able to spend some more quality time with the boys and Nicole outside of an ice rink.

By the time I got home that night, I was completely drained. Some days, 5-Hour Energy shots and insane amounts of coffee are the only things that keep me from passing out, and that day was no exception. But I still had some film to get through, so I downed one more cup of joe and it was back to watching hockey.

As the week progressed, I continued to hear back from more and more teams wanting to get some information about Brian. The great part was that even NHL clubs were now getting a hold of me and letting me know that he’s on their radar. At this point, it seems as though two or three teams are seriously considering taking him this June in the Draft, and I’m going to continue to plug away and generate more interest throughout the League.

Friday night for me was definitely a change of scenery, but it was a great one. Some of the guys from my company that work in the Football Division were going to be in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Since they work out of California and Texas, I don’t get to see them very often, so they told me I should make the drive down. We spent Friday afternoon at the Hyatt in downtown Indianapolis meeting with some NFL scouts, other agents, and some reps from major sporting goods companies. To tell you the truth, it was the first time in my professional life that I actually felt like I was living Jerry Maguire.

That evening we went out to dinner with a few other guys in the industry and that’s when I got the surprise of the night. After our waitress brought us the drinks we had ordered, the founder of our company raised his glass and proposed a toast. “I just want to make a toast to Scott, who’s been doing a great job with our Hockey Division – so much so that we’ve decided to bump him up to Senior Director of Hockey.” Now I knew that the guys I worked with were pleased with what I was doing, but I honestly didn’t expect them to promote me this early in my career. I’m truly blessed, not only because I’m able to do what I love, but also because I get to work with some really great guys that I already consider close friends. We spent the night celebrating and had an absolute blast – the week couldn’t have ended any better.

As I promised I would in a past entry, I want to take a second to respond to a comment that was left for me last week. A reader named Cameron asked me if I thought people skills or a solid understanding of the sport you work in is more important in finding success as a sports agent. In my opinion, you can’t really value one over the other. As I told Cameron, if you don’t have the ability to approach and connect with others, it’d be hard to effectively market your clients. At the same time, though, if you don’t have a deep understanding of the sport you’re working in, some clubs might not take you seriously after they realize it. One thing I’d like to point out, however, is that just because you might be anxious speaking with coaches, players, and parents, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have what it takes. When I first started scouting at tournaments, I was hesitant to approach anyone. You just have to convince yourself that if you don’t try, there’s no way you’ll ever make it anywhere. After a while, you’ll begin to grow comfortable with the different situations and before you know it, you’ll embrace the opportunity to meet and speak with others that share your passion.

Well, believe it or not, next week will mark the 26^th week of “Rookie Duties.” The past six months have been absolutely incredible – I’ve made some enormous strides forward and I’ve hit some bumps in the road in both my personal and professional lives. To commemorate hitting the halfway point through my first year authoring this column, next week I’ll be providing you all with a little recap of some of those highs and lows as well as giving you some insight as to where I see the next six months taking me. Until then, keep the comments and emails coming and have a terrific week. And with that…it’s time to hit the showers.

One hot topic at the Games is whether the NHL should shut down again for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This is the fourth Olympics that have included NHLers and each time the question of continued participation comes up. There are pros and cons to each side, but I personally hope the NHL continues to come to the Games.

On one side, it is easy to understand the concerns of owners and management. They invest a lot of money in these players, and having them play in the Olympics is a significant risk. The Ottawa Senators Stanley Cup hopes went out the window when Dominik Hasek was injured in the Czech Republic’s first game at the 2006 Olympics in Torino. He never played for the Senators again. The 2 week break in the season can also kill momentum. A team that was playing well before the break may not want the interruption.

However, participating in the Olympics is usually seen by most players as a huge honour. It brings together the top players from each country in a tournament like no other. The NHL break can also serve as a much needed rest period for players who may need time to rest up from nagging injuries.

In all likelihood, the NHL will likely end up going to Sochi. And even if the league decides not to, one of its biggest stars has already stated he is going. Alex Ovechkin has publicly stated that he will be competing for his home nation in 2014, no matter what the consequences. That might be reason enough for the league to head to Sochi.

