100% GUIDE TO EVERYTHING SCOUTING IN NHL 21 FRANCHISE MODE

[@the_beast183]

man i have been doing scouting all wrong... you’re a bloody legend for this

[@Data782]

Welcome to the light!! 🤩 Hahaha much appreciated my friend, feel free to drop any questions! 😂

[@the_beast183]

@@Data782 do you have a video on growing prospects? I can never get them to their best potential

[@Data782]

@@the_beast183 Not a video but many people have asked and it usually comes down to the same answer. If morale is on, it's broken and I can't help you 😬 But, if morale is turned off, it comes down to playing players in the roles that they are listed as and maximizing the chemistry of those specific lines

[@the_beast183]

@@Data782 yeah I usually play with morale on so that explains why

[@Data782]

@@the_beast183 That explains it :( Just a massive glitch right now. Maybe I should put out a 30 second PSA 😂

[@aydenlessels5550]

man, you're the G.O.A.T I swear. I saw your video on line chemistry and just like that one, I'm eager to play franchise mode again. you're like a wikipedia without the boredom. I absolutely love your channel, so take my sub, and keep doing what you're doing!

[@Data782]

Wow Ayden thanks so much!! 😃 Your words really mean a lot and I'm glad that you're excited to get into franchise mode! :) Please let me know if there's ever anything else that I can help you out with! Thank you again, I appreciate it so very much ❤️

[@brettschmekel7897]

Great summary video! Only change I’d make to your suggestion would be to your scouting time periods. If you allocate 3 scouts to the Canadian leagues and scout until dec 10th, then mid April, sometime into may, and one last time until draft day. If you have more scouting periods, you’ll be able to see a lot more potentials, especially in the top 100.

[@Data782]

Definitely a great variation! It really depends on the number of generated prospects for regions in a given year. Tons in the OHL but nothing really cooking in Russia? Go 3/1 instead of 2/2 or even fire that Russia scout for an OHL scout. It really just comes down to being aware of what is needed and understanding that a one-size-fits-all model may be good in general, but optimizing prospect discovery over the course of a Franchise Mode will require some modifications like these. Thanks Brett! :)

[@edhunter149]

This is a tutorial that must go with NHL disk together! I would never guess to scout this way but now I shall try it and rebuild my scouting service in Franchise. Thank you!

[@Data782]

Eyy hahaha my pleasure, Ed!! Looking forward to hearing great things about your franchise! And maybe you'll see me on the cover of NHL 24 👀🤣

[@edhunter149]

@@Data782 I’ve started to scout in late November. And look what I have after the draft (2021): Round 1 - Med Elite 72 ovr, I traded for this 5th pick knowing he is 1 year from NHL. R2 - Elite forward R3 - Top 6 forward R4 - 2 low Elites, fringe starter R5 - Top 4 def, starter R6 - Top 6 forward. I think it’s not bad. I had a lot of fun during the draft. By the way, I saw only 1 Elite gem except mine in round 3 or 4. Now looking forward for the next year) Thank you very much for the tips!

[@mikek5631]

Thank you very much for this. I have been doing it all wrong for years. I could never figure out why so many prospects were left un scouted in the first few rounds even when I had so many amateur scouts. This is a game changer for me. Cheers

[@Data782]

Hey Mike, I'm so so glad to hear that!! It's my pleasure! I hope that it will make your Franchise Mode experience that much better! 😃 Always feel free to leave any questions as they come up! :) All the best

[@andrewgavin4556]

Great video, Data! I'll vouch for his Franchise series'... I've played NHL since '94, and thought I knew it all! Learned a bunch from watching Data. Highly recommended!

[@Data782]

Thanks for the love, Andrew!! 😊

[@ajmpatriot4899]

Thank you , great tutorial ! I love hockey but there’s so much I don’t know about the business end of it.

[@Data782]

My pleasure, I'm glad that you found it to be helpful! :) There's definitely a lot to know on that end for sure but it can definitely be worth your time in learning

[@ashrogers1917]

Instant sub! Thanks for this video man. I'm a complete noob when it comes to this side of managing a franchise but I absolutely love playing franchise mode in NHL games. This is legit a massive help for someone like me. Cheers!!

[@Data782]

Hey thanks so much, Ash!! 😃 It's my absolute pleasure to be able to help! Welcome to the team and I hope that you'll find many more Franchise Mode tips throughout the ongoing series on the channel! Also feel free to ask any questions and I'd love to help with anything else that you may be wondering about :)

[@ashrogers1917]

@@Data782 No problem at all! Been watching a lot of your vids man! The scouting one was another that saved my ass haha. Really great stuff and made playing franchise mode so much better. THANK YOU!!

[@flashy999]

So I was in like the 6th round or something right and I see this 1 bar high elite guy. This guy causally walks in wins 10 Norris trophies and 5 Stanley cups. ( he as a 96 overall in his prime) anyway, I forgot that my draft class quality was on low ....

[@Data782]

Let's go!!! I love stories of gems like that! 😃

[@shanielcabral]

My scouting strategy is very similar, but this was v informative and taught me more about the details. GREAT breakdown

[@Data782]

Glad to hear that we're on the same page! Great minds think alike 🤓 Much appreciated, my friend! :)

[@shanielcabral]

@@Data782 anytime! keep up the solid work

[@wildbronco038]

Wow. I assigned all my scouts last night and I did it way wrong....focusing on skills assessments. But, I'm still early in the preseason, so that's an easy fix. Thanks again!

[@Data782]

Great to catch early! Skill assessment isn't bad but scouting potential & comparison will almost always tell you that anyways so I see it as unnecessary

[@Skymarshal]

Great video man, very helpful. I was impressed how much I was able to figure out myself in my first franchise attempt, but thanks to you, I've discovered a few glaring mistakes I was making haha.

[@Data782]

Awesome to hear!! :) Glad that I could be of service, my man!

