It doesnt show you him coming on the ice, it doesnt show you him going off the ice, his interactions with his teammates, maybe with a coach, something that happens after the whistle. So we had quite a few live viewings of Lambos there. What stands out for me is he was an 18-year-old player in the SHL, and he was an important part of the Djurgrden team. Pierre Gauthier, who is now the Blackhawks player personnel director, hired Kelley with the Nordiques. Tags: It just comes naturally.. (Top photo of Nicolas Beaudin, center, with team representatives after being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft: Jerome Miron / USA Today). Like, I have a 23-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old at home, and its like kids are dumb sometimes. Jack is proud of the person Kelley has become on and off the ice. What you need to know: Kelley, 19, recorded five points (three goals, two assists) in 25 games this season as a freshman for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. What stands out in Connors game is he plays fast. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. On the way home from the 2006 draft, Kelley happened to run into Dale Tallon, the Blackhawks general manager at the time, at the airport. What he did in Edmonton, the numbers are (incredible) he lost one game. We have to deal with the salary cap. But now, the staff will be regionalized with only a few people, including Doneghey, crossing over. He was born in Maine, raised in Massachusetts, captained his Princeton hockey team and is the son of former Boston University and New England Whalers head coach Jack Kelley. Scott Powers is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Brother: David Kelley, Player profile of Mark Kelley also available, You need to have EP Premium Career Mark Kelley joined Chicago Blackhawks in 2006. - Verification Badge on your profile, Post a comment/trivia/testimonial in English, Chicago Blackhawks The other two candidates are likely WHL centers Kirby Dach of Saskatoon and Dylan Cozens of Lethbridge, who are ranked Nos. What stands out is hes equally adept offensively and defensively. Hes had quite a bit of exposure with the national team, and then to watch what he did this year as an 18-year-old in the SHL was impressive. Date of Birth Jun 20, 1958 Place of Birth Waterville, ME, USA Age 64 Nation USA Highlights 1 Father: Jack Kelley Uncle: Paul Kelley Brother: David Kelley Player profile of Mark Kelley also available Team Staff History Use/Embed statistics Default Per Game Average Coaches Played For Player Statistics Regular Season + Postseason Filter Leagues Mark Lazerus is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Blackhawks. A lot of skill. He really caught my eye early in the year because I thought he really made a jump from the end of last year to puck drop this year. After the shock of the draft lottery in early April, Kelley cancelled a European scouting trip to watch the WHL playoffs, which gives a clue to some of the top targets: Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach and Peyton Krebs, plus Americans such as Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras and Cole Caufield. Hes a puck-mover, creates offense, hes a dynamo on the point. I find the value in (the change in) like the Isaak Phillips, (Louis) Crevier (draft) years, Doneghey said. Previously, he covered the Blackhawks and the White Sox for ESPN Chicago. The philosophy didnt prove true, at least in the Blackhawks drafting, and they had chased it for too long. There are certain things the camera doesnt show you. Not that confidence is a big issue with me anyways. Only one of them has made it to the NHL, and Kent Simpson (the second-rounder in 2010) lasted all of one period in mop-up duty of a blowout loss in Toronto during the 2013-14 season. Reichel, their 2020 first-round pick, has also shown signs of being a top-six center or wing. His dad knew hockey. Doneghey was with Bridgewater when he lucked upon a part-time scouting position with the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season. That just gets your attention right there. As much as the responsibility and accountability fall on Davidson, he has entrusted others to help make those decisions. We have a great relationship, Kelley said. I forget who said it, but some GM said, the only way to hit on more players is to have more picks, Doneghey said. He was tuning out scouts in some regions. Drafting is an inexact science, and it is difficult to pin any draft success or failure on one person, given how scouting for an NHL team is very much a team process. Most recently in the AHL with Binghamton Whalers. If youre wondering, yes, last years interminable second day of the NHL draft was every bit as boring for those drafting as for those of us watching. Very smart player with a really