I believe the NHL will end up going to the next Olympics, but there will be a new Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated before they take place, so what happens with that is anyone’s guess. But the tournament only happens once every four years, and it is exciting for the players and fans alike. Hopefully it will continue.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing in Vancouver right now with thousands of athletes proudly donning the colors of their countries.  However, one group of athletes that want to participate might not even have the opportunity to try out for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

With the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to expire at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season, the debate over whether NHL players will be permitted to participate in 2014 Olympics remains to be decided.  Both Commissioner Gary Bettman and several owners have openly voiced their disapproval over the current arrangement, in which the entire NHL shuts down for a two-week period in order to accommodate player involvement in the games.  However, not participating in the Olympics beyond this year could be harmful to the competitive level of play on the United States and several other countries’ behalf.

The Problems with Participation

Commissioner Bettman argues that participation in the Olympics results in an unnecessary strain on the players, the schedule, and NHL fans.  He also believes that the league receives little positive impact from the Olympics when the games are played outside North America.  Meanwhile, the owners argue that permitting their star players to participate in the Olympics risks team success and can compromise player injury liability clauses.

There is no doubt that both the Commissioner and the owners raise valid points; however, it is from a selfish standpoint.  Commissioner Bettman’s point on the strain on players presumably is based on the same reasoning as the owners:  If a player is injured during the Olympics, his team will subsequently be severely harmed.  The same point is well taken from owners, who believe that if a player of Alexander Ovechkin’s caliber were injured, arguably, the chances of the Washington Capitals competing at the same level would be decreased for the length of any injury.

Commissioner Bettman’s arguments regarding burdens on the schedule and the fans are also valid from the same self-serving perspective.  It is true that scheduling a two-week break in the middle of an 82-game schedule does make for tricky planning.  Teams must play compressed schedules and one team, the Vancouver Canucks, were forced into a 14-game road trip due to the Olympics taking place on their home ice.  This surely results in empty arenas and no money brought in for NHL events during this time.  Further, despite being several years removed from the NHL lockout of 2004-2005, new fans are only now beginning to tune into weekly national broadcasts.  Thus, from the NHL leadership’s perspective, the Olympics are a large risk.

Potential Answers

One potential way to ease the strain on players is to consider what can be done in individual player contracts.  As mentioned here on SAB last August [The Cost of Representing Your Country], players raised fears that if they were injured at Olympic training camps their teams would not insure them —and rightfully so, as some clubs have clauses protecting themselves against this liability.  If a player wants to participate on his country’s behalf, why not base it on an individual level.  Teams could take a strong stand in the upcoming CBA discussions that if a player wants to play in the Olympics, he must contractually agree to give up certain money and release the team of liability if an injury occurs during that period.  From the NHL leadership standpoint, this will shift the burden to the players, who will be forced to choose between financial gain and representing their country.  Such an idea could lead to discontent, but it might at least serve as a starting point in negotiations.

Aside from contractual arrangements, one answer that should not be considered is non-participation by the NHL.  Such a decision would substantially harm the already fragile public persona of the NHL in the United States.  Non-participation would be harmful for several reasons.

1. To counter Commissioner Bettman’s point regarding the little positive impact the NHL gains from the Olympics when the games are played outside North America, participation arguably boosts NHL notoriety outside of North America.  The NHL already participates in its own regular-season games outside of North America and has plans to continue these games to open several upcoming seasons.  If Commissioner Bettman truly believes that the NHL gains little by permitting its players to play for their country rather than an NHL team in an international venue, he is sorely missing an opportunity for more league exposure.  Rather than a hindrance, participation surely gains fans that want to see how certain players are doing prior to and after Olympic play.  While from an immediate revenue perspective, Commissioner Bettman may not see gains in the NHL coffers.  However, in all likelihood, it will result in the same or more revenue from the current NHL games taking place abroad in the long run.
2. Not permitting players to participate could result in resentment between players and the league.  Several high-profile players have already made it publicly known that they intend to participate in the 2014 Sochi games regardless of being given permission.  This includes the current face of the NHL, the wildly popular Russian-born Ovechkin.  If several high-profile players pack their bags for two weeks to play in the Olympics, leaving teams to find alternatives in their absence, the NHL will suffer more than if the league as a whole shuts down.  Down the road, a non-participation scenario could lead players considering the NHL to consider instead playing in leagues such as the KHL, whom permits Olympic participation.
3. The most important reason that non-participation is not the answer is the effect it will have on the United States level of Olympic play.  Currently, the entire U.S. squad is made up of NHL players.  The same can be said for Canada.  However, several other countries are able to put together very strong teams with experienced non-NHL players because leagues other than the NHL permit Olympic participation.  While Canada may be able to field a team of non-NHL players and remain as competitive as they are currently, the U.S. does not have that same luxury.

