This week I have Leland Mack on the podcast. Leland is a scout with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL as well as a coach with BWC Academy in BC.
We start off into an extremely important topic right off the jump. Developing multi sport athletes from a young age. Understanding from both an athlete and parent perspective how playing multiple sports can really help a kid develop as an overall athlete and as a human. There is a lot of great info in here for parents looking to support their kids.
Talking to Leland about what he looks for when scouting really spoke to me. Yes, talent and their attributed on the ice are important, however the focus on body language really stuck out to me. How do they react to adversity and just how are they as people. Being a great teammate will always help you move higher in the draft.
Another extremely important point from Leland when talking about his role scouting for the WHL is that scouts notice more than just stats. If you are a shutdown defence man, or play another "non flashy" type of role, the way to get looked at by the scouts is not to try to stand out by doing something spectacular. The way to really get the scouts watching you is to play your game. Play your game to the best of your abilities night in and night out. All kinds of players make it to the WHL and beyond, not just goals scorers. It can even be to your detriment to try to perform beyond your game, as it creates mistakes which in turn will more likely turn scouts away.
I chose this title for one specific reason. We will all face adversity. As Leland says in the interview, it is how you respond that matters. If you are looking for how you can improve, good things will always happen. If you are living in the world of excuses where everything is everyone else's fault, things are not going to change for you anytime soon.
Of course you can be upset when things don't go your way, but being able to get past it and being able to see the positive in your situation is extremely valuable.
Thank YOU for tuning in to another episode of The Elite Development Podcast! Please do me a huge favour and leave a rating / review for the show.
To get in contact with Leland, reach out;
Instagram: @lelandmack
Check out the full show here;
www.elitedevelopmentpodcast.ca
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E-mail me: kenny@coachdusseault.com
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