Secret Scout

(Photo Credit: Per Eliasson Foto) Ed. Note: With the 2019 NHL Draft just hours away, all of my posts in the month of June will be focused on  unranked yet intriguing prospects eligible to be selected in Vancouver later this month. Travelling from the west to east coasts, our journey to find the best unranked prospects finished its North American leg in Illinois with goaltender Dylan Kruss . Crossing the ocean, we arrive in Europe and a country known for producing at least one superstar talent every generation -- and not only in the first round of the NHL Draft. With its massive land mass and thus gargantuan pool of talent- from the top-tier Swedish Hockey League all the way down to a never-ending series of relegation circuits- despite the best efforts of NHL scouts, Sweden manages to surprise almost every year with a late-round find that defies the odds to become a productive pro. My nominee for this year's Swedish Surprise is a strapping forward from one of the na

(Photo Credit: A1 Hockey Advancements/Instagram) Ed. Note: With the 2019 NHL Draft just days away, all of my posts in the month of June will be focused on  unranked yet intriguing prospects eligible to be selected in Vancouver later this month. Heading from New England to Illinois on our roadtrip through some of hockey's less-travelled locales, we land at yet another prep school off the beaten path. Today's featured prospect is notable not just for his accomplishments on the ice, but also his ties to a people who have have been well-represented in the NHL throughout history -- and for whom he will hope to one day carry on a proud if largely unknown tradition. 

(Photo Credit: Facebook) Ed. Note: With the 2019 NHL Draft just days away, all of my posts in the month of June will be focused on  unranked yet intriguing prospects eligible to be selected in Vancouver later this month. Easing our way eastward in the hunt for under-scouted prospects, we head to New England and a little-scouted prep school that is home to a hulking forward... well, depending on the sport you're referring to, that is. Today's prospect of note is the definition of a multi-sport athlete -- and the textbook example of a sleeper with enormous potential. 

(Photo Credit: BP Sports Niagara) Ed. Note: With the 2019 NHL Draft just weeks away, all of my posts in the month of June will be focused on  unranked yet intriguing prospects eligible to be selected in Vancouver later this month. Jumping from British Columbia to Ontario in our hunt for under-the-radar draft eligibles, just one year ago, high-scoring center Jacob Roach was ready to quit hockey. What brought him back from the brink, and what makes him a potential sleeper for this year's draft? Read on to find out. 

(Photo Credit: The Coeur d'Alene Press) Ed. Note: With the 2019 NHL Draft just weeks away, all of my posts in the month of June will be focused on  unranked yet intriguing  prospects eligible to be selected in Vancouver later this month. Hi, I'm Secret Scout. Each year, NHL teams compile hours of video, reams of in-person reports and spreadsheet upon spreadsheet of analytics to identify which teenagers have the best chance of one day playing at the highest level. However, the hockey world has simply grown too large to categorize all players of note in every league that exists. My mission is to highlight the most intriguing draft-eligible prospects you've likely never heard of while hopefully widening your view of the hockey world along the way. First up is a player, who- if nicknames were indicative of future success- would be a lock to make the NHL. That player is  Bear Hughes of the KIJHL. Who? Where? Let's find out after the jump.