Subj : Red Wings Håkan Andersson From Fishing Guide to Scouting Guru
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Mon Dec 14 2020 04:40 am
A young Håkan Andersson was guiding fishing tours in the Baltic and North Seas
during his early twenties. His own playing career had finished before it got
started after suffering a knee injury prior to him turning 20. This negative
turned into good fortune as he soon thereafter found a scouting position with
the Detroit Red Wings.
The Stockholm native continued to scout and fish until 1990 when he was hired
as a full-time member of the Red Wings scouting staff at age 25. This would
prove to be a good hiring decision by then general manager, Jimmy Devellano.
Scouts like Detroit's Hakan Andersson can make all the difference in a
franchise's success:
http://t.co/6YI7tDjdqN pic.twitter.com/gimwnjVnso- SI NHL
(@SI_NHL) June 26, 2015
In the 30 years since Andersson was hired, he has become recognized as one of
the sharpest "eyes" in hockey. His identification talents have led to his
current appointment as Detroit';s Director of European Scouting.Uncovering
European Gems
It does not take long to find a correlation between the Red Wings'; success
with European, specifically Swedish, players during Andersson';s tenure. His
effect on the team traces back to the great Nicklas Lidström through to the
most recent premium Red Wings selection, Lucas Raymond. Time will tell what
kind of impact Raymond has in Detroit, but the list of European players
Andersson has factored into drafting is impressive:Draft
YearRoundPlayer19893Nicklas Lidström199410Tomas Holmström19986Pavel
Datsyuk19997Henrik Zetterberg20001Niklas Kronwall20022Jiří Hudler20022Tomáš
Fleischmann20023Valteri Flippula20029Jonathan Ericsson20043Johan
Franzén20084Gustav Nyquist20092Tomáš TatarNotable European draft picks while
Håkan Andersson has been with the Red Wings.
An amazing feature about this list is the fact that only one player was taken
in the first round. While the caliber of player on this list varies, they all
played more than 500 NHL games. Most importantly, this continuous draft
thievery took place as the Red Wings were collecting four Stanley Cups. This
meant the team was usually not "flush" with draft picks after using them to
bolster the team accordingly.Detroit Red Wings Henrik Zetterberg - Photo By
Andy Martin Jr
For example, the Red Wings'; first selection was not until the fourth round of
the 1999 NHL Entry Draft! This, of course, was a result of the back-to-back Red
Wing cup victories in 1997 and 1998. Despite their lack of selections, the
team was able to "steal" Henrik Zetterberg in the seventh round. In retrospect,
the native of Njurunda (Sweden) should have been a top-10 pick in 1999.
Similarly, the Red Wings were not scheduled to make their first selection in
2004 until the third round when they took "the Swedish Mule" - Johan Franzen.
In this case, the lack of early picks was the result of a third Stanley Cup in
2002, and last of the Steven Yzerman era. The Mule - Johan Franzen (THW
Archives)
One of the more memorable selections in Red Wings history took place in
Buffalo, New York, during the 1998 NHL Draft. Detroit did have a first-round
selection that year and took current Associate Director of Player Personnel,
Jiri Fischer. However, it was the team';s sixth-round selection that most
Detroit fans now distinctly recall. Of course, the team selected a young
Russian player named Pavel Datsyuk with the 171st-overall pick that year.
Andersson';s efforts in selecting the Russian superstar are now well
documented.
In effect, Detroit kept "stocking the cupboards" - even when they were lacking
premium draft picks. This obviously had a big impact on the Red Wings';
25-straight playoff appearances from 1990 through 2016. It was also a big
reason why the team was able to capture the 2008 Stanley Cup without longtime
captain Yzerman. All of these organizational feats were in part due to the
expertise and contributions of the now famous Håkan Andersson.Datsyuk hoisting
the Cup: A model for Kane and Toews (photo from Wiki-commons)
Amongst the scouting community, the Stockholm native has reached near folklore
status. It is rare for an individual scout to be recognized for his/her
accomplishments before they reach the top echelon of the NHL executive ranks.
Not so in Andersson';s case, as per the Sports Illustrated feature above.The
Next Chapter
It is exciting to think that at 55, Andersson is basically entering his talent
identification prime. Already a winner of four Cups with the Red Wings, he is
now helping general manager Yzerman build the next championship team.
My own take, and with no disrespect to former general manager Ken Holland, it
appears that the team continued to rely on Andersson as the mid- to late-round
specialist. Since Yzerman took over, the team';s two first draft selections -
Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider - are the first Red Wing picks selected from a
European professional team since Niklas Kronwall in 2000.
Most important to Red Wings scouting success: Hakan Andersson will be around
to find sleeper Swede draft picks for DET for 4 more years.- Helene St. James
(@HeleneStJames) July 6, 2013
Scouting is a difficult task under optimal circumstances and as challenging as
the craft is, it is an equally thankless job. Scouts spend countless hours
watching prospects 363 days a year (pre-COVID-19, of course) only to have a day
or two to prove their worth and value to the organization. Even then, a draft
selection can only really be labelled successful or not several years later.
The fact that this man has continuously trusted his "eye" and pushed for so
many underrated, but great players is a testament to his skill as an evaluator.
During his 30 years with the Red Wings, Andersson has become an instrumental
piece in the organizational puzzle. His recommendations and contributions have
made an indelible imprint within the team';s history. To think that this could
only be the mid point is yet another reason for Red Wing nation to be hopeful.
It might also make Andersson a future consideration for the builder category
within the Hockey of Hall of Fame - if he isn';t already.
For the Red Wings'; sake, let';s all hope Andersson is a first ballot "builder"
entry!
The post Red Wings'; Håkan Andersson - From Fishing Guide to Scouting Guru
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-Andersson-From-Fishing-Guide-to-Scouting-Guru/
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