Judd Brackett

[theo5789]

15 hours ago, aGENT said:

As has been discussed numerous times in the thread, Weisbrod also has USHL connections. 

[aGENT]

13 hours ago, shiznak said:

Myers wanted to be closer to home, which is why we had him at a discount with no ED protection (Seattle is pretty much the same distance between Vancouver and Kelowna). He would have gotten the predicted norm if he has signed somewhere else. Excluding Edmonton, Calgary and possibly re-signing with Winnipeg.

That's largely a separate discussion. And they were still predicting those amounts despite the sense Myers wanted to be 'closer to home'. We also had to actually sign him for those terms.

 

We've also signed/re-signed more than just Myers since Beagle/Roussel. Basically all of whom have signed below those talking heads predictions.

 

So the original point that the contacts signed with Gear around are 'unspectacular' doesn't really hold water.

 

How much of that is Gear vs the team now having better leverage since the arrival of three Calder candidates in a row is certainly up for debate. But it still puts very little weight behind  the 'what's Chris Gear done for me lately' argument.

Edited May 29, 2020 by aGENT

[lmm]

9 hours ago, aGENT said:

The usual media idiots.

You and Silent Sam are talking in circles.

How does being a better GM than the "Ususal Media Idiot" improve JB's case?

[aGENT]

19 minutes ago, lmm said:

You and Silent Sam are talking in circles.

How does being a better GM than the "Ususal Media Idiot" improve JB's case?

How does it hurt it?

[theo5789]

32 minutes ago, lmm said:

You and Silent Sam are talking in circles.

How does being a better GM than the "Ususal Media Idiot" improve JB's case?

Because the usual media idiot have been trying to paint Benning in a bad light over-exaggerating any rumours coming our way to rile up the sheep (in this case suggesting why are we even considering Myers as he will be some overpaid fool on a 7x7 contract and then we go on to sign him to a representative fair market deal, but people are still engrained that he's "overpaid"). JB isn't perfect, but perhaps he's not as bad as he's being portrayed (in this case Benning makes all the wrong draft choices while Brackett made all the right ones, even though Brackett himself has praised Benning's system implementation).

[Ballisticsports.]

30 minutes ago, aGENT said:

So the original point that the contacts signed with Gear around are 'unspectacular' doesn't really hold water.

 

How much of that is Gear vs the team now having better leverage since the arrival of three Calder candidates in a row is certainly up for debate. But it still puts very little weight behind  the 'what's Chris Gear done for me lately' argument.

Gear has been here almost 10 yrs?

I don't see any spectacular job he has done, looking from the outside in all those years, as opposed to to looking at Brackets work from the outside.

Hopefully, it isn't someone above looking at Judd's job and thinking i'd like to do that job, when if in fact it was Judd who was responsible, (who wouldn't be upset if that was the case), with less responsibility, and say and feeling unappreciated, while seeing others promoted, while Judd was maybe responsible for the 3 Calder candidates (except for EP, the others were BPA)

The scenario wasn't "what has Gear done for me lately an argument" (Lets say overall)

None of us have that insider information on Judd or Gear, There is no hockey, so most of the stuff here is personal perception of what may happen or why it is happening in all the these threads, It really isn't a big deal if your personal perception is different (there would be no discussions, if we all had the same opinions and perceptions)

Most of us have seen people promoted over the years, that have peers scratching their heads and some upset enough (without there job affected) to feel unappreciated and leave

Hopefully it turns out well for everyone and the Canucks with how it plays out

 

I read on here of how the Canucks have finished near last, while no cap space, lately we have been trading picks and now talk of how we will need to offer Seattle picks to not take people, or throw in to take certain people 

The ones we have in the system could be more Reids, we need to keep adding and hoping some gems hIt it out of the park in the NHL, if the current ones in the minors don't, we will have a bare cupboard, with no new developing ones replacing them (maybe this has impact on Judd, maybe he speaks out and upsets others on trading picks?, or him thinking what is the point of me scouting, when we have none of the top round picks anymore)

 

My personal perception  and opinion is based on what i read, as we know the club or companies never divulge everything, what i see others speculating, what i witness, so actually it holds water for me (in what was just a scenario to begin with), but not one i would die on

If you have insider information, or i hear it from any of the people above (usually people don't burn bridges, and make a new employer think, oh, he will be slagging me at some time) An open minded persons perception will change

 

My personal perception at the moment is I don't really know what spectacular work Gear has done in all these years?, It wasn't an argument either, it was a scenario being discussed, that you got defensive about (I understand that peoples opinion and perception will not be the same, I don't attack them for being different and move on, I don't feel the need to be right (they are no more right, than I am wrong) All of us here are basically speculating with our opinions on here

 

Cheers

[Rush17]

This Judd Brackett storyline is honestly exhausting. 

