Pouliot Displays Precocious Talent As Golden Knights Scout

Raphael Pouliot estimates he saw 180 hockey games last season which, unbelievably, was a down year for the Vegas Golden Knights' amateur scout.
"When I was scouting for a junior team, you would watch bantam and midget games and if you were at a tournament you might watch three or four games in one day," said Pouliot, who covers the Quebec Major Junior League for the Golden Knights. "I've been passionate about playing and watching hockey my whole life. So that number may seem big to some people but to me it's what I have always done."
Pouliot's father, Mario, is head coach of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, but when he coached the midget team in Saint-Hyacinthe (about 40 miles outside Montreal) he employed his son as a Mr. Everything.

"I was just a kid but my dad would take me to his training camp and have me give my input on who to cut and who to keep," said Pouliot. "My dad taught me so much about hockey and we still talk almost daily and it's often about the game. I owe a lot to him and value his opinion."
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Pouliot is just 26 and only a few years removed from his playing career. He spent four years in the QMJHL before moving on to the University of Moncton.
"While I was in Moncton I started to scout for Rouyn-Noranda (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL). I was 21 and getting my start in hockey as a career," he said. "It was kind of a hobby but then I left Moncton and joined Rouyn-Noranda as their head scout. I organized the plan and the schedule and made sure we were seeing all of the players in Quebec and the Maritimes."
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The move to the Golden Knights and the NHL has been an education for Pouliot.

"Working with Scott (Luce) and Bobby (Lowes) has taught me so much. They run our amateur scouting and they have a detailed plan and are very organized," said Pouliot.
Every scout has a list of things they look for and Pouliot, despite being so young, says it comes down to hard work and instinct.
"You watch as much as you can to cover the on-ice aspect of a player and then you dig and you dig to make sure you're covered off on the off-ice part," said Pouliot. "You want a player who competes and shows up every night. You want hockey smarts - players who know the game. And then you want speed and skill. There are lots of boxes to check off. Finally it comes down to your gut. You try to predict a player's progression but the hardest question to answer is whether what they can do in junior will translate to the pro game and the NHL. At some point, you really just have to go with your gut."