[@dean1395]

As someone who's very casual with hockey this really helped

[@Data782]

Wonderful!! Glad I could be of service! :) Let me know if I can ever help with anything else!

[@dean1395]

@@Data782 well just basic stuff I guess like lines and stuff just basic things I like hockey but it's very confusing for me sorry if I sound dumb

[@DusterMcDangles]

Literally watch this to get ready for my Franchise Mode haha

[@Data782]

Glad I could help, my man!! 😂 Hit me up with any questions! It can be a tricky system

[@coryharder191]

I read through some of the comments and noticed others have different approaches. I am going to try potential-skills-strength. I figure start off with potential to weed out the AHL players, then move on with skills with those that make the first cut, then round it off with strength and weaknesses. You will have scouts in regions where you have 3 left over, as well as can move scouts where there are limited players. They can continue to scout down farther. Yes, you will have to keep up with the dates they finish, but you will unlock more potentials as you go down. Im hoping doing the other 2 areas will increase the potential area, or at least unlock the player comparison more.

[@Data782]

NHL 22 UPDATE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZi7koargc2ApM0 Apologies for some difficulty with the sound quality at times! Here are the time stamps: Settings: 0:58 (auto scouting & auto staff management) & 51:02 (draft class & generated prospect quality) Analyzing generated/pro amateur scouts at the beginning of a Franchise Mode: 2:04 How many scouts to have in each region: 5:29 Differentiating between real and generated prospects: 6:41 Hiring/firing/reassigning scouts: 9:07 Sending out your scouts in September: 18:25 Refining your scouts in February: 24:28 Final refinement of scouts in May: 33:06 How the draft class would have looked if auto-scouted: 39:55 How the draft class looks after following this tutorial: 42:57 Drafting: 45:14 Hiring/firing new scouts in July: 48:09 Final tips: 52:00

[@QWERTDUDE12]

Why no scout in AHL?

[@Data782]

@@QWERTDUDE12 I see them as a waste unless you're really interested in building a strong AHL squad! I would add, though, that, if your NHL and AHL coaches have exactly the same scheme fits, you could get AHL scouts who will tell you how the scouted player also fits in your NHL lineup. Hope that helps and sorry for the late reply!

[@Granitetron]

I was looking forward to this very much. Thanks data 🙂

[@Data782]

My pleasure!! I hope it's helpful :)

[@Wastenado-b3g]

Can you do a video talking about line and team chemistry? I frequently am able to get +3s on lines, but my team chemistry never exceeds 77 or so. Thanks for the scouting tutorial.

[@Data782]

You're welcome! A chemistry tutorial will be my next project, especially considering that it's changed from the NHL 20 video that I made about it! Thanks Bubble :)

[@waynesoulia9762]

I like your style, however I prefer to scout with Strength and weakness, then Skills and finally Potential. This seems to unlock a more clear potential. Plus I feel you get more information about scheme fit

[@Data782]

Really! So you're saying that scouting strengths - skills - potential will more fully uncover potential than scouting potential - potential - potential? I'll have to try that!

[@PuckingBadger29]

@@Data782 please reply letting us know what you’ve found scouting this way

[@javiercamacho2066]

I have scouted with skills first and potential wasn't uncovered. Just saying. I wonder if scouting potential then skills would reveal more potential since you already "unlocked" the potential section

[@waynesoulia9762]

To clarify, scouting Strength and weakness, Skills, and then Potential in that order gives you a truer potential because, S&W is unlocked first, skill also adds to the S&W, and then potential adds to each of those categories and reveals that a truer potential. Plus you can scout more players over less time, and then decide to spend the rest of the season on the players that you want to draft

[@waynesoulia9762]

Also if you go back and play NHL ‘19, obviously play long enough to get the best scouts, then scout using the S&W, Skills, and Potential. You will find by the Trade deadline (if done right) you will be able to see the true potential for at least the Top 200-250 players

[@Nerderizer]

I love how Chayka went from AHL Top 2 to Top 4 which is a pretty big jump in potential for 2 bars accuracy and moments ago you said it doesn't jump more than 2 spots. Lucky outlier I suppose :D.

[@Data782]

Oh shoot, I forgot to mention how the level of how uncovered also plays into it! So, for example, a two bar "HIGH AHL Top 2 D" won't go up or down by more than two, but a MED or LOW AHL Top 2 D may move up or down even more! My point still remains but that's important to note, as well! :) Thanks for bringing that up!

[@jack931_5]

The only nhl game i own is NHL 08 and yet im still gonna watch all these because i have no life

[@Data782]

LOL I appreciate you nonetheless, my friend!! :)

[@kaner88_19]

Thanks Data ! Helped a lot !

[@Data782]

I'm glad that it helped!! 😃

[@Grandy98]

The hero we didn’t know we needed

[@Data782]

🥰🥰

[@waynesoulia9762]

Canadiens Fan here!!

[@Data782]

Let's go!!

[@HecVictor]

Fantastic tutorial!!

[@Data782]

Thank you!! Glad I could help 😊

[@Perkele-u5k]

Great video! :)

[@Data782]

Thanks you for all of your support as always! 😊

[@colts2890]

One month late but thanks since i watched this and i drafted this medium elite guy 15 overall then 10 years later he grow to a 93 overall i one a cup with him and he won the hart one time in hes career

[@Data782]

Yesss let's go!! That's why scouting is so important! I'm glad that you had such success! 😍 Happy new year, my friend!

[@IceyFlamez95]

15 overall?