good skill set. But what you find with goaltenders is once the first one goes, theres probably going to be a run (of goalies taken) at every one of those tiers. What was most impressive about Sillinger was how quickly he assimilated into the Sioux Falls team. It is what it is. Quite frankly, Im very comfortable picking late 20s, early 30s, you know. Really good two-way center. I dont think you realize how much and the type of knowledge youre building. Theres a lot of simple rewards guys who have played and been very successful but the holy grail is the Stanley Cup, Kelley said. He plays with a lot of speed, a lot of power, and really has a presence going up the ice. I think we go into every draft with goaltenders that we would like to target at certain times. Get Email Address. He started out with a few areas to scout, then it expanded to where he was contributing more to the Blackhawks draft lists. Mark Kelley (right) had been the Hawks longtime amateur scouting director. 51. Asked about that trend following the 2021 draft, Kelley said: I think youre always looking to get size. The most skilled guy at the program. He saw how his dad addressed the team in the locker room. His numbers in the J20 (league) in Sweden (13 points in 11 games) speak for themselves. We have to deal with the draft selection. But we had a great sample size on him for two years. Weve been watching him. You can get a taste, but the live viewing is very important, Kelley said. Its easier to move up in the twenties, Kelley said. As one league source said: I find it hard to evaluate scouting people from the outside. Hes 89. I think the phones are going to be going crazy.. Davidson also liked how Doneghey can gather information from his scouting group and present it. Try a week on us. Complete player biography and stats. In Flint, hes shown a great skill set, the ability to run numbers. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports). He had a health issue that he had to address, hes addressed it. 11 votes, 11 comments. I like putting teams together. Hes discovered some talent deep in the draft, too. He is responsible at both ends of the ice. But no, because the amount of information and work that our scouts put into it and the relationship that Ive had Ive worked with these guys, so Ive known what theyve been able to do. Kelley coached at Colby for a few seasons, joined the Quebec Nordiques as a part-time scout and then was promoted to a full-time scout. Don't miss out on the latest news. Blackhawks' front-office changes begin with departures of Mark Kelley, Ryan Stewart Kelley, the Hawks' longtime scouting director, and Stewart, one of their two remaining assistant GMs, are gone as new GM Kyle Davidson begins restructuring the organization. As for Kelley, as VP of Amateur Scouting for the past fifteen years he also had a significant role in the team's cultivation of young talent. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. W There was a massive territorial bias. He played in Jyvskyl, which is the hometown of Mikko Luoma, our Finnish scout. But lets say this, hes as good a goaltender that theres been in the last few years. Try a week on us. I dont want to draft any higher than 18. If you watch some of his games, some of the highlights, you can see he really can think the game at a different level. Mark Kelley joins Charlie Roumeliotis as they discuss the Blackhawks\u2019 2020 draft board, how they have scouted players and Mark's thoughts on the incoming class. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update staff stats. They can be dominating a league, but you have to look beyond and ask are they dominating it just because maybe theyve been on that team for a few years and maybe theyre bigger than everybody. Its been a little interesting for him because he missed the early part of the year with a knee injury, rehabilitated it, came back, and when he came back, all he did was put the puck in the net. Their departures which came three days after Davidson was named permanent GM pave the way for Davidson to overhaul the people and perspectives that form his inner circle and foreshadow more departures. So weve had a good dose of him internationally. Mark was more profound in seeking out information and what have you.. I do think I have a good perspective on players and an eye for talent, especially at the amateur level, which is where I grew up watching hockey, Davidson said. This year, organizers expect that number to be surpassed. - Improve your search rank Once the expansion draft is over, I expect Stan (Bowmans) phone to be going off. He encouraged me and I called every one of the recruits, explaining the situation from myself, who was playing there, my father. He told me I should contact them all and tell them they should still go to Colby, Kelley said. The price would be, in our