In all likelihood, if the NHL does not participate, players will come from the collegiate ranks.  While the likes of the “Miracle on Ice” roster did come from the NCAA, the level of competition in international play has changed drastically since that point in time.  Putting even the top Division I players up against experienced former NHLers playing in the KHL would result in a less competitive U.S. team.  This is nothing against the players that might be chosen, but outside of competition in the NCAA, many of these players will have little experience against the faster, stronger, and seasoned veterans from other countries.

While non-participation by the NHL in the Olympics may result in parity for certain countries, it would not continue the strong play of the United States.  Some may argue that non-NHL players would be hungrier or more determined— this remains to be seen.  Regardless of where others stand on this topic, whether the NHL will permit its players to participate will certainly be a point of negotiation for both sides at the expiration of the current CBA.

What are your thoughts?  Is continued participation in the Olympics beneficial to the NHL?

When the week began, I still hadn’t gotten any official commitment from Brian’s camp (mainly his mother and father). However, I knew that this was at least an opportunity to show my stuff and that’s exactly what I intended to do. I began my plan of attack by contacting some NHL teams to try and gauge their interest in Brian for the upcoming 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Step one – getting a hold of someone.

I knew that getting an NHL General Manager on the phone would be extremely difficult, and to be honest, someone that high up the power food chain probably wouldn’t be the appropriate person to contact at this stage in the game. Instead, I targeted a few clubs’ U.S. amateur scouting directors. Every team I called, though, wouldn’t give out the contact information for their personnel – even the regional scouts. That left me with me with only the dreaded option of leaving messages with the assurance that I would hear back soon. I might be a few credits shy of my telepathy degree, but I’ve dealt with enough executive assistants to know it wouldn’t be as simple as that. But hey, if this job was easy, everyone would do it. I made a few follow-up calls later in the week, and while I still wasn’t finding much luck, I was able to determine that the Anaheim Ducks would have a scout in attendance at one of Brian’s games this past weekend. I didn’t know whether he was there to scout Brian specifically, but quite frankly I didn’t care – my job is to sell my clients, and if a team doesn’t feel like my client is right for them, I’ll just show them why he is.

Thursday morning started off with a meeting with some financial planners who work specifically with high net worth individuals. They had heard about my work with my company and wanted to sit down with me to discuss the possibility of doing some work for my hockey clients. While none of my clients would currently be considered “high net worth” individuals, my experience in the industry has taught me that you have to be careful when entrusting athletes finances with outside financial planners. As with any industry, there are a few bad seeds, and before I would ever recommend a client to a particular firm, I’d have to know I could trust them. Basically, this was more of a first interview, and I’ll be sure to keep in touch with them as our hockey division progresses. Now I’ll be honest – at first I felt a little out of place during this meeting. I mean, I’m 25 years old, fresh out of law school, and I’m sitting down with executives that have been working in the financial world for close to 30 years. But I had to remind myself that they were there because they recognized that I was in a position to help them. When you mentally put yourself back into a position of power, it’s a lot easier to find that confidence and realize that you belong.

After my meeting, I headed into my office for a few hours to start contacting some OHL teams about drafting Brian this Spring. Brian’s only a ’91 birth year, so he still has two years of Junior hockey eligibility remaining, and regardless of whether or not he’s taken in the upcoming NHL Draft, he’ll most likely spend at least one more year developing his game in the Junior hockey system. The “O” would be the next step for Brian, so my short-term goal is to get him on a team up there for next year. Unfortunately, my initial success was similar to that which I had with the NHL clubs – more messages left and more assurances given.

After a few more failed attempts to get a scout or assistant GM on the phone, I had to head out to Brian’s and Joey’s practice. While sitting at the rink, I made a quick phone call to Sean’s father, Chris, about getting Sean’s application in for the first annual USHL Draft Combine this April. Sean and his family want him to play NCAA Hockey, and since the U.S. Colleges pull most of their talent from the USHL, I told Chris that this would be a great opportunity to, at the very least, get Sean some exposure in front of USHL and college coaches. The Combine is invite-only, so a player must apply for a spot and then be accepted, but with Sean’s resume, I’m really not concerned.

After practice, I met up with Brian and Joey just to see how things were going. Joey had gotten me a highlight DVD of himself that he wanted me to check out so that I could start helping him to prepare for his next season in Juniors. I knew I was going to be at both of Brian’s games over the weekend, so we kept our meeting pretty brief.