[@Data782]

@@IceyFlamez95 15th overall selection in the 1st round

[@IceyFlamez95]

@@Data782 oh yeahh, that makes more sense, i thought like the player’s overall if that makes sense

[@Data782]

@@IceyFlamez95 Haha imagine! 😂 The lowest overall possible is 36 and the lowest drafted overall that I've seen is I thiiiink 47 or 49

[@wcgandy]

Data, you’re a wizard with this stuff! If I may ask a question that’s been asked before., do you have any tips or links to info on how I should handle the development of prospects? Like, what should I be doing with a 65 OVR skated at 18 years old if he’s like a Medium Elite

[@Data782]

You're a gem, Andrew! Thanks for such a nice compliment :) Let's see, tips for growing/developing prospects.. Well, here is my general advice and I'll get to your specific situation in a second. In general, you want to play players in their ROLES. If a prospect is a 3rd line scorer, play them on a 3rd line and try to maximize chemistry until they grow to 2nd line forward. Putting a ~81 OVR guy on the first line often does not lead to good growth so, yeah just trust the process. Aside from roles, there are general rules such as not promoting a player until you can guarantee ice time. For example, I'd rather have a 79 OVR prospect playing first line/first PP minutes in the AHL than fourth line minutes (~8min/game) in the NHL. Obviously, higher potential means faster growth so remember to move better prospects around throughout the course of a season if applicable. Now, about your example (65 OVR MED Elite 18yo), it depends on where the player played in the juniors. If the junior career was spent in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL, it's not worth signing because the prospect won't make the NHL squad. And, if they don't make the NHL squad, that means that they'll be sent back to the juniors. However, if they played anywhere else (USA or Europe), they could play in the AHL on an entry level deal. So, it really comes down to overall. At 65, even with MED Elite, I'd leave the player unsigned so that he can go back and play in whatever junior league it was. With the Elite potential, I'd probably sign and play in the AHL starting at 69 or 70 OVR (anticipating growth). With lower potential, I'd wait until 72-73 OVR to put in the AHL. Again, all about line fit. Putting a 70 OVR prospect on the first line of an AHL squad wouldn't be optimal. I hope that helped! :) Thanks again for the kind words and don't hesitate to ask any more. Also feel free to join the discord server and add me there so that we can chat/call!

[@danielpetrucci8952]

In my leafs GM mode my scouts recommended me to draft this high top 9 Shane Corsso dude and he turned out to be 78 low Elite and now 1 year later he is up to 86 overall playing on my second line he is a tank of a player

[@Data782]

Nice!! The scout recommendation can be super useful at times!

[@danielpetrucci8952]

@@Data782 it can it does not work all the time but when it does it feels so awsome when your scouts come out clutch for you

[@Data782]

@@danielpetrucci8952 I know exactly what you mean!

[@danielpetrucci8952]

@@Data782 exactly and your videos are awsome you are an underrated NHL 21 KZbinr your vids should be getting tons of views

[@Data782]

@@danielpetrucci8952 Much appreciated Daniel, just you saying so means a lot! 😊

[@sinisterone4673]

The Bob Mackenzie of NHL 21

[@Data782]

High praise!! 🤩

[@nothankyouever]

So, your video is awesome! You confirmed a lot of things I was thinking, glad I'm not doing it completely wrong. One thing, I noticed that the length of time scouting also changes via the teams you search. I set one of my overall B Scouts to find Play Style on three prospects on one team and it only took a day to Scout all three. Did you ever notice this? Or am I just reading way too much into precieved potential of random AI engines?

[@Data782]

Hey there! Thank you for the kind words! :) "Play Style" is something that is much shorter to scout - you can do 10 players or so in about a week! "Potential & Comparison," the thing that I believe matters the most, takes a few days per player so that's why you can only do 20-25 players over the course of a few months. But, whether it's playing style or potential, the overall of your scout coupled with their rating in that area of the world will always speed up the process! So yes, you are absolutely noticing something that is present but it is not random! :)

[@misterrq_8081]

So in I was in the 7th and I see a medium elite and I obviously draft him next season grows to 82 so I put him on the 3rd and 45 games in he asks for more ice time and he's a 87!!!!! Insane growth so then 3 seasons later 91 and won a a rocket Richard, and a Calder and a hart like whattt

[@Data782]

WOWWWW what a story!! Great stuff!

[@joseyjenkins6049]

Can you filter generated propests to ff? So have only real players in draft class

[@Data782]

You cannot because, after a few years, no real players are left. Your best bet would be to set the generated prospect class and quality both to "low!"

[@joseyjenkins6049]

​@@Data782ty

[@joseyjenkins6049]

Am doing my first real real franchise. Rebuilding the sharks. But playing th games too. Fog of war on, salary on. Managing my ahl team. All but consession prices. @Data782

[@selsis]

What does the pro scouts do exactly and why only keep NHL scouts and not AHL? What can u as a user fo with the pro scouts if settings for them ( in the "rules" section r on auto? Thanks for a GREAT video/tutorial! It has helped med a lot 👌👊

[@selsis]

@data782

[@Data782]

Hey Selsis, I'm glad that it has helped! :) Pro scouts scout the players in professional leagues (NHL/AHL) while the amateur scouts scout the players in amateur leagues (OHL, WHL, QMJHL, etc.). I keep the NHL scouts because I only really care about acquiring players for my NHL team and don't care as much about building a championship AHL team. Also, if my NHL and AHL coaches have the same preferences, I'll know that any player who fits in my NHL lines will also fit in my AHL lines so it's like a two-for-one. If the pro scouts are auto-scouting, you don't need to really do anything as they will scout players around the league themselves (and go scout any specific players that you assign to them). If your pro scouts are set to "manual," you need to send them out on every assignment (not recommended in my opinion unless you really want to find out something specific). Hope that helps!

[@rogerkjellstrom3637]

Thanks, very helpful

[@Data782]

My pleasure!

[@michaelkeller5927]

You don't have to fire the AHL scouts, you can just reassign them if they are skilled in minor leagues. I would recommend firing any scout who is a D, D-, and E.

[@Data782]

True! It depends on if they have good ratings for those junior leagues but that's a great point. Optimal scouting is B/B+ and above but, in your first season, having C-/C as a minimum isn't a problem.

[@taylorraymo1762]

Difference between draft class quality and generated prospect quality is the second one determins the quality of made up prospect s in the first years more than anything it's the guys the cpu creates with fake name's the first one is the entire draft class in general tho

[@Data782]

True - that's what I was trying to say but I think you put it a bit more eloquently!