 

When Jim Benning took over the team he said he had to retrain the entire scouting staff to look for components he wanted to see in players. part of that process was teaching the scouting staff the terminology and attributes Jim wanted to bring into the team. Jim saw something in Judd when he was a relatively new jr scout. He promoted him way ahead of what his normal progression would be. Judd probably wants the best player available as where Jim and Wisebrod are looking for the character players you can win with. From here out we don't need all high end skill. We need character guys who fit what we are trying to build. The whole notion there is a rift in the front office is just silly. J.D Burke is a troll and likes to fuel this narrative. When Jim eventually moves on and another GM comes in his old washed up tricks won't work on the fan base anymore. He is super hyper critical and does it to gain views on 1040. If Judd doesn't want to remain here that is ok. Jim can find a replacement.. Judd didn't scout all those NCAA players.. Judd is the voice between the scouting department and Jim. Judd was probably put in that role because of his ability to mediate and provide a strong bridge between the execs and the scouting staff.  If Judd signs that is fantastic. But this reporting over the last few weeks have been way overblown. 

[mll]

This article is from a couple of years ago by Daniel Wagner from Pass It To Bullis but is possibly worth another read.  Brackett talks of how scouting / drafting is a collaborative effort and provides some insight on their process.  He credits different scouts for finding Pettersson/Boeser and talks of what they saw in Gaudette, DiPietro.

 

https://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/for-the-canucks-judd-brackett-scouting-and-drafting-are-a-collaborative-effort-1.23144857

 

Quote

The 2017 NHL draft has the potential to be a franchise-defining draft for the Vancouver Canucks. Elias Pettersson has the potential to be a first-line centre, Kole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich are looking like steals in the second round, and Michael DiPietro could be the goaltender of the future.

 

It’s the type of draft on which a person might want to hang their hat and, with Jim Benning’s status as the General Manager of the Canucks in limbo, it’s a key piece of the argument for re-signing him.

 

There’s a tendency towards crediting just one person in an organization for scouting and drafting prospects. Thomas Gradin, for instance, earned a reputation among Canucks fans when he pushed hard for drafting both Sedins and spotted Alex Edler in a third-tier Swedish league. From then on, any Swedish prospect was assumed to be a “Gradin pick.”

 

Some fans might assume that Elias Pettersson was a “Gradin pick,” as the Canucks reached slightly beyond the consensus, which placed Pettersson around 8-10 in the draft rankings, to take him at fifth overall.

 

Likewise, with Jim Benning’s reputation as a draft guru, some fans are quick to hand him all of the credit (or blame) for the Canucks’ drafting record. Others want to place that credit on another man’s shoulders, such as the Canucks’ Director of Amateur Scouting, Judd Brackett.

 

For Brackett, however, scouting and the draft is much more of a collaborative effort.

 

“It really is,” said Brackett. “It starts with an identification process early on, and then people come in from all over and put him against players from their region and vice versa. There’s a real process to it.”

 

In the case of Pettersson, it was far from a one-man show.

 

“Scouting is a group effort for us,” he said. “We have Inge Hammarstrom over there and Thomas [Gradin] traveled there, but Elias played in the U20 tournament in November...and we had plenty of guys that cross over to Sweden. So, there’s no one person that drafts. If there’s a player we like, we have long discussions about that player. It’s definitely a group effort when we find someone special like Pettersson.”

 

I spoke to Brackett after the Canucks wrapped up their scouting meetings in Toronto on the weekend. It’s here where they really start to refine their list of players for the 2018 draft. It’s also where they identify gaps in their knowledge and direct the team of scouts for these final few months.

 

“Most of these guys are really experienced and don’t need a lot of direction,” said Brackett. “Now that we’ve had meetings and discussions about players, let’s make sure we’re a little stronger on Player A when we compare him to Player B. A lot of the discussion might have led towards B because we didn’t have enough viewings on A.”

 

If Brackett feels there’s a soft spot in their scouting coverage or a player has popped up that needs more attention, he’ll schedule different scouts to see him at different times so that when they reconvene, they can feel more confident in their assessment of the player.

 

“Jim does it as well, as does Trevor,” he said. “They pay attention to everything that’s being talked about in the meetings and say things too, and if they feel a player needs to be seen more or discussed more, they’re certainly comfortable in directing me or directing scouts themselves.”

 

Brackett also talked about working with Benning in a conversation on Sportsnet 650.

 

“I actually had no prior working relationship with Jim,” he said.”Obviously as a scout and from Massachusetts myself, I had a great respect for Jim and heard a lot about his ability to scout, so as soon as he came here, I’ve been all ears. He’s got a tremendous wealth of knowledge and he shares it with me and we talk players. I know he enjoys getting on the road and seeing them as well.”