Thursday evening I found some time to head into the gym for a bit, but then it was right back to work – with the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI) Tier I State Tournament underway, the Bantam Major Chicago Mission would square off against Team Illinois that night. Both teams were ranked in the top-ten nationally, so it was set up to be a great game. In the end, Team Illinois skated away with a decisive victory, but afterwards I was able to speak with the coach of the Mission. As I know I’ve said before, with the hockey community, it seems as though you have a connection with anyone you meet and this was certainly no exception. It turns out that their coach actually played for my Grandfather in college. My Grandpa was extremely well-respected  in the sport, so needless to say, I walked away from our conversation feeling pretty confident that this was a guy I could call upon if he had a player I was looking to advise.

Friday, though, is when things started getting really interesting. While I continued making calls to teams in the OHL, all of a sudden I started getting calls back. I spoke with a handful of front office officials from various clubs in the league, and while they are all very interested in Brian, none of them even knew that he was interested in playing in the “O” next year. While it seemed as though they all had numerous scouting reports on Brian, I wanted to give them an idea of what he could offer each of their clubs. I explained that my company was working on his media and highlight package and that I’d be sure to let them know when we’d be sending them out. After days of feeling neglected, it sure was nice to feel like they were fortunate to be speaking with me.

That night I was extremely anxious to speak with Brian after his game. As I mentioned, we still had no commitment from him, but this was a great chance to show him the value that I could add to his career. Brian played well and his team pulled off a nice victory. I didn’t notice the scout from Anaheim, but there was still another game the next evening. Afterwards, I spoke with Brian briefly and explained what had transpired over the past 24-hours. He seemed very grateful for my help so far and I assured him that there’d be more to come.

I got back home around 11:00pm – just in time to catch the Finland/Germany game. Finland dominated the game and won 5-0, but I still couldn’t drag myself off the couch until after the game concluded…I mean, it’s Olympic hockey. On top of that, I still had to check out Joey’s highlight DVD. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it was exactly what I was looking for. While it was a little long to send out to Junior coaches, it provided a lot of great clips that we could chose from in creating the final product. Sometime soon, I plan on getting Joey ice time at the rink so we can get some additional footage as well.

Saturday is when things really started to pick up. While at Brian’s game that night, I noticed the Anaheim scout standing at the top of the bleachers above where Joey, Nicole (Joey’s mom) and I were sitting. At the first intermission, I decided to head up and strike up a conversation and it couldn’t have gone much better. I asked him who he was watching and what he thought about Brian’s game. While he mentioned that he didn’t think the Ducks would be taking him this year because of their particular style of play, he did say that he was on their radar and he wouldn’t be surprised if an NHL club took a chance on him. In all, we spoke for about 20 minutes – mostly discussing each of our career paths and some of those hockey connections we share. After meeting him, I’d definitely consider him one of those “good” guys in the industry. We exchanged contact information and I’ll be sure to follow up with him soon.

After the game, Nicole invited me over to their home for a late dinner, some drinks, and to watch the Belarus/Germany game. Since I’ve been friends with Nicole’s family for a few years, it’s always nice to spend time with them away from the rink. It also gave us a better opportunity to discuss both Joey’s and Brian’s futures in the sport. It wasn’t all business though – Joey and Brian were sure to find some time to give me a free lesson on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Let’s just say I was less than impressive. Ah, the days when I had time for videogames and was actually good at them.

Sunday morning for me started out as usual – church in the morning and getting ready for work at the rink that afternoon and evening. With it being “Hatred Day” as Jeremy Roenick coined it, I certainly wanted to be on my couch watching the terrific Olympic hockey lineup. But I still have bills to pay, and with two high-definition televisions at the rink, I knew I’d get by. It turned out, though, that the Olympic hockey wouldn’t be the highlight of my day – not by a long shot. Right before they dropped the puck on the U.S./Canada game, I got a call from Nicole. Apparently she’d continued to speak with Brian’s parents, and after a few days of consideration, Brian and his family were on board with our firm. Getting such good news certainly helped me get through the remainder of my 11-hour shift at the rink. But now the real work begins.

So here I am, completely exhausted, but ready to get back at it today. I’ve got a ton of phone calls to make and I’m planning on getting some of Brian’s games from his coach later this afternoon when I swing by their practice.

One thing I want to be sure to point out is the fact that all these “breaks” I’ve been getting aren’t merely a product of being lucky. In my opinion, in life you make your own luck and if you truly want to succeed in life, you need to make sacrifices and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. Sure, I could have been out at the bars with my friends in the city this past weekend. Instead, though, I chose to spend my time in an ice rink, showing my commitment to a potential client – and apparently, my hard work is paying off. But as I said, it doesn’t stop now.