case, prohibitive, I think.. Mark served as Amateur Scout at Chicago Blackhawks. Really, really good with the puck. A two-way player that has a good skill set., 2019-20 stats: 11 goals, 29 assists in 64 games, Kelleys take: Kirby (Dach) would be very familiar with him, because he went up against him quite a bit. They take time in development. Edmonton lost Guenther for the under-18s, and I dont want to say they didnt miss him, because of course they did, but Cossa, he stayed the course. Mark Kelley, the teams vice president of amateur scouting, met with reporters Friday at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo and said the team has narrowed down its list to six players. Get Full Access To Mark's Info. It tends to be an even crappier shoot when it comes to goalies. Try a week on us. That was the answer numerous league sources gave as to why recently named Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson needed to part ways with vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley on Friday. Even when I was at Bridgewater, I was able to put teams together, make trades, pick players up, go out scouting and watch younger players, so Ive always liked the scouting aspect of it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. I think, also, the way this draft was, there was some really good size on the back end. Davidson had a clear picture of how Doneghey might run a scouting staff if given the opportunity. He had a say in a lot of the draft picks, especially the first-rounders, and he was on board with the organizations philosophies. Share . A lot of great speed coming down the wing, can really shoot the puck. But it goes deeper. Later on, Kelley even played a season for his father at Colby College. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Hes German but his dad is from the Czech Republic. In the middle 10, well, its not so clear. And about 10 or 15 games in, he was a go-to guy. Weve had a lot of conversations. I guess, in fairness to answer your question, size was attractive to us.. Its funny, the first three guys youve asked, were very familiar with from the last few years., 2019-20 stats: Seven goals, 35 assists in 60 games, Kelleys take: Another one weve been watching for a while. Mikes a super passionate guy, Davidson said. Hes very, very sharp. 6 NA), Right wing Cole Caufield of NTDP/Wisconsin commit (No. 39, chief scout Mark Kelley and general manager Stan Bowman who have learned over the years that size isn't everything pounced on. Other first round picks include Phillip Danault in 2011, Teuvo Teravainen in 2012, Ryan Hartman in 2013, and Nick Schmaltz in 2014. Other first round picks include Phillip Danault in 2011, Teuvo Teravainen in 2012, Ryan Hartman in 2013, and Nick Schmaltz in 2014. That is true. I dont look at it as a challenge, Kelley said. He followed up with a really good under-18 tournament (four goals, three assists in seven games), winning a gold medal. Hes played both center and wing, so theres an attraction there. I would say from probably about November on, Im not sure anyone had a better year in the CHL. Sep 22, 2020. Mark Kelley joins Charlie Roumeliotis as they discuss the Blackhawks' 2020 draft board, how they have scouted players and Mark's thoughts on the incoming class. He has a presence on the ice and he has a presence in the locker room. There is, of course, one other question: Would the Blackhawks who have very few high-end forward prospects in the pipeline dare take another first-round defenseman, given the logjam they have at the position after spending five of their last six first- and second-round picks on blue-liners? In those drafts, Chicago has chosen just 12 goaltenders four in the seventh round, four in the sixth round, one in the fourth . Jacks other sons, David and Paul, also liked hockey, but there was something different with Kelley. Bowman trusts Kelley and Kelley trusts his staff of 13 scouts. Perry believes the time to say goodbye is now, especially with every founding band member over the age of 70. Hes one of those offensive defensemen with great ability to create offense. His coaches like him and hes engaged down the middle. He was with his dad after wins and losses. Those are Cy Young numbers. This years draft has one of those goalies: 18-year-old Russian phenom Yaroslav Askarov. NHL Draft Fan Q&A: Mark Kelley | NHL.com The latest news, analysis and stories from NHL.com, the official site of the National Hockey League The latest news, analysis and stories from. Kelley is especially proud of drafting players who helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. He then got into college coaching and was everything from a volunteer coach to a head coach at various levels. Hes very easy to find when hes on the ice. His game stands out at both ends of the ice., 2019-20 stats: 10 goals, 