Quote Originally Posted by agentzero View Post
This is the most useful thread I have seen in a while. Many wouldn't admit it but they could learn from a lot of the posts here. It really comes down to watching a lot of hockey. A lot of Junior hockey or minor pro hockey (AHL). Going on scouting reports, see if you can identify what the scouts are talking about when looking at a player. Is he the catalyst on offense or is he fed his opportunities? Is he Johnny on the Spot all the time? Does he drift? Is he more physically imposing, faster? (watch out for natural development curves though... i.e. if a 17 yr old is faster or stronger than the 20 yr olds against whom he is playing, awesome. If the 20 yr old is faster than everyone, less awesome... but it gets more complicated with elite prospects since they are better, faster stronger anyway... but look for what scouts are saying and see if you can spot the same, or something different, after several viewings... Trust the experts but look for inconsistencies in reporting.. Dobber's prospect guide is good for this since it gives you the top 50 prospsects but also where a bunch of different writers ranked them.. Reading their work regularly will tell you why they ranked a player at a certain spot etc...

Stuff like that but as CJD said, watch, read, watch, read, watch, watch, read, read...
Yeah, this thread has been very helpful to me. Thanks everyone for the advice.