scouts gotta be banking on the 25 or so game seasons happening (i know that's the WHL's plan)

More of a crap shoot then ever. Will see several steals and busts.

Okay, so lets say a player gets really hot and plays well for 25 games, is that a true assessment of his future NHL talent/potential. I mean, I understand, guys that played at World Juniors did not have long NHL careers. I predict some players will be over and under evaluated. A good scout that does the extra work may pay off in find a good player. One example, in 2006, I was scouting a game at a tournament, the organizer asked if we would pick the 3 stars of the game. I scouted at the OHL/QMJHL level, to my left was a veteran NHL scout, he spent the entire 1st period talking about his golf game, he watched the 2nd period and by the 3rd he was in the scout room eating the free food. He came back out for the last 3 minutes and when they organizer came around to ask for the 3 stars of the game, he looked at my selections and circled my three players. My point is if a scout digs deeper he may find a gem.

I completely agree with you. I think the same thing, steals and busts.