Sabres Announce Jeremiah Crowe as Director of Scouting

[Curt]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

So it looks like it's going to be analytics for the future. Not the way I'd go but I guess we will see. 

My own view is that analytics are a tool and just part of the equation. Should be more of a 1/3 1/3 1/3 type of thing, as in analytics, what you see on the ice first hand, and lastly the experience/gut of your scouts and how they assess personalities, potential etc.  Relying too much on analytics imo is a recipe for failure. 

Do the Sabres now employ all analytics guys and no hockey scouts?  To me it looks like they are just integrating analytics as part of the scouting department.  Not that analytics will be the only thing they look at.  To me it looks like they are just moving towards your 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 model, not going to 110% analytics.

[Andrew Amerk]

Well thank God they didn’t go outside the box for these hires. Clearly hiring outside of the organization for 9 seasons hasn’t worked, so let’s promote people on the inside who have been part of the losing for these last 9 years. 
 

Next they could promote the tenured janitor to fly their private jet, and wonder why it didn’t work out when they crash. 

Edited June 27, 2020 by Andrew Amerk

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, Curt said:

Do the Sabres now employ all analytics guys and no hockey scouts?  To me it looks like they are just integrating analytics as part of the scouting department.  Not that analytics will be the only thing they look at.  To me it looks like they are just moving towards your 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 model, not going to 110% analytics.

Not sure. Guess we will be able to infer better when (if) they hire more people. 

[dudacek]

10 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Not sure. Guess we will be able to infer better when (if) they hire more people. 

It looks like the guys they kept are guys they felt are not only good scouts, but also equipped to embrace the new approach. I would expect the guys they hire to be the same, on average, regardless of the background of the hire.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Is the Pegula management tank?

Serious, what exactly has this guy done to be qualified for his new position except a stint at the USNTDP.  I guess that gives him a leg up on his boss, he has some experience evaluating young talent.

[Pimlach]

Jeremiah was a bullfrog!  
 

 

 

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Jeremiah was a bullfrog!  
 

 

 

He was a good friend of mine

[kas23]

13 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Well thank God they didn’t go outside the box for these hires. Clearly hiring outside of the organization for 9 seasons hasn’t worked, so let’s promote people on the inside who have been part of the losing for these last 9 years. 
 

Next they could promote the tenured janitor to fly their private jet, and wonder why it didn’t work out when they crash. 

I’ll try not to be an apologist, but just because they have been in the organization for awhile doesn’t mean they were making the decisions or even being listened to. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. The Sabres are certainly headed in a much different direction than the past. 

[Doohicksie]

On 6/26/2020 at 7:27 AM, WildCard said:

Who?

Jeremiah was a bullfrog.

[Broken Ankles]

4 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Jeremiah was a bullfrog!  
 

 

 

I guess this is why we never understood  a single word he said?

[Brawndo]

From Friedman’s 31 Thoughts 

16. Talked Friday with Jeremiah Crowe, newly promoted in Buffalo as director of scouting, both amateur and professional. Crowe played at NCAA Clarkson from 2006-10. 

"I had some opportunities to continue playing," he said, "but by no means was I on track to the NHL." 

He was coaching a midget team when former Buffalo State head man Nick Carriere offered him an assistant’s job with the Bengals. From there, he moved to director of player personnel for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he met former Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley. That was his connection to Buffalo, the last three seasons as a pro scout. 

"We’re going to look at a new process, a different way," Crowe said. "A marriage between analytics, on-ice viewings and video scouting." He said the Sabres will add staff, although the timeline is uncertain because of everything going on right now. "I want to leave (the organization) better than I found it. If you follow that approach, good things can happen." 

 

 

17. I don’t know much about Crowe, so I asked around. One exec said he looks like Lex Luthor. "I haven’t watched Superman in some time," he said, "but I have heard it before."

 

Also his Father who was a Lt Colonel in the Army was killed in Iraq in 2005 

[Thorner]

Curious, do we expect any predisposition to American players with our American GM, American Head of Scouting, and American Assistant Head of Scouting? Will we continue on avoiding the CHL? NCAA and USNTDP are the leagues most coming up in reference to these guys.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

On 6/27/2020 at 8:08 PM, Thorny said:

Curious, do we expect any predisposition to American players with our American GM, American Head of Scouting, and American Assistant Head of Scouting? Will we continue on avoiding the CHL? NCAA and USNTDP are the leagues most coming up in reference to these guys.

No. The reason all these guys are around is because Botterill had a massive and stated bias against the CHL. It would make sense for him to have people that reflected that view. Now Adams isn't Botterill's hire but still. I think we should wait to see there first draft before really going down that road. 

