Daren Hermiston says Canucks use all departments to map prospect development

The Story

Vancouver Canucks Director, Player Personnel and Player Development Daren Hermiston joined the Canucks Insider Podcast to discuss how the organization approaches player development once a player is drafted.

Hermiston said that after a player is selected, he and the player development team gather information from the Canucks’ amateur scouting group, analytics group and sports science group to develop what he described as a “holistic picture” of the player, including sports psychology, sports science and skill information.

“You understand them from a sports psychology perspective, a sports science perspective, their skills, what our amateur staff said, what the analytics say. You understand the entire picture and have a relationship with each and every player,” Hermiston said. “It puts us in a better spot to help the players make decisions to reach the NHL, whether that's with the Canucks or not, but this entire picture becomes a lot clearer when you use each and every department.”

Hermiston also emphasized pacing development steps rather than pushing players ahead of schedule. He said the goal is for players to dominate at the level they are at before moving forward.

“If you speed them through their process, oftentimes it limits what their ceiling is because the higher levels you go in the American League or the NHL, it starts to become more and more difficult physically, it starts to potentially lower your ceiling if you do not have the puck enough,” Hermiston said. “These young guys often come into the pros, and they don't have the puck as much as they're used to, so it can potentially lower your ceiling if you don't go through the process correctly.”

Hermiston described the role as particularly important during a rebuild, saying he was drawn to the opportunity in Vancouver after 15-plus years as a player agent.

As part of that work, Hermiston said his player-agent approach—seeking elite traits and addressing below-average areas with development efforts—translates into his Canucks role. He also said early relationship-building helps ensure players and staff are aligned with long-term goals.

Hermiston said analytics used in player development go beyond goals and assists. He said young players often prioritize those numbers, but the Canucks aim to repurpose that mindset to value different metrics connected to becoming NHL players.

“That's kind of just how kids grow up. They play video games; they value numbers. Our goal as a group is to not change that thought process, but it's to repurpose that thought process in valuing maybe different numbers,” Hermiston said. “We would use the analytics department and use their data and information and pass it on to the players so that the players can start to value things that will make them NHLers as opposed to just goals and assists.”