[@coryharder191]

First, thanks for the updated version. Much appreciated. My question is when scouting and selecting the players, are we to still to do bottom to top, or is it ok to start from top down?

[@Data782]

Glad I could help be of service, Cory! :) I think I stick with what I originally said in my first video: it's not necessarily proven that bottom to top is better, but, at least anecdotally, it seems to work better for me so that's what I like to do. Though, if it does make a difference, it's not necessarily a game changing one so you don't need to break your head over it

[@coryharder191]

@@Data782 honestly it does make a difference. My second time through with the same scouts, I found less players in later rounds with their bars at, at least 3. When I got to round 3, it was chalk full of AHL and top 9 F. First time through on the previous year, I had elites still in those rounds. Just my 2 cents of course.

[@Data782]

@@coryharder191 Awesome! That's what I've found, too, and why I advocate for that system. I usually try and keep from saying that my way is the best since it's an EA game and confiding things can happen but we're in agreement 😂

[@waynesoulia9762]

So you are talking about a 2nd rd player with a 3 bar bottom 6 med potential, in NHL 20 I passed on a guy who was a 4 bar bottom 6 med and he turned out to be an elite med player. So sometimes the scout are wrong, but it’s usually when you have lower rated scouts

[@Data782]

Right! I should have mentioned that an A rated scout and a C rated scout may same the same thing but it doesn't mean the same thing. A two bar rating from the former will usually weigh a lot heavier than a two bar rating from the latter. So yes, you're right to think that! But in general, you won't see large jumps in potential like that - especially with better scouts.

[@curtism8868]

This is an extremely helpful video, thank yku so much for taking the time to make this. I have one question though, when I send my scouts out for potential and comparison, most of the time they return with a very incomplete scouting report, with like only 1 or 2 bars for the potential and everything else incomplete. I end up having to send scouts out maybe 3-4 times for the same player to finish the report. Is it because my scouts aren’t good enough? Or is there a different fix to this? Thanks

[@Data782]

Hey Curtis, I appreciate the kind words! :) Glad I could help. So, yes, when you send out your scouts for "potential and comparison," you can expect them to only uncover about 1-2 bars of accuracy. That's where the next "rounds" of scouting come in to play and you sort through who you think is worth spending more time on scouting. Everything else being incomplete isn't a big deal as more "potential and comparison" scouting will begin to uncover it (such as strengths/weaknesses), EXCEPT for player type (for the majority of players). That's why, once a player can't be scouted any further, I also send out a scout to do a round of "player type" scouting which shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks or so. So yeah, sending out your scouts 3-4 times to finish a report isn't uncommon and will become less frequent once your scouts get higher overalls/become more efficient in those regions! No big fix to this :) Hope that helps!

[@curtism8868]

@@Data782 thank you so much man! Love the videos keep it up👍🏼👍🏼

[@Data782]

@@curtism8868 It's my pleasure! :) Thank YOU!

[@254zero]

I'm actually pretty mad about that setting to turn off auto changes. I would spend hours each season "scouting" players just to have my scouts do what ever the hell they want and not scout who I told them too. That setting change as well as paying attention to which region they scout were the big mistakes I was making. That for the video. I'm gonna try a draft to glory run now that I better understand how scouting works.

[@Data782]

I know how frustrating that can be!! Glad to hear that you've sorted some of it out and all the best for your new run! :)

[@jbirdy4172]

Data the scout, coming in clutch

[@kloudrebirth]

you could also maybe skip anyone who is age of 19+ -- usually never has potential just maybe 60/high 60's with low potential

[@Data782]

For real players, definitely! For generated players, I've seen some older guys have decent overall/potential so it definitely depends

[@Eskolol]

Is the reason you use only 2 scouts because of the lack of fog of war? I play with fog of war on and the thought of managing 2 scouts in all divisions, not to mention individual player scouting for potential trades sounds horrible. I suppose that with fog of war on pro scouting is redundant.

[@Data782]

Pretty much! With fog of war on, I'd want at least 4 NHL scouts. With fog of war off, pro scouts are still very useful as they will help you uncover line fit but you can just circulate two, instead!

[@girhen]

I'm not an expert. I've never done Franchise mode before NHL 22. Are you sure EA hard coded the real players though? I started an expansion franchise with Eklund and Raty. Pretty sure Eklund started in the mid 70s (73?) and I stuck him as Center 1 on my AHL team immediately. Raty started at 60, and I signed him to my AHL team. I played 20-25 games with that team, and no NHL time. Eklund ended up at like 78 at the end of the season, and Raty at maybe 75. They might not have made playoffs, or at least not gotten deep. I realized I fudged my scouting, picks, and chemistry from the beginning. I paid no attention to how free agents and expansion draftees meshed with my coach (again, never played Franchise before). Also, I didn't edit the AHL team, so they didn't even have a chest logo on their jerseys. So I restarted. Much better team (Ovechkin, Tarasenko, Giordano in the expansion draft? lol), and I made sure that their projected spot on the lineup (Top 6 or bottom 6) had them fitting my coach. Picked up some trade bait, too, and got the right guys from that. Raty started around 55. I kept him unsigned, and he ended at 65. Eklund was signed and stayed top 6, and won the Calder Cup. Just a 74. He even got 3 or 4 NHL games on the second line (while 83) for experience. I only played a few matches in the AHL playoff. How much do their stats matter for growth, and is there potential that EA is throwing in some RNG for real players? Could they have it so maybe some of the real guys are +/- one rating, or a more advanced formula to help keep it looking more like projected ratings, but still not identical?

[@Data782]

Stats definitely matter for growth! An 83 OVR goalie who has a Vezina-calibre season and only, say, Starter potential, may very well grow to an 89 OVR over the offseason. I couldn't tell you EA's thought process for giving overalls and potentials to real players as some are just so off haha

[@harackmw]

in nhl 22 I find that the second pass of scouting for potential and comparison does not add anymore bars revealing potential and comparison, which is kind of annoying. Does scouting through the other ways reveal more? It seems like scouting in other modes reveals info across the board, though completely random.