Also there are tons of Americans in the CHL so if they have a nationality bias that would be a different convo. It would also be stupid just like Botterill's bs about having 4 years versus 2 years was stupid. 

[sabresparaavida]

On 6/27/2020 at 5:22 PM, Broken Ankles said:

I guess this is why we never understood  a single word he said?

I think he preferred wine.

On 6/27/2020 at 5:22 PM, Broken Ankles said:

I guess this is why we never understood  a single word he said?

I think he preferred wine.

[DarthEbriate]

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Also there are tons of Americans in the CHL so if they have a nationality bias that would be a different convo. It would also be stupid just like Botterill's bs about having 4 years versus 2 years was stupid. 

^ This. And I still want every last one of his puck-moving, long-term development/project, European defensemen picks to grow into incredible players who either crush it for the Sabres or provide immense trade value.

[Thorner]

6 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

No. The reason all these guys are around is because Botterill had a massive and stated bias against the CHL. It would make sense for him to have people that reflected that view. Now Adams isn't Botterill's hire but still. I think we should wait to see there first draft before really going down that road. 

Also there are tons of Americans in the CHL so if they have a nationality bias that would be a different convo. It would also be stupid just like Botterill's bs about having 4 years versus 2 years was stupid. 

No, as in you don't expect to see a CHL avoidance bias? 

Who are the guys you are referring to in the bold, and if they are still here, perhaps the strategy will continue. Obviously I have no idea, I'm just hypothesizing. Adams has been here the whole time, I'd be interested to hear his philosophy, if he hasn't said anything about it yet, could be he shares Botterill's thinking. They brought in Crowe and he's a USNTDP guy, right?

Edited June 29, 2020 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

Sorry. I do not think the CHL bias will continue. I think the reason the guys like Crowe were brought in was to aid in that strategy but they will not continue that strategy. Crowe is a USDP guy because that is what Botterill wanted to have more focus in but that does not mean Crowe will also only focus on that now. If he develops the Sabres prospects like he did the USDP, I would guess he searches far in wide. 

[Thorner]

25 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Sorry. I do not think the CHL bias will continue. I think the reason the guys like Crowe were brought in was to aid in that strategy but they will not continue that strategy. Crowe is a USDP guy because that is what Botterill wanted to have more focus in but that does not mean Crowe will also only focus on that now. If he develops the Sabres prospects like he did the USDP, I would guess he searches far in wide. 

That's right, I was thinking Crowe was a new hire, but he's been here as well - just promoted now. If I had to guess, I think the ouright bias will stop, as well. There aren't very many American GMs but from looking into it, generally these guys are still picking at least a couple CHL players every draft, even if their drafting records looks more balanced than some other teams. 

Botterill was really a league anomaly in terms of how stringent he was in avoiding the CHL. 1/18 players picked, in three years. The lowest of any team, I believe. If BPA for our high first (the only place in the draft Botterill seemed to suggest his bias wouldn't factor in as much) wasn't a CHL guy, we'd have probably gone indefinitely without selecting any players from the largest development league in the world, as long as he had the reigns. 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Thorny

[Brawndo]

15 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Sorry. I do not think the CHL bias will continue. I think the reason the guys like Crowe were brought in was to aid in that strategy but they will not continue that strategy. Crowe is a USDP guy because that is what Botterill wanted to have more focus in but that does not mean Crowe will also only focus on that now. If he develops the Sabres prospects like he did the USDP, I would guess he searches far in wide. 

Some interesting stuff on Crowe, Greeley recommended him to Botterill.  And he was hired to the USDP, by the Current GM of the Chicago Steel of the USHL. The Steel have been producing some good NHL Prospects recently and dominated the USHL this past season. Ryan Hardy is their Second Year GM, he won GM of the Year in the USHL last year. He tweeted that after working a Month with Crowe, that He realized Crowe was much better then him. 

[LGR4GM]

55 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Some interesting stuff on Crowe, Greeley recommended him to Botterill.  And he was hired to the USDP, by the Current GM of the Chicago Steel of the USHL. The Steel have been producing some good NHL Prospects recently and dominated the USHL this past season. Ryan Hardy is their Second Year GM, he won GM of the Year in the USHL last year. He tweeted that after working a Month with Crowe, that He realized Crowe was much better then him. 

Crowe is a really interesting guy to put in charge of scouting. I am deeply curious about him. I wish the NEWS would do some interviews with him. There's enough sports reporters around. 

[dudacek]

26 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Crowe is a really interesting guy to put in charge of scouting. I am deeply curious about him. I wish the NEWS would do some interviews with him. There's enough sports reporters around. 

Can’t remember if this has been posted:

 

[LGR4GM]

Saw that but it is a good listen for those who haven't. 

[Thorner]

I think I read somewhere his nickname is Lex Luthor