On a side note, it seems that despite my endless amount of work as an agent, attorney, columnist, scout, and ice rink employee, I’ll be taking an opportunity to do some work for a college hockey buddy on the side to earn a little extra money. It pretty much means that I won’t have a second to myself, but I could use the cash, and since he’s a friend, I could work whenever it’s convenient for me. Looking back, I can’t understand how anyone would ever question whether I have the drive to succeed in life. Don’t’ get me wrong, for the most part, I’ve surrounded myself with incredibly supportive family and friends and I truly appreciate the numerous emails I’ve gotten from all you faithful readers out there – but everybody has their doubters. And if there’s anything I want you to take away from this week’s entry, it’s that believing in yourself is more important than anything. When you truly know what makes you happy, you have to go for it despite what others around you might say along the way. In the end, it’s your life – and you only get to live it once.

And with that, I must leave you. Hopefully soon, our firm will be making the official announcement of our new signing and then when I’m not on the phone this week I’ll be pouring through hours of game film looking for the best clips for Brian’s highlight reel. Until next week…it’s time to hit the showers.

As I mentioned before, very recently I got a lead on a potential 2010 NHL draft pick. Although I still can’t give away any details that might compromise his anonymity (can’t believe I spelled that correctly without spell check), I will explain how this all came about.

A few years ago I befriended a woman named Nicole (remember…fake names) who has close ties to many professional and amateur hockey players. She had been a housing parent for some players in a tournament I was attending, and after speaking with her for a while, I realized that besides being extremely nice, she was very willing and able to help me with my plan to eventually represent professional hockey players. I stayed in touch with her over the years and when it came time for me to put together my business plan, she proved to be an invaluable resource. Anyway, just about two weeks ago, I had heard that her son (we’ll call him “Joey”), who is a 19 year-old goalie who had been playing junior hockey here in the States, was suddenly without a team and wondered if I’d mind making some calls for him. Naturally, since I had known him for a few years, I told him I would be more than happy to help him out in any way that I could. I called around a few junior leagues, and while I wasn’t able to get him on a team this season (there’s only a handful of games left at the Tier II and III Junior levels and so coaches just aren’t looking to make moves), he still has two years of eligibility remaining and we’ve got some solid leads for next season. Joey called me expressing his appreciation for everything I was doing and let me know that his friend (let’s go with “Brian”) who was living with him and playing in the USHL, could use a good agent like me. I had known about Brian for a few years – back in 2006 he was already getting pegged as a first-round NHL draft pick. Getting a prospect like this would be a huge step forward for our hockey division, so I knew I had to stay on top of this one. Joey and I spoke more over the weekend and since Joey was skating with Brian’s team as a practice goalie, we decided it’d be a good idea for me to come to their skate on Monday and join them for dinner to discuss business that evening.

When Monday rolled around, however, just as I was about to leave for the practice I got a call from Joey – that day, practice was just going to be a light scrimmage and thus probably a waste of my time. On top of that, with Brian’s girlfriend in town, they were going to make a trip into the city that night to show her around. Not a big deal – as I said, you have to be flexible. Joey told me that Thursday his family, Brian, and Brian’s girlfriend were all going out to dinner to celebrate a birthday and said that I should come with. While originally I had planned on leaving for Ohio on Thursday, I decided to push my trip back a day – I knew this was an opportunity that I couldn’t blow.

Although Tuesday didn’t work out for me because of a scheduling conflict with an immigration client, I made it out to Brian and Joey’s practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. Obviously, I’m not going to base my judgment of a player on what I see in a couple of practices, but that’s not really why I’m there.  Remember…I’m there because I care and because I work for my clients.

Thursday night ended up being a great one. Dinner went fantastic, and afterwards we all went bowling, which ended up being a blast. While nothing is official yet, it looks as though pretty soon we’ll have our next big client. Nicole speaks regularly with Brian’s mother, and with her experience in the sport, it seems as though she basically acts as the family advisor. I’m supposed to call Nicole later today and hopefully we’ll be talking about when to get Brian into my office to officially sign with my company.

The next morning I hit the road for Dayton to catch game one of the weekend. I pulled into town 45 minutes before Matt’s game and met up with a friend from Ohio Northern who now lives in the area. My cousin also goes to school there, so she and some friends met us up at the game as well. I rolled into the rink with my entourage of five college girls, and the rink was exactly as Matt had described it. Think War Memorial Stadium from “Slap Shot” and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about. Although the Gems dropped the game to the first-place Muskegon Lumberjacks, Matt played pretty well. While he was -1 on the night, he had a number of nice hits and moved the puck extremely well. If he keeps progressing at this rate, hopefully we’ll get him playing up with an ECHL squad next season.