[@Data782]

I've been seeing something similar! I'm not quite sure what to conclude yet - that's why I'm still experimenting with my NHL 22 update of this guide. I find that "potential and comparison" is always optimal but there is anecdotal evidence that suggests otherwise. I'll have the tutorial out soon enough! Had to kind of restart after the last game update since it changed some things

[@harackmw]

@@Data782 Great! Glad to know I am not too crazy. Look forward to the tutorial! Thanks in advance!

[@harackmw]

@@Data782 One other thing I hope you can address: my scouts reported a load of false information regarding x factor players in the draft. Several players ranked in the top 30 and top 150 were reported as having three or more x factor traits. One that was ranked 112th was a gold zone x factor player (like a top 10 player) and I picked him in the draft along with the others. But, they had no x-factor abilties. What the? I made sure to turn off fog of war , but it was true, they were just normal players.

[@Data782]

@@harackmw I'm trying to figure that out as we speak. I'm not sure if you need to scout more deeply when it comes to skills assessment or strengths and weaknesses or what, but it seems as though potential and comparison isn't enough. Rule of thumb usually says that player's after the 2nd round will verrrry early have x factors!

[@harackmw]

@@Data782 Right, it was a hard lesson to learn! But in my second draft, I am noticing a lot of "gems" late in the draft rankings but no matter how much I scout I can't get more info on them. They list as Top 9. I used 6 different scouts (all A+ rated for the region) and scouted for each category, multiple times, and still I could not get more info on them for potential/comparison. It is discouraging, scouting is now a complete lottery in my mind unless you get lucky and a scouting pass manages to fully scout a player and you know what you are picking. Extra passes of scouting help, doing other categories, but it seems like a lot of work for very little pay off.

[@Wastenado-b3g]

Can you make a video on evaluating player production? Specifically I’m having trouble figuring out when to cut ties with my bottom 6 or when to move them around to a different line or to the AHL. Thanks.

[@Data782]

Hey Bubble! Do you mean player growth?

[@Wastenado-b3g]

@@Data782 partially. I’m more talking about stats (goals, assisists, +/-).

[@Data782]

@@Wastenado-b3g There really isn't any quantifiable data for that, unfortunately. A lot of it comes down to the hidden "shooting" slider that allows for a guy like Ovechkin to score 30-50 goals every season no matter his age or overall. The closest thing that you could look at when simulating is offensive awareness. Coupled with good passing will mean a lot of assists, coupled with good shooting will mean a lot of goals. It's really tough to find what makes a player produce, but if you can get players who have high ratings in those attributes and maximize their line chemistry, it's a big help!

[@Wastenado-b3g]

@@Data782 thanks. I usually actually play about half my games, and Sim the rest I feel like my evaluation is a bit off just because I probably change lines differently than the sim and I mess around with line strategies. Another thing: Does altering strategies during the game change whether that line gets a +? Sorry for the million questions. I just haven’t been able to fund info.

[@Data782]

@@Wastenado-b3g Hey I'm sorry I totally missed your follow-up question! Altering strategies does not affect line chemistry - only a coach's preferences can do that :)

[@ccolasur]

How do you find gems? Is there any specific process or is this just done through scouting in this way?

[@Data782]

Nope, nothing specific! Gems will be uncovered as the scouting process progresses

[@ajmpatriot4899]

How do you do good in the draft if you don’t have Amateur scouts on and you’ve fired them all?

[@Data782]

You'll need to hire new ones if you fired your old ones or else no one is doing the scouting

[@pipenesingwary116]

If i could hit like 100 times i would, this is a very well done guide. couple questions and a comment. COMMENT: only thing I'd edit is you saying offering them max contract, messed me up big time in one playthrough. Max contract is years.........Say MAX MONEY lol. i was doing money and years at max, things got hairy and lost some to other teams in '21. Question one is do you have a coaching guide for hiring/firing. i believe i saw a video of yours (can't find it now) maybe buff/minn.....I saw you were just hiring all the best teachers which is smart. but should you aim at generalists or does it not matter?? I think i saw you putting forwards coach in goalie slots. supposedly if you hire Veteran guys they make your older guys not diminish as much but i haven't tested to see if its bs or not. plus all the D rated goalie guys are A+ so im curious about it, as Buffalo guy want Luukanen to progress best possible. Question 2, I know i can create players but is there a way or a Guide your aware of to add the missing players and make them draft elgible. I've seen some lists by other people so they must be adding kids on their own. Owen Power for example in the Usa leagues. kk i know this video is old but i'm hoping you check in. I'll try and find a more recent video and copy and paste this there as well.

[@Data782]

Haha thanks so much for the love!! Let's see.. Question 1: A guide for hiring/firing, no. I have a guide on line chemistry which includes some discussion on coaches, but no specific guide. The mix of coaches that you have can be pretty unique and everyone does it differently. I usually try to have an offensive/generalist head coach with 60-65%+ team fit and at least the very least a B on offense/defense. Whether or not they have an A on teaching or coach influence, my goalie coach is often whoever has the best team fit coupled with the best teaching/coach influence overalls. These coaches are often like D overall and aren't usually "goalie" coaches because there are literally so few of them available. Definitely an issue with coaching. About the veterans coach, I've never experimented with that but I wouldn't doubt their ability to keep overalls/potentials of older guys from dropping. They just don't usually fit my team (due to low team fit %), so, like I said, haven't experimented with them mych. Question 2: Check out SuperHighWay Gaming for created players! kzbin.info/door/S5LeoUsyCq3ZENbrUKmm8Q I usually just create the "big" names but you can go as deep as you like. If you want them to be draft eligible, assign them to a junior team and play with their age according to what draft class you want them to be available for. Let me know if all of that helps!

