Bob Frick : part two : the Scout & Coach.

This is the second part of a interview with Bob Frick.
He is the father of Matt Frick who plays in the Central Hockey League.


Bob how long did you Scout?
I started out scouting with the Compuware Tier II Junior "A" team. I served as the Director of Player Development and played an active role in our pre-draft meetings and sat at the draft table numerous times. With my son, Matt, playing prep school hockey back east and my knowledge of Eastern college hockey, I was a "natural" to become a bird dog for college programs. Colleges have limited resources and the NCAA recruiting rules restrict the number of times a coach can watch a player, so the bird dog fills in the blanks about a players character, any "issues", parent, brothers playing, etc. I was very active until Matt went to college to play (Lake Superior State) in 1997, but to this day may get a call from a coach back east to research a prospect.

I was recruited to scout for USA Hockey in the early stages before the National Development Program was established in Ann Arbor, MI, then migrated into working for junior "A" teams and doing independent scouting. A part of me scouts even today.

What do you look for in a skater and a Goalie?

I watch edges a lot. For a D-man I look to make sure they can pivot from front to back in both directions. I look at their confidence on their skates and how solid they are. For example, Mike York, the Michigan State player who has had a good NHL career played with Matt as an underage Mite. He was a year younger than the players he was playing with, but impossible to ride off the puck. He's the same way today. Also, at the end of our first practice we had a shootout. Mike tried four or five different moves, which was "special" for seven year old. BTW, the goalie he was shooting at was special too. At the start of the practice the head coach (I was one of the two assistants) asked me to warm up one of the goalies. I started by sliding pucks to the corners of the net. Remember, he's only eight years old. He immediately butterflied post to post!!!! His name was Brent Johnson, his dad was NHL goalie Bob Johnson and his grandfather the great Sid Abel. he's now backup tender for Washington. I don't do much goalie scouting, referring that to goalie guru's.

What three traits do you look for in a player?

Obviously, first is skills - skating, shot, etc.
Second is character - does he mix it up, does he shy away from contact, can you read his body language when the games on the line, I.e. is he standing up, ready to go and determine the outcome of the game?
Last is leadership qualities. When Matt was 12 and playing for what would become the Pee Wee National Championship Little Ceasars AAA team, a visiting coach went to one of Matt's practices at Melvindale Arena. He didn't know any player except Matt. He watched players file in, watched them interact at video games, watched "free time" on the ice before practice started, and watched the entire practice. At the end of the practice he told me, with one 100% accuracy, the team leaders, the players with "the heart of a hunter" and the kids that could cause problems. It amazed me as much then as it does today.

Would you have picked someone with natural talent or someone who has to work harder to play well?

Good question, and it all depends on the needs of the team I'm assembling. usually, your first picks are for your skill players, the gifted scorer, the playmakers, the offensive D-man, etc. As the depth chart is filled out, you look for the role players who will ultimately be the "glue" that holds a line or the team together. You can't have three undersized, super skilled center on the same line cuz nobody will go into the corner and get the puck.
Over the years, the most enjoyable players for me to coach have been the players who refuse to lose. As a coach, nothing can be more frustrating to lose a close game and know that one or more of your players didn't come to play. A cute example was what I did with a very talented Pee wee AA team that I coached and Brian played on. We had a strong nucleus of players with AAA, a great goalie, and were looking forward to a big season. In one of our first exhibition games, I knew we were in trouble in the locker room. my No. 1 D-man only had one skate, another player forgot his sticks, and the buzz was about everything except hockey. Not surprisingly, we got waxed. Later that weekend I was at a practice with Matt when I noticed a flyer looking for games with Midget A teams. The team was the Falcon's women's team!!! Perfect!!! The Falcon's also were a AAA club, so when I put out the announcement that we were playing the Falcons in an exhibition game, it didn't raise any eyebrows. However, when the players started showing up and looked at locker room assignments, they were shocked to see we were playing a girls team. Obviously, questions were flying.......can we check, can we take slap shots, should we be "nice"? They the "ladies" started filing in..... jeans & sweatshirt, tattoos, missing teeth, these weren't "typical" women. We had to work hard for a one goal win with our goalie being the difference. In the locker room afterwards I asked, "why do you think we played this team?" 'Ol one skate, our flaky defenseman immediately blurted out "you gotta come to play every night, no matter who you're playin' "...it carried over for the entire season.

