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Sometimes, scouts notice a player because he releases his shot a split-second faster than most.
Or maybe because he battles a little more fiercely in the corners than others, or because his sense of anticipation is a tad sharper than that of the guys around him.
But David Conte, the highly respected scouting director of the New Jersey Devils, pointed out recently that it's not the nuances of defenseman Stephen Johns' game that earned him attention going into the NHL entry draft, which will be held in Los Angeles Friday and Saturday.
"You don't have to be a great hockey scout," Conte said, "to see that the guy's as big as a house, and getting bigger."
At last check, Johns, whose family lives in Wampum, Lawrence County, was 6 feet 3, 215 pounds. And because he is just a couple of months past his 18th birthday, Johns does not figure to stop growing anytime soon.
Still, NHL Central Scouting does not rank him 35th among North American forwards and defensemen simply on the basis of his vital statistics. Johns' game has developed to the point where he has spent the past two years in the National Development Team Program, which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
And he made enough of an impression there to be named an alternate captain for the U.S. squad that won the under-18 world championship in Minsk.
PDF"He competes hard, works his tail off," said Jarmo Kekalainen, director of amateur scouting for the St. Louis Blues. "Character traits like that are things we're looking for in a player, for sure."
Johns said he interviewed with "22 or 23" teams during the NHL scouting combine in Toronto last month. One of those was the Penguins, although they will not have a selection between Nos. 20 and 80 overall unless they make a trade.
"He's got some interesting tools because he's a big player who skates well and passes the puck fairly well," said Jay Heinbuck, their director of amateur scouting. "He's rambunctious, likes to hit.
"Sometimes, that pulls him away from where he needs to be, but he's an attractive commodity because he's big and gets around the ice well and has an abrasive edge to him.
"I don't see him being an offensive defenseman, but, if all goes well and he learns the defensive nuances, I think he can be an intimidating player."
Johns, who plans to attend Notre Dame and study "something business-related," expressed no preference for who will draft him. He makes no secret, though, of which club enjoyed his unwavering loyalty during his formative years.
"I always loved watching Mario [Lemieux] and Jaromir Jagr, Ronnie Francis," he said. "That's pretty much what got me into hockey.
"Growing up, we went down to the Student Rush thing all the time, got the free pizzas. I've been to a lot of Penguins games and grew up loving the Penguins, but whatever happens in the draft, happens."
The Penguins, it should be noted, provided Johns with more than just a rooting interest while growing up. Johns said he has tried to pattern his game after that of a guy who has become a fixture on their blue line.
"I want to play a lot like Brooks Orpik," he said. "I want to be just like him."
Orpik was the Penguins' first-round draft choice in 2000; most indications are that Johns should not necessarily expect to go that high.
Heinbuck said that Johns' ranking among North American skaters "is probably realistic," but declined to speculate on when he might be selected. One reason is obvious: If just one team is particularly impressed by a prospect, it can result in him being chosen quite a bit earlier than most anticipate.
"I can't [predict], because some teams like those big defensemen more than others," Heinbuck said. "Others are looking for a little more finesse from a defenseman."
Johns might not offer much of that, but his size and hitting have attracted attention. So have his intangibles, particularly after his workload was cut back at the under-18 tournament.
"He had a very limited role, but how he responded to that limited role was very complementary to his character," Conte said. "He was supportive of his teammates, did what he could do when he played. He was part of the solution, not part of the problem."
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