[@pipenesingwary116]

@@Data782 I'm creating my self and my cousin who is actually draft elgible this year. how do i make sure they show in draft. i just assigned both to Niagara of OHL since that is closest to me, but then i started new franchise and not there/draft class. or will they only show in the '21 draft. wasn't sure if i had to change birthyear. cousin is 2002, me wellllllll 2002 as well lol, i can live w/ him going to '21 draft*. but for myself i made a 36 high franchise w/ all 36 and fighting 99 pwf lol...to watch and see. prefer he in 20 draft so wasn't sure how to do it. or does it default to 21 draft no matter what i do. or do i put in 'drafted' '20 and sign as free agent. ty ty for comments.

[@pipenesingwary116]

by the way would you link that guide on coaches haven't been able to re-find it. you were doing things i can't figure out like interim coach etc etc. ty again Oh and if you were curious he was in USHL last year for a bit then college. the racist Arizona pick was on his team. www.eliteprospects.com/player/555520/grant-riley

[@Data782]

@@pipenesingwary116 Gotcha! So, first of all, here's the link to the line chemistry video but, like I said, it isn't super focused on coaching AND make note that you can no longer change player types while in a franchise mode save file: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJClk6ilgLN_pKM If you're doing a regular franchise mode (not an expansion) that will have its first draft in 2021. I read that the NHL's rule for the 2021 class is that all prospects must be 18+ as of September 15th, 2021 so double check the birthdays or else you may get pushed to 2022. Just assign the player to the junior team on the "creation zone" panel and, when creating the player, don't fill in any of the "drafted in 2020" stuff. If you do all that, and make sure your franchise mode is using those created rosters, then there shouldn't be an issue :) Always double check the draft class right away before you get too deep and realize that they're not there!

[@pipenesingwary116]

@@Data782 i did the merge rosters just in case.......really wish i hadn't lol. might not of by what you said, i adjusted created me to 2001 as a test which im about to do now. LOOKS LIKE NEW ROSTER update today as well, i had to download before i could merge.........by the way it def was new, Drysdale is medium elite, i had him low elite before merge

[@joshuahonen5240]

One thing I do every year before I start the mode is going into rosters and looking at the players that have pictures and will be drafted and pin them when I start the mode so I know there potential and don’t have to scout them. I was wondering how to fix the edit strategies for each line. Instead of firing the coach I wanna change each line strategy to suit the players

[@Data782]

I don't believe those strategies can be changed :( It'd be a game changer if you could but those seem to be locked in for the particular coach!

[@lccymtoano8923]

I always skip player 5 foot 9 and under. Or if they are 5 10 and under 170 pounds. Lack of size. A lot easier to weed out players you won't want.

[@Data782]

I've seen some very good simulation players who are short but I get what you're saying! The Cole Caufield career simulation is an example of that. Whether you play them or not, drafting whoever has the best potential can mean higher trade value so you can also sometimes just draft with the intention of using the player as a trading chip

[@dranderson6071]

If you put 2 scouts on same player at same time, does it get you double the info or is it a wasted scout resource? Thank you

[@Data782]

I once thought it to be double but, the more I've experimented, the more it seems as though it's a slight waste (unless you're scouting the same player for spongebob completely different). Can never have a definite answer but that's what I've seen and heard. Hope that helps!

[@dranderson6071]

@@Data782 Appreciate the help. Cheers

[@unbiasbruinsfan7330]

7:10 This is off topic but why did ea plummet wong's potential? Every gm mode i do he's a top 9 rather than a elite medium.

[@Data782]

Fair question! I couldn't really tell you for sure haha but I guess they've been scouting his games and not been as impressed

[@bigsmoke8435]

How often should i check back to see if there are better scouts to hire?

[@Data782]

Every July 1st! I don't believe AI teams ever fire their scouts during the year - the only way they enter "free agency" is by having their contracts expire

[@christopherturbyfill7194]

How do you handle coach chemistry? Or is there a video I missed?

[@Data782]

I made a video about it for NHL 20 but you're no longer able to change player types in 21 so it's a bit different! It's a pretty complicated system but I'd love to make a video trying to explain it :)

[@DeepDiveHockey]

Thank you

[@Data782]

No problem!

[@coryharder191]

I'm like 7 years into my franchise, and my scouts have never gotten any better? Did I miss something?

[@Data782]

Yes I believe so! Every July 1st you should be cycling out old, low overall scouts for new, high overall scouts. Continue this process for a few seasons and they'll soon all be As and Bs! If you hero the same ones, their region overall will grow but I don't think their actual overall ever really grows much, if at all

[@JAB1545]

Could someone tell me how he knew at 14:28 that the player came from USA East and knew where to send him. I’ve been looking and I can’t figure it out

[@Data782]

Because I noticed that that scout's region score for USA East was A+ while only A for USA West! Therefore, I count him as my "USA East scout" :) It had nothing to do with me noticing something secret that you missed. Hope that helps!

[@danadam6578]

Hey can you put young players from WHL into rotations of main team? Thx

[@Data782]

If you mean transferring an undrafted prospect to an NHL team, you unfortunately cannot :( That's why no one was able to put Lafreniere on the Rangers in NHL 20. Sorry about that!

[@jeffirish9698]

When you go to hire scouts, how do you know if they are pro or an amatuer?

[@Data782]

According to their region! NHL/AHL is pro and everything else is amateur but, technically, any scout can be assigned to any region! You just obviously want those with the highest pro league ratings to be the one as your "pro scores." Does that help?

[@Wastenado-b3g]

How do you weigh nhl eta? I’ve run into many that have 2 or 3 bars ahl potential but have an eta of 2 years.

[@Data782]

I see NHL ETA as an indication of overall. High potential but ETA 4-5 years means more of a trade bait kind of guy because he'll be like a 50 OVR. AHL potential but 2 years ETA could mean someone who would technically be ready for the NHL, but that could just be like capping at a 78 overall. It definitely helps if you see a guy who's "NHL Ready" at 12th overall because you know that he'll be a high 70s player as opposed to someone else you could pick who's in the 60s. So yeah, it's a helpful indicator for sure!

