NHL Teams Seek Out Multi-Sport Athletes When Drafting Talent

So you want to give your son the best chance to play in the NHL. That's why you've put him in skill development and power skating classes and kept him on the ice all summer long.

Well, you're doing it all wrong but don't take our word for it. Listen to what NHL talent evaluators and world-class elite prospects had to day about the benefits they see in multi-sport participation.

The Hockey News asked a number of draft-eligible players and NHL scouts about the subject. It turns out that variety isn't just the spice of life, it's the best way to make it in big-league sports.

Russian netminder Pyotr Kotchetkov told THN that he played all sports because to become a top goaltender requires all-around athleticism. Ryan Jankowski, director of amateur scouting for the Buffalo Sabres, noted that they seek out players who are well-rounded athletes to add to their team.

“If you do hockey year-round, are you sick of it when you’re 16, 17, 18 years old?" Jankowski told THN. "From an elite standpoint, you do need to take breaks and try things at a young age to round yourself out.”

Read the whole story here.