12 assists in 17 games at lower-tier MHL; no goals, two assists in 21 KHL games, Kelleys take: We watched him quite a bit the year before because he was playing on that under-18 team that lost to Sweden in the finals over in Sweden. He made the call on selecting Phillip Danault, Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen and Alex DeBrincat, among others. Weve been together for a lot of years now. Although highly successful head European scout Mats Hallin presumably remains with the team, Kelleys exit translates into a harsh review of the Hawks recent draft classes, which have been hit-or-miss in the first and second rounds and mostly fruitless in later rounds. So far with Bowman as general manager, 17 of Kelleys 62 drafted players have made it to the NHL. For Doneghey, he also understands exactly what Davidson wants in his players. Doneghey grew up in West Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, and still carries his native Boston accent. -- Hawks VP of amateur scouting Mark Kelley Forward Colton Dach, 18 Taken: Second round, 62nd overall; Height, weight: 6-4, 196 Skinny: Younger brother of current Blackhawks center, Kirby. Mike Donaghey will oversee the amateur scouting on an interim basis. Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkLazerus. With the unprecedented way this year has impacted the NHL, teams are getting creative with how they prepare for offseason activities including the NHL Draft. Doneghey thought that led to scouts having limited opinions on many players. Email. He was rarely traveling to view prospects in certain regions. Its a good thing Ill be there to get him live because its going to be hard to get him. Copyright 1999-2020 Chicago Blackhawk Hockey Team, Inc. and the National Hockey League. Just about every game is streaming somewhere, and its not hard to get video from any game around the world. Its easy to find when hes playing. They selected Chad Krys (second round) in 2016, Henri Jokiharju (first round) and Ian Mitchell (second round) in 2017, and Adam Boqvist (first round) and Nicolas Beaudin (first round) in 2018. Oct 7, 2020. If you look at the NHL and look at whos playing in net for what teams, its not a high number that were drafted by those teams.. But getting into scouting in the NHL, if you didnt play I always tell people, it was like trying to get season tickets at Fenway Park, like someone had to die if you want to move on. Good mobility, nice player., 2019-20 stats: Eight goals, nine assists in 35 games, Kelleys take: Playing at Wisconsin, right up the road, were very familiar with him. With the trade deadline arguably the most important time for pro -scouting just over two weeks away and the draft about four months off, the Hawks will need to pivot quickly in both regards. Ahead of his first draft as the director of amateur scouting, he has some some extra excitement, too. Hes 6-foot-6, maybe more. I guess what the challenge is for the staff, for us to do our jobs and come up with something in those picks that we think can impact the Blackhawks.. Tyler, 75, is the oldest in the group. Thankfully, I knew Ronnie Anderson, who I played for at Merrimack, worked for the Blackhawks, and he was transitioning to his new role, so they were looking for a part-time guy in New England.. The leagues first virtual draft ran smoothly enough in the first round, but with breaks for TV commercials and a double-confirmation system for each pick (one by phone and one online) and with staffs not hustling to get done in time to hop a Saturday afternoon flight home rounds 2-7 took forever. And so over time, it does get easier. He spent six seasons on the Blackhawks beat for the Chicago Sun-Times after covering Notre Dame's run to the. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. They took five defensemen who were 6-foot or under in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft from 2016 to 2018. Hell, even Crawford took more than seven years to become an NHL regular. They really went with four- and five-man units.. His (uncle Robert) had quite a long career in the NHL, so he comes from a very good family line. But scouting director Mark Kelley is confident as the Hawks make their final preparations for the first round Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2) and second through seventh rounds Saturday (10 a.m., NHL Network). Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. If you went in and said you want a goaltender, a forward, a center, or a defenseman and the fits not there well, I think you really have to get value with your pick. Previously, the staff had its own regions, but there was a lot of crossing over. On his way out, Jack passed onto his son the list of incoming recruits. He can get them the puck. Like those type of players in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round that the regional scout just knows those players so well that theyre adamant that this is the guy that we got to take. After 15 seasons of being with the Blackhawks organization and winning three Stanley Cups, VP of amateur scouting Mark Kelley was let go today. Unfortunately for Chaz, he had an illness not COVID-19 and was unable to play (in the U-18 Worlds) in Texas. I saw a lot of pro hockey there, so it was an exercise for me, Doneghey said. 268 votes, 62 comments. You know, once a coach is always a coach., (Top image: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images). Like, oh, I remember so and so did that and hes doing this in the NHL and their game equates. Hell feel even better once the expansion draft is out of the way and things really get cooking. Export. Alec Regula, Isaak Phillips and Jakub Galvas have been getting more NHL games than Beaudin and Mitchell of late. He was part of the scouting process in helping the Blackhawks identify players like Kevin Hayes, Alex DeBrincat, Phillip Danault and Brandon Saad. He inquired about players, what his father looked for in them and how they were different. The other ironic part of it was they had a gentleman who had been scouting there. Any time youre calling someone a franchise goalie, its pretty lofty, Kelley said. The advantage for us there is we got to see theres more to his game than just the offense weve seen when hes playing with the U-18 national team. He was a little bit under-appreciated coming into this year, but that changed very, very quickly because every time you went to see Chicago play, he was just a huge part of the success. Played for Drummondville and then was traded to Chicoutimi. Before that, he was the sports editor of the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana. But youre still dealing with 17-year-olds. Mark Kelley joins Charlie Roumeliotis as they discuss the Blackhawks' 2020 draft board, how they have scouted players and Mark's thoughts on the incoming class. When Im watching young kids play, certain young kids just pick up things and understand things. Thats why the live viewings are so important.. He called me back and he gave me the job. This draft wont affect our team next year. 17 (a byproduct of the qualifying-series victory over the Edmonton Oilers), but Kelley and his staff certainly have had their eyes on him. The other kids were enjoying the game, playing the game. Now I go in and Im running this staff, and its like, hey, a lot of times what we think they are, theyre really not. Back then on the big ice surface, they played a lot more of a possession game. 07:23. When we watch the league, how its going now, the big defenders are having a lot of success or I should say the teams that have the big defenders are having a lot of success. In those drafts, Chicago has chosen just 12 goaltenders four in the seventh round, four in the sixth round, one in the fourth round, two in the third round, and one in the second round. He was always asking the kind of questions with a little more probing than the other kids were. (NHL Draft Guide 2021: From ranking the prospects to mock drafts, heres everything you need to know.). Hes complementary in that his skill set goes very well with skilled wingers. In addition to those reasons, one league source thought Kelley wasnt as thorough in recent years as he was in the past. They think he probably just wont produce at a high rate. m***@chicagoblackhawks.com. But I thought there was significant growth in his game. The Canadian scouts got to see the QMJHL and WHL kids (the OHL didnt play a season). But its hard to do. The Swedish scouts scouted the Swedish league; Mikko Luoma had Finland covered; Andrei Nikolishin handled the Russian players; and Karel Pavlik took Slovakia, the Czech Republic and even snuck into Germany, as Kelley put it. All those experiences added up. He drives the offense and he competes so hard away from the puck. Jack knew a whole lot about hockey. One person suggested it could take as little as five years and as many as 10. Hes been mainly in amateur scouting. So Kyle wants speed, he wants to play fast down the middle, he wants to play direct, wants to be bigger. When youre an assistant coach in college hockey, thats all they do, Doneghey said. Kelley had overseen the Blackhawks amateur scouting and drafting since 2008. I was told I cant say anything to you. - Ability to add additional data to your career profile: Videos, Images, Social Media, Referrals, Fitness Testing Results and much more! It gave them a first-round talent in a draft in which they didn't have a first-round pick. I grew up watching OHL hockey and junior hockey, and I think thats a really good perspective in terms of seeing players at that age progressing on to NHL careers or not progressing on to NHL careers and why not, that kind of stuff..