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In the lead up to the NHL Draft, hockey fans are scrambling to soak up as much pre-draft information as they can find. And in the age of online content and social media, sifting through to find the best, most worthwhile draft and prospects commentary can be a struggle.

That’s where Grant McKagg and McKeen’s Hockey comes in.

Just before he published his draft list Bob McKenzie told me that McKeen's rankings were "ridiculously similar" to his rankings. #highpraise — Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) June 19, 2015

Known for their excellent magazines and in-depth online material, McKeen’s has a strong reputation for profiling prospects. Their website is oft-cited by hockey experts, analysts, and fans.

Grant McCagg (who can be found on Twitter here – a great follow, by the way) has served as McKeen’s head scout for years, in addition to some time spent in the NHL as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens. Grant took some time out from his busy pre-draft schedule to answer some questions by email. His responses offer thoughts on the scouting process, scouts trusting their eyes, and some prospect names to watch after round one of the draft.

Sean Tierney: In addition to your time at McKeen’s, you’ve spent time in the NHL as a scout with the Montreal Canadiens. How do these roles compare? What skills do you feel are necessary for a successful career in scouting?

Grant McCagg: Scouting is scouting whether you are doing it in the NHL or for another company..there will always be a commonality. I take some of the things learned at the NHL level and use them in my role as head scout at McKeen’s…including looking at specific categories in each prospect and grading them on each one.

2015 NHL Draft Guide: Top 5 Playmakers http://t.co/SfNhbbsV4J by @grantmccagg #2015nhldraft — McKeen's Hockey (@mckeenshockey) June 20, 2015

When working for McKeen’s and trying to do draft rankings. I watch as much video as possible..it’s not feasible to be jetting all over the world to see prospects. I go to as many games as I can in the QMJHL and OHL, but a lot of my scouting is done by video and webcast.

I talk to as many scouts, junior coaches and GMs, and media members as I can to gather background information on prospects as well…it never hurts to get other people’s opinions, between scouting for McKeen’s and the NHL.

Differences include rankings. I was a part-time scout for the Habs and wasn’t involved in doing the final rankings…at McKeen’s there are two of us who work on the final draft list…myself and publisher Iain Morrell. The two of us have co-published McKeen’s rankings since 1997.

ST: Analytics have taken the NHL by storm as teams are beginning to embrace possession stats and other advanced measure when evaluating players. To what extent do these advanced stats factor into your scouting process for draft-eligible prospects?

GM: They don’t factor into my scouting…you shouldn’t be letting anything influence what you see with your own eyes…whether it be early draft lists from independent scouting agencies, or advanced stats. There is very little advanced stat info readily available at the junior level at this time either…not like the NHL.

If the NHL got redrafted, the eye-test ppl would kill the Corsi/Fenwick ppl. It's not baseball. It's not stop-start. — Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) February 22, 2015

ST: The QMJHL figures to see many of its players drafted this season after a quieter draft for the league last season. Are there any players from the Q beyond the first round that stand out as quality mid- or late-round NHL draft choices?

GM: The QMJHL has good depth this year…comparable to the WHL and OHL in the top four rounds. You may see 20 players from the Q selected by Round 5, and 15 or so may end up being NHL regulars..a stronger year than usual in the Q.

ST: Of the prospects from the QMJHL or OHL that you project to be drafted in the later rounds of the NHL Draft, are there any players that catch your eye in particular?

GM: It’s hard to predict who will go here after the first round, but Chaz Reddekopp is a player who I think will turn into a solid dman if he puts it all together…and he might not get picked until the mid rounds. There are also a couple of Russians…Vorobyov and Kaprizov…who may bring very good value down the road.

Happy 18th birthday to Royals' defenceman Chaz Reddekopp (@C_Redds )! pic.twitter.com/Pi8VF1Xqwj — Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) January 1, 2015

Players of the Week 10: rookie (2nd time this season), 17-yo Metallurg Nk forward Kirill Kaprizov, 3GP, 1G+1A. pic.twitter.com/vq8UdVI6i1 — KHL_English (@khl_eng) November 10, 2014

ST: The first round of this year’s NHL draft is considered to be very deep. Do you see any likely first round picks who are undervalued in draft rankings right now?

My knowledge of independent draft lists isn’t very good…So I can’t help you there….what matters is where NHL teams rank the players.

Someone like Dermott or Roslovic may be more highly regarded by me than most scouts… I have them ranked higher than Bob McKenzie did in his poll of NHL scouts and GMs.

2015 NHL Draft Prospect Profile #57: Travis Dermott http://t.co/apS3zes8go via @lastwordBkerr #nhldraft pic.twitter.com/gKdXNH41DC — LastWordOnSports Inc (@lastwordonsport) May 30, 2015

2015 Draft Profile: Jack Roslovic uses a high hockey IQ and vision to create offense http://t.co/y0JVMdHSMD pic.twitter.com/5s7XAhO864 — Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 9, 2015

ST: After your time spent in the NHL with the Canadiens, is there any chance you would consider returning to work as a scout with an NHL club again in the future?

GM: I would consider it if the right opportunity came up. I’m pretty comfortable working with McKeen’s and writing a book at the moment…I haven’t applied for another NHL scouting job in several years. I’d be interested in working with Trevor Timmins again in the future if something came up.

The top end of this year’s NHL draft is lauded and and has been highly scrutinized. Shrewd scouts and GMs aren’t likely to find bargains or sleepers in the first round. Names like Oliver Kylington, Brock Boeser, and Colin White are widely known, despite being projected by many as late first round picks.

McCagg’s draft notes point to some names that bear watching beyond the first round. In particular, the McKeen’s head scout points out defenseman Chaz Reddekopp and Travis Dermott, centre Mikhail Vorobyov, left wing Kirill Kaprizov, and right wing/centre Jack Roslovic as NHL draft candidates that teams will be pleased to select after the first 30 names have been called.

If you haven’t heard much about this group of prospects worth noting, don’t fret. You can always head over to McKeen’s Hockey to check out scouting notes.

What do you think, NHL draft fans? What do you think of the prospects that McCagg has noted beyond the first round? Is it refreshing to hear a scout suggest that they’re prepared to rely on their eyes over stats when analyzing draft prospects?