Eurolanche

Zalesak: My notes are top secret

During the later years of his career, Miroslav Zalesak thought about getting into scouting once he hangs up his skates. His dream of watching talented players for a living came true almost immediately after he retired – he was named the Avalanche’s pro scout for Europe in 2016, the same year he suited up for his last game in the Slovak Extraliga. In an interview for Slovak daily SME, Zalesak talked about his current assignment – scouting players the ongoing IIHF World Championship in Denmark. Eight years have passed since Zalesak himself played at the tournament, pen and paper having replaced his stick and skates during the past two World Championship. Being seated further away from the ice as he was used to during his playing days, the 38-year-old Skalica native scribbles away in his notebook during each game he attends. “I can’t show you my notes. They’re top secret,” says Zalesak.

Zalesak is currently hard at work scouting players at the ongoing World Championship in Denmark (Source: Juraj Berzedi - SME)

The thought of scouting and analyzing players has been on his mind for quite some time. The idea first crossed his mind during a junior tournament in Piestany. “I met scouts from San Jose. While I was watching a game with one of them, I realized that I’d really enjoy doing something like this. I kept the thought in my head and after I retired, I told my wife that I wanted to become a scout,” recalls Zalesak, a former fourth-round pick of the Sharks in 1998. “You have to know a lot about the game. I prepared for a regular job interview, but I also knew players from the NHL. They had me do a practice scouting report on some players. I used my contacts and fortunately enough, Colorado was looking for someone in Europe. I had an interview with their director of pro scouting [Brad Smith] in Vienna. Everything was wrapped up in less than three days.”

A former fourth-round pick of the Sharks in 1998, Zalesak first thought about getting into scouting while watching a game at a junior tournament in Piestany with a scout from San Jose (Source: Getty Images)

There are a lot of requirements you have to meet in order to get a job like this, with good English skills and general hockey knowledge being the bare necessities. The Avalanche brass went a little further, doing their research on Zalesak’s character and other things you won’t find in a resume. “They asked a lot of people in North America about me. They need a scout who meets a lot of requirements and has a number of specific attributes. Getting a job like this is not easy. It’s a business in every sense of the word,” says Zalesak. Talking about his job in more detail, he describes it as being “pretty nomadic”. “Since I have to cover the entirety of Europe, I have to keep tabs on the KHL, the Swedish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Swiss and German leagues. You have to travel a lot, which is why a carefully planned schedule is so important. I try to spend one half of the month on the road, while trying to spend the other one at home.”

Zalesak typing away at his laptop during his first World Championship as the Avs' pro scout for Europe last year (Source: VK - MY Zahorie/SME)

Zalesak can’t talk about the players he recommended to the Avs’ management during his two-year tenure with the organization. If someone catches his eye, he tries to scout him in person multiple times. He also has a specific category of players he focuses on. “In Europe, I focus more on players that already went through the draft and are 20 and older. I also help other scouts with Slovak and Czech players prior to the draft,” he explains. 18-year-old Slovak defenseman Martin Fehervary playing at his first senior World Championship fits that mold, yet Zalesak, having strict orders from the Avs, remains coy and won’t mention any names. “I can’t talk about specific players, as I’m not allowed to. I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything about Fehervary. I’ll only say that I’ve already singled out a couple of guys that have raised my interest.” 

Source: SME

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