[@Wastenado-b3g]

@@Data782 cool thanks

[@Data782]

@@Wastenado-b3g My pleasure!

[@joseyjenkins6049]

Why fire all ahl if fog of war is off? I have it on so....

[@Data782]

If Fog of War is turned off then you know everything you need to about AHL players. Unless you really want to see which ones fit on which lines on your AHL team (which could be interesting and of some worth but not more so than having an additional amateur scout in my opinion), firing or reassigning them makes the most sense. Hope that helps!

[@joseyjenkins6049]

Checks out. ​@@Data782

[@Jesuistimmy]

Why in my first batch of scouting i can do 50 player and thé ending is december 28 ? Its an avantage but why its not like you ?

[@Data782]

It depends on your scout's overall and his region score! One scout may be able to cover 20 players in the same time that it takes another scout to cover 30. That's why you want to maximize the overall and the region score so that you cover as many as possible throughout the season :)

[@Jesuistimmy]

Thanks for the Quick answer and for the good video!

[@Data782]

@@Jesuistimmy My pleasure! Let me know if there's anything else that I can help with :)

[@victorgutierrez869]

I just started playing NHL. How can you tell how many bars a player is? I keep looking and don’t notice it

[@Data782]

It's under "potential" next to the binoculars! There is a little stack of dashes next to the potential itself that ranges from 1-4. Does that help?

[@victorgutierrez869]

@@Data782 yes it does. So am I looking with someone with four dashes and Elite potential high or 1 dash?

[@Data782]

@@victorgutierrez869 The higher the potential the better and the bars next to the word tell you how accurate that reading is by the scout. If a player has one or two bars next to his potential, it's not a very sure thing. If it's three bars, you can pretty much trust it. If it's four bars, it's a guarantee! So yeah, the more bars next to the potential, the more it can be trusted as accurate. That's why scouting as much as possible is important!

[@AzureMonk]

What does the star mean in the draft?

[@Data782]

It's there to give you an idea of who will be available around your pick! Usually it's a bit earlier so, if you want that player, you should trade up. For example, you may have pick 22 and players 19-21 have stars next to them and will more often than not be gone by 22 since the computer doesn't usually go off the board. So yeah, it's an idea of the names that may be available around your pick! Does that help?

[@AzureMonk]

@@Data782 Thanks!

[@pipenesingwary116]

new update weird for askarov is in '20 draft but not finding my created players. i had him assigned to nashville,... update i believe i need to delete my askarov is the problem

[@Data782]

Askarov isn't in the game yet and never was so if you create him and assign him to Nashville you should be good to go!

[@pipenesingwary116]

@@Data782 i did and put him on nashville but while looking for myself he is the '20 draft. i simmed far enough where neither of my guys are in draft, does it not work for franchise mode? perhaps i need to make em free agents

[@pipenesingwary116]

@@Data782 nuts i should have looked in creation zone again, me/cousin and askarov all became unassigned w/ roster merge. not much of a merge lol

[@Data782]

@@pipenesingwary116 Ahhhh that'll do it 🤣 Once you assign, you should be all set!

[@joseyjenkins6049]

Why fire ahl scouts though?

[@Data782]

With only 20 scout spots available and so many junior and NHL players to cover, I'd prefer just getting an AHL coach who is identical to my NHL coach and saving myself the trouble! As well as the fact that I don't care terribly for my AHL line fits when players come and go so often

[@jameshuseby9931]

does anyone know how many franchise modes can be saved

[@Data782]

Definitely be careful! In theory, you can have a good half dozen but, with auto saves, your other saves can get deleted out of nowhere which is extremely frustrating. I try not to have more than 3 or 4 going at a time with autosave turned off just in case - all while keeping an eye on my number of save files at any given time. Hope that helps!

[@jameshuseby9931]

@@Data782 THANKS

[@joecapirchio8009]

I swear I do this but it doesn’t help? Do I have to turn auto scouting off or something? I’ve wasted sooo much time assigning scouts but it doesn’t work!

[@Data782]

Definitely make sure that auto scouting is turned off but it may also have to do with your quality of scouts! It can definitely be frustrating

[@joecapirchio8009]

@@Data782 okay cool thanks for replying! Earned a sub

[@Data782]

@@joecapirchio8009 My pleasure! :) Feel free to reach out with any other questions!

[@thevideogamevigilante4015]

***QUESTION*** Can you create more than one created team with created players in franchise mode? Ie. Play franchise mode with several created teams in the NHL with existing NHL teams etc. I can't find any information anywhere at all about this. Please help!!

[@Data782]

Yes! But you may only do so by substituting existing NHL teams (ex. it can't be a league of 50 teams). Let me know if you need any help with how to do so!

[@thevideogamevigilante4015]

@@Data782 Amazing! Thank you very much, I really appreciate it. Since we can't rent games anymore, sometimes it's really hard to figure out if they're worthwhile buying. You just made up my mind 👍🏼

[@Data782]

@@thevideogamevigilante4015 My pleasure! :) I hope that you'll enjoy franchise mode - you can substitute 30 custom teams if you'd like! 😂 Feel free to shoot me any other questions for whatever you may encounter :)

[@thevideogamevigilante4015]

@@Data782 I created all the teams and players in NHL18 in season mode, but the franchise mode that year only allowed one created team as an expansion team, and couldn't substitute NHL teams for created teams... so I was worried it was going to be the same in NHL 21's franchise mode.

[@Data782]

@@thevideogamevigilante4015 Ahh gotcha! I haven't experimented with it myself but I've seen other franchise mode series that have done multiple substitutions so I'd say I'm quite sure that that's no longer the case :)

[@heatherstefani2003]

Where do you find Owen powers?

[@Data782]

As an American prospect playing in the US, he won't be in the game until he plays for whoever drafts him!

