CADIG combines experienced hockey evaluation with structured data, development context and historical outcomes. The goal is not to replace the scout's eye. It is to broaden where we look, sharpen what we ask, and create a repeatable framework for understanding what a player may become.
Find more players. Find them earlier. Understand them better.
Scouting naturally concentrates attention around known leagues, rankings and high-visibility players. CADIG's approach is to use regional scouting, video, data and historical development research to expand the search surface — then use experienced evaluation to determine which signals are real.
Pavel Datsyuk was drafted 171st overall after Detroit scout Håkan Andersson encountered him while scouting someone else. Nicklas Lidström was drafted 53rd before becoming one of the most accomplished defensemen ever. Those stories do not mean an algorithm can identify the next Hall of Famer. They illustrate why coverage, context, patience and independent conviction matter.
Current ability matters, but so do rate of improvement, role growth, physical development and adaptation to stronger competition.
Age, league, role, teammates, competition quality and opportunity shape what production means. Raw totals are not treated as equivalent across environments.
We ask how value is being created: skating, processing, decision speed, transition, off-puck detail, compete, puck skill and role execution.
Consensus is useful for orientation. Divergence between market ranking, scout opinion and model output is where additional viewing may create information advantage.
Relative age, physical maturity, role and exposure can create temporary advantages or hide future upside. We separate current performance from remaining growth.
Models surface patterns; scouts interpret behavior, habits, translatability and context. Neither layer is treated as complete on its own.
A grade without confidence is incomplete. CADIG records viewing context, sample limitations and projection risk rather than presenting false precision.
Every projection eventually becomes an outcome. CADIG's long-term edge should come from tracking what scouts and models got right, what they missed and why.
Live/video evaluation, role, traits, game context and scout notes.
Age, league strength, production, usage, team environment and competition.
Historical outcomes, same-age peers, rankings, league cohorts and comparable pathways.
Current value, future value, development velocity, translation, role ceiling and risk.
Update the player record as role, performance and competition change.
Compare projection with later outcomes and recalibrate scout/model assumptions.
| Dimension | What we evaluate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Skating | Acceleration, edges, pace, mobility, recovery | Can the player's game survive faster levels? |
| Hockey IQ / Processing | Reads, anticipation, pressure decisions, scanning | Decision speed often determines translation. |
| Puck Skill | Handling, passing, receiving, deception, protection | Shows ability to maintain options under pressure. |
| Offense / Creation | Chance creation, entries, scoring mechanisms, playmaking | Separates production totals from repeatable offensive tools. |
| Defense / Off-puck | Positioning, retrievals, gaps, tracking, support | Measures value when the player does not have the puck. |
| Compete / Role | Puck battles, consistency, role execution, response to adversity | Helps determine trust and utility at higher levels. |
| Development Velocity | Rate of improvement across seasons and competition levels | Captures direction, not simply current status. |
| Translation / Risk | League context, physical projection, uncertainty, role dependence | Converts a scouting grade into a decision-ready projection. |
What can the player reliably do today against current competition?
SCOUTING GRADEROLEPRODUCTIONHow quickly is the player improving, and what evidence supports continued growth?
AGE CURVED-1 → D+2ROLE GROWTHHow likely are the player's strengths to survive stronger pace, structure and physical pressure?
LEAGUE CONTEXTTRANSITIONCOMPARABLESHow much uncertainty remains because of sample, role, competition, physical projection or conflicting evidence?
CONFIDENCEVARIANCERE-SCOUTThis is the conceptual structure behind CADIG's PVI / projected-value work. It is not presented as NHL WAR and should only become a numerical model where inputs are standardized and validated.
NHL Central Scouting explicitly considers scouting history, development and NHL projection, and noted significant ranking movement as players advanced during the season.
NHL teams compare Central Scouting rankings with internal lists because disagreement can sharpen evaluation and challenge scouts and analytics groups.
NHL EDGE was built around tracking information such as speed, distance, shot location and zone time — information traditional box-score statistics cannot fully describe.
A 2025 study of 10,485 NHL draftees found persistent relative-age effects and evidence that relatively younger drafted players can show stronger career trajectories.
Recent NHL draft forecasting research incorporates industry rankings and has built on prior work using player information and statistics, reinforcing the value of integrated evidence.
Pavel Datsyuk was selected 171st in 1998; Detroit notes that Håkan Andersson originally encountered him while scouting another player. Nicklas Lidström went 53rd in 1989 before becoming one of hockey's most decorated defensemen.
Regional scouts with hockey backgrounds and individual evaluation methodologies.
Structured data, cross-league context, development curves, historical outcomes and analytical research.
Track our projections, compare them with outcomes and improve the system over time.
The methodology explains how CADIG evaluates hockey players. The Strategy Blueprint goes one level deeper: how that philosophy translates into our mission, services, target customers, geographic coverage, scouting standards, grading system, data architecture, technology, sales strategy, business model, first-year goals and the open decisions required to build CADIG responsibly.
Think of this page as how CADIG thinks about players and the Blueprint as how CADIG turns that thinking into an operating scouting and intelligence organization.