Meet the Scouts: Stephane LeBlanc

As a hockey fan, the thing you see every year is the glitz and glamour of the NHL Draft. Every NHL team coming together for two days in the hopes of selecting the next generational talents and young prospects to add to their system. You see the names being called, you see the players walk on stage, you see the hockey operations group get excited round after round.

What you don't see is the work that goes into this day for 363 days prior from the hockey staff, specifically the scouts a team employs. They are the personnel who help unearth prospective talent for a team's pipeline and help the organization with their decisions at the table.

This year we're giving you a look behind the curtain to one of the most important jobs in hockey as SJSharks.com sat down with the Sharks' Director of CHL Scouting, Stephane LeBlanc to learn more about what it takes to be a scout, his career path, and what things the Sharks are looking for in building the future of the franchise.

Note: Quotes are shortened for clarity and understanding for the use of this article

What got you interested in becoming a Scout?

First of all, I grew up playing all kinds of sports and hockey was one of them. However, my first job, I guess my first career, was as a physical education teacher. When I started teaching, I started coaching the hockey team and I just really got interested in that side of the game. [Through coaching] that's how I started getting my contacts in hockey and that's when I got to do teaching hockey and evaluating hockey. The evaluating came naturally to me so something like scouting was always something that I kind of had an interest in and was working towards. I also loved the NHL Draft and knew that I would like to do that one day, and see if I can pick out future players.

What has your career path been like?

[During the time I was coaching], one day a guy that I knew from Hockey Canada called me. He was working for the St. John's Sea Dogs. He said that they were in need of a scout for the Sea Dogs and asked if I would like to do it. Of course, I said yes and that it was actually perfect timing. I was ready to try [scouting]. So I gave that a go and I loved it immediately. I worked with some tremendous people there in St. John. And we had some good success with the Sea Dogs. And when teams have success, opportunities come from it. After that, I got a chance to be a part-time scout with the Columbus Blue Jackets. What that meant was for three years I did that and still was teaching. I was covering "The Q" [QMJHL] and teaching which that was three really hard years. I couldn't dedicate all my time and my mind to hockey. It was tough doing both and separating myself from both. But when I got the opportunity to just do hockey [after a few years] that was great. So I ended up staying for four to five years with them full-time and then I got this opportunity with Chris [Morehouse] here at the Sharks!

What is the best part about your job or your favorite part of your job?

The draft. The draft is by far [my favorite] because we work for like 11 months to get to pick some players for this moment. That's our motivation when we got to get in the car or get in the plane when we don't feel like it, it's like, hey, you know, this might be the guy that we pick and turns our team around. So that's kind of what gets you out the door, you're full of hope and everybody's happy. It's a fun day for the players and their families, it's a fun day for us and our families. So yeah, that's the best part of the year, a magical day for a lot of people.

For you, what's the biggest difference between pro scouting and junior scouting?

They [the juniors] have a way better chance to play because there's going to be room all the time. There are going to be six guys every year that leave and leave an opportunity open. You got to look at the player closer because there are some flaws that might stop them completely from playing because you always got to take somebody's job and junior jobs become available. But you can have a guy who's excellent in junior, but will never play in the NHL.

Are there any parameters you look for in the junior players?

There's always guys that they're close enough that, you know, they're going to play. But the guys that need to develop are the guys where I think you really got to look at the character of the player, the work ethic, and how smart the player is. This person's going to have to figure out stuff and do a lot of work. So if you're dealing with a person who's got a low work ethic and you're not sure is totally dedicated to becoming a player, maybe you are going to go with somebody who's a little less talented but has more drive because you know, this person will overcome the weaknesses in his game that the other guy might not. So I think the character and the work ethic of the player and the dedication to become a player is big. The development phase is so important. It's not necessarily always just like who they are. Because it's so hard to make it and guys have so much to improve that if they don't have that they're going to get lost along the way

But that's one of the only indicators you have because your crystal ball doesn't always work .

For you specifically when you're scouting, is there anything else that you really try to pay attention to in a player?

I think the body language is a big one. You can tell a lot by the body language. You know, how confident a kid is. Does he play for his team or does he play for himself? Sometimes they're not things you can necessarily write in a report, and express, but it's a feeling you have. You get a lot of the player's personality by watching his body language in the game. And it's something I think players don't realize that we watch as much as we do. The way the player carries himself […] it really tells a lot about the player and is that a person I want to take on my team by their personality because, at the end of the day, these people have to get along. We try to pick good people and a lot of times, body language will tell you who the good people are.

Scouts live all over and sometimes it's based on the territory they cover, sometimes not. Where do you live and what does your role oversee?

So I am in DF New Brunswick, which is just next to Moncton. The Moncton Wildcats play out there. So I do have a home game that I can go to. My main territory is the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and there are five or six teams that I can drive to. I also am able to fly to Montreal or Toronto to cover the rest of the CHL. So a lot of time on the plane.

What's been your favorite city to scout in if you have one?

Mmm, I'm gonna give a plug to where I'm from, Halifax, Nova Scotia. I work in the CHL and the city where the rink is and the fans, that to me, that's my favorite spot. If somebody wants to go spend a weekend in a CHL city, I'd send them to Halifax.

What's your best piece of advice for kids who want to be a scout?

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