[@heatherstefani2003]

@@Data782 thanks!

[@lucleblanc777]

i am in year 5 and i see 0 scout rating A could it be that patch just a bad one?

[@lucleblanc777]

overall A i mean

[@Data782]

Are you looking on July 1st? If so, that's just a terrible coincidence :(

[@lucleblanc777]

@@Data782 yes i do :(

[@Data782]

@@lucleblanc777 I'm sorry to hear that! :( They will come eventually but I suppose some save files will just take longer than others

[@lucleblanc777]

@@Data782 after 7 season is it better to hit restart lol

[@lilzach2720]

wait am i not able to draft this years players, like Laf, Byfield and stutzle

[@Data782]

In NHL 21 they'll already be assigned to the teams that they were drafted by! I believe the only way to draft them would be to do an expansion draft which starts your franchise mode before the 2020 draft

[@lilzach2720]

@@Data782 Thanks!!

[@Data782]

@@lilzach2720 No problem! :)

[@lilzach2720]

@@Data782 Do u know how I would be able to do that or nah

[@Data782]

@@lilzach2720 Yup, when you're creating a franchise mode just choose to create the 32nd NHL team as an expansion :)

[@JJHunters]

FEB-MAY-DRAFT

[@Data782]

Another good strategy! I prefer having more than two refinement periods so that I can double check that my scouts haven't missed anything about someone in particular, but I see what you're saying. I've actually updated my scouting strategy since NHL 21 and will be putting out a new tutorial soon!

[@JJHunters]

@@Data782 that's awesome! I just got 23 I always use basic principle of this video but I always forget the months that I use and end up coming back to this video to fast forward to it... Figured I'd just comment on it so I don't lose it! Haha but I'll always take tips and tricks👍

[@andrewp3935]

The game doesn’t let me hire new scouts or coaches

[@Data782]

You must have auto staff management turned on! Turn that off in your settings and you will be able to hire/fire coaches and scouts :)

[@Schneebauer.]

allsvenskan doesn't even create new prospects, so no need to scout there beyond year 3

[@Data782]

That was the case in NHL 20 but I wasn't 100% sure about 21! Do you know if it's more of the same?

[@Schneebauer.]

@@Data782 pretty sure EA hasn't fixed that, smh. They also didn't fix the issue that defenders only have shoot/cycle pinch line preferencies...lazy ass donkeys...

[@Data782]

@@Schneebauer. Smh 🤦‍♂️ Thanks for letting me know anyways! 😂

[@Schneebauer.]

@@Data782 oh and btw, I have like all A rated scouts 10 years in and even with manual adjustments and assignments, they won't get a full report on like 80% of players... so it's basically still broken.

[@Data782]

@@Schneebauer. Sheesh.. Unfortunately it's a flawed system but the good thing is that, at the very least, manual scouting gives you a much better chance than none/auto. But yeah, still sad that some players seem to be "un-scoutable" as could be seen by the Havlat prospect in my example 😂

[@murdamitten9259]

Game just happened to use canadiens???? Hmmmm I’m watching you NHL 👀

[@Data782]

Total coincidence 👀👀

[@michaelkeller5927]

Scouting is the easy part. Development is a mystery to me. I can never develop an Elite Dman above an 87.

[@Data782]

I feel that! The first step is to have morale turned "off" in NHL 21 to avoid the growth bug. Aside from that, proper coaching, line role, and chemistry is all I can really tell you (oh and overall team success is great!) but I understand the frustrations that you're talking about. Let me know if I can help with any specifics but best of luck to you, my friend!

[@itspapaghost6989]

if you have fog of war off you don’t need any pro scouts

[@Data782]

You don't need them to uncover things like overall but you still need them to find out a player's line fit

[@matthewrenaud5382]

Man, you are doing it all wrong! The best way is to start out the year by sending your scouts to "Find Prospects". I usually send them on 2-week assignments for rounds 1-7 for leagues I have 2 scouts in and rounds 1-4 for leagues I only have 1 scout in. Doing that usually brings me to the end of November, then I start scouting players for potential in 3 stages. 1st stage should be until the end of January and will find busts, gems, and will unveil most players' potentials since we've already scouted each player during the "Find Prospects" assignments. 2nd stage should be until mid-May and will find most remaining player potentials. Then the 3rd stage until mid/late June will focus on all of the players whose potential is still not the full 4 bars. I do this each season and it reveals 4 bars potential for the first 3 rounds guaranteed, and then most gems in the later rounds as well. Then I make a list of all the targets I've identified and will trade up and down to make sure I draft all or as many of those targets as possible.

[@matthewrenaud5382]

Once the "Find Prospects" assignments are completed you'll notice that your Scouts ranking for most prospects will have 4 bars and that's the key to uncovering their potential. If your scout hasn't fully ranked that prospect chances are they won't fully know their potential either!

[@Data782]

I never bothered with "find prospects" since the game already gives you all of the names to scout. "Find Prospects" used to be important in past NHLs since it would actually uncover players but I was always confused by it in newer games. So you're saying that doing "find prospects" will actually have some sort of impact on uncovering a player's potential even though the game isn't actually "finding" new prospects?

[@matthewrenaud5382]

@@Data782 Ya I've found that the "Find Prospects" will rank all players in that round, and then after you've ranked all the players in which rounds you want to be scouted, then it usually only takes 1-2 scouting assignments to find unlock their full potential rating. Every time I do this I usually have at minimum the first 3 rounds fully uncovered for potential and then most players in rounds 4-7 as well.

[@3company394]

If your Canadian don’t scout Chl in first two years, you will know more than ea..😂😂

[@Data782]

🤣🤣

[@robertreed9792]

Lol scouting without fog of war doesn’t need a tutorial.

[@Data782]

Pro scouting? Obviously not since everything is uncovered. Amateur scouting? Different story 😂

[@Kryptoknight11]

This is helping me so much. Thank you!

[@Data782]

It's my absolute pleasure!! 😃