The next morning I swung over to Matt’s apartment and hung out with him for a bit before he had to hit the road – the Gems were playing a home-and-home series with Muskegon, so they had a six-hour bus trip ahead of them that day. After he left, I got some emails sent out, made some phone calls, and then it was time to head up north to Toledo.

I arrived at the Walleye’s stadium right as the game was about to begin. Needless to say, I’ve been to a lot of ice rinks at all different levels of hockey, and I’ve got to say that Toledo has one of the nicer buildings in the country. While it only seats around 8,000, it just opened in 2009 and is a great place to watch a game. Besides just providing me with a nice seat, though, the Walleye gave me some great on-ice entertainment as well. In the end, Toledo took the game 3-0 (although the third goal was an empty-netter). Even better – my good friend Dan Watson coaches the Walleye defensemen who had the first two Walleye goals. After the game, I headed down to the locker rooms to see Dan. We spoke for a while, talking about hockey and everything else in our lives, and it was great to catch up. Dan’s a great guy who definitely knows his stuff, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it out there for another game later this season.

Since I was tired from a long couple days of travel, Saturday night I decided to head down to Ohio Northern for the night instead of driving all the way back home. I still have a lot of friends that go to school there, so it was a great chance for me to see them. Overall, we had a great time, which isn’t exactly a regular occurrence in the small, desolate town of Ada, Ohio.

After four more hours in my car Sunday afternoon, I was back home in Chicago by about 3pm. And the great news…I was scheduled to work the 4-close shift at the rink that night. So much for unwinding right? Oh well…I guess that’s what retirement is for.

This week should be another busy one – I’ve got a meeting with an immigration client in about an hour, and as I mentioned, I have to get the ball rolling on Brian’s situation. At this point, I haven’t had time to look at the amateur schedules for this upcoming weekend, but for the most part, state tournaments are in full gear, so there should be some good hockey for me to watch somewhere. If any big news comes up, I’ll be sure to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts as usual. Until next week…it’s time to hit the showers.

Octagon Hockey has taken the lead in this department.  Allan Walsh (@walsha) is the Director of Octagon Hockey while Ben Hankinson (@benhankinson) is the company’s USA Director of Player Representation.  Hankinson has a little over 1,000 followers; Walsh has three times as much.  Both are active Tweeters and regularly post information about their clients.  Sometimes those tweets are controversial.  In early November, Walsh received some negative publicity for tweeting about the shortcomings of players who are not his clients, and who are competing with his clients for playing time.  Overall, though, their strategy seems to be working well for the duo.  They are doing whatever they can to put their clients names on the minds of those who care enough to follow hockey.

It helps that Walsh and Hankinson have the backing of an entire Digital Division.  On April 9, 2009, I posted an interview with Jim DeLorenzo, VP of Octagon Digital.  Here is a brief portion of that interview, which includes DeLorenzo’s response to a question.

Jim DeLorenzo: Well I think what you are seeing, more and more is that people are consuming their sports content online.  Every athlete, every league, and every team are looking for ways to connect with their fans online and are shifting to different online platforms.  For Octagon, one of my responsibilities is to help the agents find the right opportunities for their athletes in a digital medium.  An example would be, if you go to NBA.com, they have videos running of Chris Paul.  They have behind the scene videos chronicling what it is like to be a young, NBA super-star.  Having NBA.com as a platform, to push those videos has a lot of benefits for Chris (Paul).  That is one of the things I am doing out of the digital sector.

Basically, I am trying to find digital marketing opportunities for our athletes online and helping to provide both the athletes and the agents more of a consistent digital strategy.

DeLorenzo hooked Walsh and Hankinson up with a good understanding of Twitter before he let the agents out into the open seas, where it is tough (actually impossible) to retract statements after they are published.  The agents also have the backing of the NHL.  The league employs its own Director of Social Media, who’s name is Michael DiLorenzo (not to be confused with Octagon’s DeLorenzo).  Under DiLorenzo’s watch, bloggers have gained access to press boxes.

The NHL seems to be quite accepting of its players using social media to connect with fans.  Octagon Hockey is an example of a company willing to take advantage of the opportunity to get their agents and clients names out there in order to gain relevance in a sport that surely needs something to talk about.