 

The biggest role Benning plays is providing overall direction, as well as, of course, providing the final decision on draft day based on their list.

 

“A lot of that is directed from watching the National Hockey League right now and watching how other teams are playing and having success,” said Brackett, “so it’s important for Jim to give that to us as a group and say what we’re seeing in the NHL today.”

 

“We’re seeing a lot of speed, we’re seeing a lot of skill, that changes our eye or our focus. You have to take notice of someone that is maybe missing an element in their game, but has NHL-caliber speed or skill that maybe in years past we would not have been as interested in.”

 

Part of that direction also comes from incorporating analytics into their scouting and drafting.

 

“Analytics for us is very helpful in identifying players,” said Brackett. “Maybe someone is driving such good numbers or trends that you overlooked and you need to go back and see. They sort of work in harmony. It’s part of the equation and you use it, but we still have to go to games, see the players, and meet them and make sure the character checks out.”

 

Brackett repeatedly mentions character, because it’s a key element in identifying players that won’t plateau or flat-line, but will continue to improve after being drafted. He spoke about Adam Gaudette, who he had a hand in drafting as one of the Canucks scouts for the USHL in 2015. Gaudette was one of the players whose numbers did not reflect his ability — he put up just 30 points in 50 USHL games — making him an unpopular pick for those who favour analytics.

 

“It’s hard to say why the numbers weren’t there,” said Brackett. “If you went to see him play, the compete level was always there, he was always in the right spot, working hard, the motor was there. We asked him the same questions you asked. Why didn’t it translate? Will it translate later?”

“It was hard to look at him in the USHL and think he wasn’t going to keep getting better, because the drive was there, the awareness was there. He needed to get stronger and he needed to gain some footspeed, but when you watched a guy who competed as hard as he did every night, it was hard to say that he’s going to flatline. It’s hard to say that kid is not going to keep getting better.”

 

Gaudette and Brock Boeser are again examples of scouting being a team effort. The USHL was in Brackett’s wheelhouse, but there were a lot of people involved in identifying and scouting both players. Elliotte Friedman recently identified scout Ted Hampson as pushing hard for Boeser.

 

“I certainly didn’t work alone on them,” said Brackett. “The US staff identified them early and everyone from crossover scouts to management had opinions on them too.”

 

Identifying the players who will improve has to be the hardest aspect of drafting. It’s relatively easy identifying the best player on a team or in any given league; figuring out if that same player will still be one of the best by the time they reach the NHL is the challenge.

 

“They’re 17, 18 years old, and it’s not just drive,” said Brackett, “it’s the willingness to accept coaching or to make changes with your body and what you fuel it with. Maybe some feel like they don’t need to do this or there’s a corner to cut, and it hurts them down the line. It’s not just the will and the drive — that’s part of it — but it’s also being receptive, being coachable, and also having enough skill to still make plays.”

 

Character comes up again when I bring up Michael DiPietro.

 

“The biggest driver for DiPietro was his character and compete,” said Brackett. “A tremendous athlete, a winner, but just driven. Very focused, but when you watch him play, there’s desperation in his game, there’s power, there’s speed, there’s quickness and for us, even at six feet, those were qualities that could separate him and make him successful.”

 

Brackett wouldn’t speak to any specific draft-eligible players that stood out at the 2018 World Juniors — understandable, as playing your cards close to your chest is advisable when it comes to upcoming drafts — but he did speak to his philosophy on international tournaments.

 

“I really think it’s important that you take the whole body of work into it by the time you get to June,” he said. “Can you help yourself at World Juniors, yes. But it is a U20 tournament, it’s generally difficult for draft-eligible players, so I try not to be overly critical of someone that maybe we’ve seen earlier and have really strong reports on, but maybe he struggled a bit or didn’t have the same impact.”

 

“Obviously, there are some that can compete there and do well and help themselves, but we need to stay focused on the whole year. We really can’t knock someone down or prop them up based on one tournament.”

 

That’s part of the reason why they felt comfortable placing Elias Pettersson as high on their list as they did. While Pettersson had an underwhelming 2017 World Junior tournament, his accomplishments in the Allsvenskan were enough for them to be convinced he belonged in the top tier of the draft.

 

“We really had him at the top of last year’s draft, we didn’t feel that there was any sort of cut-off or drop-off at him,” said Brackett. “We thought he belonged in the upper echelon.”

 

Based on how he’s performed since the draft, Brackett, Benning, and their team of scouts were absolutely right.

 

 

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Please continue discussion here:

http://forum.canucks.com/topic/393778-report-canucks-to-part-ways-with-judd-bracket/