With my last pick I always picked a player with "the heart of a hunter" or the preverbal late bloomer who can develop to go to the next level

Tell me about people that you scouted that went on to be professional.
Wow.....it's a pretty long list. I started my scouting career when my oldest son, Brian went to the Octoberfest as an eight year old Squirt Major with the Compuware AAA team. I had never been to a AAA tournament before, never been to a kids event in Canada (Kitchner) so it was all new for me. I know that Canada was the primary feeder of players to the NHL, so I said, if I'm going to be here, I might as well see how well I can pick future pros. The first team I watched was the Toronto Marlies. They had this big lug of a D-man who scored four or five goals and totally dominated the game. His head was down, he was a coast-to-coast one man band. I scouted him again at the holday tournament in Ottawa and his head was up and he had four or five assists. His name - Eric Lindros. (not a bad start, eh?). Brian played against Eric for several years.
Michael Peca was on several of those Toronto teams. I was with the Compuware Junior program when we had three 16 year old centers that became NHL players; Lindros, who refused to report to The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds when drafted in the OHL draft, Pat Peake, a local player who's career was ended by a shattered heal while playing for the Washington Caps, and Brian Rolston, another local player who grew up in the AAA ranks with Brian. Rolston played two years at lake State, scored the winning goal in the NCAA Championship game, and then joined the new Jersey Devils and won a Stanley Cup all in the same year!!!

I also watched/scouted Matt's opponents at the 1993 World Tournament in Quebec. They played Quebec in the finals and I watched Matt go one-one-one with Briere and face J. C. Giguerre!!!

I scouted Todd Marchant when he was with the Niagara Scenics and had an input to Clarkson, where he went before starting his NHL career.

From years and years of scouting, I have no better than a 50% batting average of predicting a players success. At age twelve you can see the skills, at age 15-16 you can see their capacity to handle the physical aspects, but so much is in their desire to sacrifice to max out their talents. A prime example is Brian Rafalski, who is Brian's age. he was never the top defenseman on youth teams, blossomed in college (Wisconsin) and still drew no NHL interest because of his size (5'7"???). He played several years in Europe until "discovered" by NJ Devils GM Lou Lammeriallo (sp?). He was at a game to watch another player and returned to the US beaming about his "discovery". Whe he told his scouts of his find, they chuckled and said, "Lou, we've been telling you about him for years". he has gone on to be Scott Stevens partner for years and now is with his home town team, the Detroit Red Wings.

You told me that you watch a game 2 ways. Can you give me the details of the differences?

I watch the game as a scout, sometimes taking notes, where I focus on a particular player or two. If on a scouting assignment, I might not even know the final score of the game. I watch the player in warm-ups, on the bench, in the penalty box, and see the game situations where he is used.
Then, I can watch the game as a parent or fan. I can focus on Matt, watch the other teams strategy and report to a coach, or just sit back and enjoy the game. At Red Wing games, I am the ultimate fan, watching both teams and hoping for a competitive and exciting game.
Winning a specific game never has been that important to me as a parent or a coach. Winning the right game is vital! I have pissed off parents of my team when I was coaching for applauding a good play by an opponent. Ultimately, I am a fan of good, hard, clean hockey.



HOCKEY RESUME: R. C. (BOB) FRICK
COACHING:

1984/86/88 AHAUS ASSOCIATE/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LEVEL CLINICS

1981-84 HEAD COACH - BIRMINGHAM & BLOOMFIELD HILLS HOUSE TEAMS

1984-85 HEAD COACH - BIRMINGHAM BEARS SQUIRT AA (STATE CHAMPIONS)

1985-86 HEAD COACH - COMPUWARE MITE AAA (MNHL)

1986-87 HEAD COACH - BIRMINGHAM BENGALS PEE WEE AA

1986-87 ASSISTANT COACH - GPD MITE AAA (MNHL)

1987-89 HEAD COACH - MICHIGAN TRAVELERS SQUIRT MAJOR AAA (MNHL)

1988-89 ASS’T COACH - WARREN BLUES BANTAM AA (NATIONAL CHAMPIONS)

1989-91 ASS’T COACH - WARREN BLUES MIDGET AA (STATE CHAMPIONS)

ADMINISTRATION, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, & SCOUTING:

1982 - PRESENT PRESIDENT - BLOOMFIELD HILLS HOCKEY ASSOCIATION (BHHA)

1984-85 VICE PRESIDENT - BIRMINGHAM HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

1985-88 TRAVEL HOCKEY DIRECTOR - BIRMINGHAM HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

1985-90 DIRECTOR - MICHIGAN TRAVELERS HOCKEY CLUB (MNHL)

1988-93 DIRECTOR - PLAYER DEVELOPMENT - COMPUWARE TIER II JR “A” (NAHL)

1992 -93 CO-MANAGER - LITTLE CAESARS BANTAM MAJOR AAA (MNHL)

1993-95 COLLEGE LIAISON - MICHIGAN NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE (MNHL)

1994-1997 REGION SCOUT - USA HOCKEY PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

1995-1997 DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT - SAGINAW GEARS & GAYLORD GRIZZLIES, TIER II JUNIOR “A” (NAHL)

1997-1998 SCOUT - WATERLOO BLACKHAWKS JUNIOR “A” CLUB (USHL)

1990-PRESENT INDEPENDENT SCOUT - ”BIRD DOG” - NUMEROUS COLLEGE programs