After 23 years as a university head coach, Trevor Stienburg has welcomed the more temperate lifestyle of an NHL scout.
“I can get in a car, go watch some games and I don’t have to lose my s---,” the former Saint Mary’s Huskies bench boss bluntly said in a recent interview.
The 54-year-old, who stepped down in June as the longest-serving – and winningest (369 victories) – hockey coach in school history, was hired last week by the NHL expansion Seattle Kraken to be their amateur scout in the Maritimes.
The Kraken will participate in their first NHL draft in 2021. Mike Dawson, who played for SMU in Stienburg’s first season as coach, is a full-time scout for the Seattle franchise and recommended Stienburg to Kraken general manager Ron Francis.
“I got hired because a lot of teams’ scouts can’t get in the (Atlantic) bubble,” Stienburg said. “Obviously, it’s an important time for Seattle right now with their first draft. They phoned me up and asked if I was interested in covering the Maritimes. I probably don’t need to travel as much as I am but I enjoy it.
“I’m watching at least two games a week. That’s not necessarily mandatory for me but I’m either in or out. I don’t want to do just an OK job. I want to do my best.”
Last week, he took in a Halifax Mooseheads game on Thursday and then shared a ride with another former Huskies player – Jim Midgley, who scouts for the Philadelphia Flyers – and caught games in Saint John on Friday and Bathurst the following night.
Bird dogs consider a number of factors when scouting a potential prospect. But for Stienburg, it comes down to “skating, skill set, hockey sense and compete level.”
“Those are four big boxes to check if you want to be a pro,” Stienburg said.
“I love players that compete. But if a driver in a car is aggressive and is the best driver out there, that won’t matter if the car can’t handle well and can’t reach the same speeds as the other cars in the race.”
I can go do something during the day and then go scout a game, whereas if I had a game, it would all-out consume me
While projected first-rounders will always attract talent evaluators, it’s regional scouts like Stienburg who find the hidden gems, the potential late-round picks. It’s Stienburg’s job to collect the data on those players and send the information and recommendations back up the ladder.
It can be a demanding profession. But nowhere near as laborious as running a university sports program like men’s hockey.
“I can go do something during the day and then go scout a game, whereas if I had a game, it would all-out consume me and I’d put too much time into it,” Stienburg recalled.
“It’s definitely a change of pace. I have my son, my daughter, my mom and dad, my personal life which I won’t say I neglected but it was time to really value things like watching my son play or travel with my daughter and see my parents. That wasn’t an option for me before when I was so bogged down.
“When you’re coaching, you’re worried about your games all week and then those games take away your weekends. Now, during the week, I’m writing reports and I’m actually excited to go to the games. I enjoy it.”
Stienburg took over the SMU program in 1997 and immediately turned it back into a winner.
He was named Canadian university hockey coach of the year three times, including back-to-back in 1999 and 2000, the only coach ever to achieve that honour.
The Huskies were crowned Atlantic university champions three times under Stienburg (2002, 2009 and 2010) and captured a national title in 2010.
I can’t say I won’t get back to coaching. I could jump back in with more energy than people could handle.
SMU reached the University Cup national championship last March in Halifax and won its quarter-final opener on the tournament’s first night. But that would be the last game of the championship, which was cancelled that night because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After 23 years, I just stand back and think about the awesome people I met and last year, of all years, I just loved that group,” said Stienburg, a first-round (15th overall) NHL draft pick by the Quebec Nordiques in 1984. (His playing career was cut short because of chronic shoulder injuries.)
“But it got to the point where I asked myself, ‘Do I need a rest here? Am I at my best?’ I’ll be honest, I didn’t think for the last couple years I was at my best. I was cranky. I had strong ideas where I wanted to take the program but there were constraints. In U Sports, you have so much on your plate to worry about. But 23 years was a long time and it was nice to step back.”
Has he permanently shut the door on coaching?
“It’s not something I can answer,” Stienburg replied. “I didn’t think I would get into scouting and I’ve realized how refreshing it is.
“I can’t say I won’t get back to coaching. I could jump back in with more energy than people could handle. But it’s not something I’m looking to do even if I’m refreshed and recharged. I just have to put other people in my life ahead of me and enjoy things and slow things down.”