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In episode 337 of the Glass and Out Podcast, we welcome Rod Braceful, Director of Player Personnel for the US National Team Development Program.

Braceful is responsible not only for identifying the top teenage talent from across the US, but also for helping assemble the U17 and U18 National Teams. If it all plays out as intended, these players will eventually go on to represent the US at the Olympics and other best-on-best competitions.

He was recently named General Manager of Team USA for the upcoming IIHF U18 World Championships in Slovakia. He previously held the same role for the US National Team that took home gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer.

Prior to his current role, Braceful spent two seasons on the scouting staff with the Chicago Blackhawks and got his start in the USHL, first as a scout for the Sioux Falls Stampede and later as Director of Scouting for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Listen as he shares his approach to player evaluation, the identity portion of hockey IQ, and the importance of processing under pressure.

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 TCS Live
• 2:00 Scouting/evalujating routine
• 6:30 Forming an opinion on a player
• 9:50 Learning from past misses
• 13:45 Don’t box players in
• 17:30 Shifting criteria for players
• 21:50 Evaluating processing speed
• 24:30 Fair evaluations
• 28:00 Separating skill for elite players
• 31:30 Building blocks for competitive roster
• 37:35 Start of scouting career
• 41:45 Intro to hockey/pursuing a career
• 45:30 Mom’s influence
• 50:10 Navigating tough decisions
• 54:35 Advocating for a player
• 56:25 Cultural changes for success
• 58:30 Advice for coaches