The new Over the Boards

A lot like the old Over the Boards. Plus 40% off for all new subscribers

Oct 24, 2019

Today is the official launch of Over the Boards ‘premium’ — the paid side of this site — where I’m going to be writing about hockey prospects and more generally, the sport’s amateur side. That includes everything from youth hockey to the upper echelon programs of Division 1. To keep things manageable when it comes to the college game, I’ve been focusing on the Big Ten conference. This is going to be a fairly long post but I will try to keep it as concise as possible.

As of today there are two aspects of this site: a public (free) side, while I will be primarily focusing on the premium (paid) side, which is aimed at industry professionals and others who have a vested interest in keeping up with the game’s top amateur prospects. You can read about my past experience with Over the Boards here. To summarize it briefly, in the first half of this decade I travelled across the country, familiarizing myself with the youth hockey landscape and watching many of the game’s top American prospects. I’ve evaluated players “live” from California to Colorado, Chicago to Connecticut, Minnesota to Michigan and practically everywhere in between. All the while I was selling scouting information to teams from the NHL through Division 1 college, junior hockey as well as player agents and other parties.

Since then, I took some much-needed time off from the game and returned to giving it a lot of attention roughly a year ago. The prevalence of streaming video has made a digital ocean of amateur hockey footage (of varying quality) available, to the point that there is far more than any one person or scouting staff could possibly evaluate. My plan with Over the Boards is to make a dent in reviewing a good amount of available footage in a timely manner, minimizing travel costs for me while reviewing far more games than I ever could have previously. My first report this season is heavily based on five days spent live scouting in September, but the majority of the content here will be based on video footage. I have more trips in mind, but it remains to be seen if they will all materialize — my time is regularly exhausted from video alone.

This season will include some trial-and-error as I continue to fine-tune what works best. Especially in the early days all feedback from readers is greatly appreciated to help me provide the best product possible. With that said, before I get into some other plans, here are the focuses for this first season of coverage, in a general order of priority:

Top amateur prospects (committed and uncommitted), with a focus on those in the USHL as well as those playing in the lower levels of amateur hockey from youth hockey to prep school + the other junior leagues
The 2004 birth year in America (especially NTDP candidates)
The 2020 NHL Draft crop, with a focus on those who are headed to the NCAA
Big Ten and other Division 1 prospects

Some of the above will be available to the public by signing up for the free subscription on this site. The rest will be accessible to paying subscribers, also on this site. For future reference, you can easily get back here by typing news.tealhockey.net in your URL bar.

Other projects

I’ve also been experimenting with content on YouTube this year, as I have built up a substantial collection of prospect video clips that will only grow with time. The videos will vary from prospect footage to educational content discussing everything from how to play the game as well as how to make decisions with regard to amateur hockey, development and more. The YouTube channel can be found at www.overtheboards.tv.

In addition, I will be putting out audio content which you can find here, as well as on that YouTube and Spotify. I started my podcast this summer, the first episode was discussing the 2019 NHL Draft and I will continue to produce episodes when I have more to talk about. It will all be in the same vein as the rest of my content here and elsewhere.

Lastly, with this page and the other new projects coming together, I’ve created my new tealhockey.net website (www.tealhockey.net), to serve as a hub for all of my hockey-related work. You can find links to all of the mentioned channels and a resources section. If you run a high-level tournament or showcase that you want to be featured publicly there, I will gladly host the relevant information if you contact me by email ahead of time: jasper@tealhockey.net.

In general, I plan to make my new platforms into a resource for not just hockey professionals but also players and their families who want to educate themselves on the amateur hockey landscape. It can all seem extremely convoluted and overwhelming, especially for new-comers, but it is fairly simple when you get into it. To that end I’ve been interviewing prominent figures in the amateur hockey landscape. I will continue to do more interviews in an effort to portray different perspectives and opinions when it comes to amateur player’s options.

For those who will be subscribing to the paid side of this site, there is a launch month deal available through October 30, 2019. The launch deal is 40% off for a full year, which can be applied to either a monthly or yearly subscription. This deal will be applied automatically if you subscribe before the expiration date.

Get 40% off for 1 year

If you work for a team or hockey program I will add access for another person on your team as well. NHL, NCAA Division 1 and junior hockey teams from the USHL, NAHL, USPHL or CHL can redeem a 24-hour free trial by reaching out to me — see my contact information below.

In time I may develop cheaper, general content for hockey fans and prospect enthusiasts, but in this first season with other projects in the works, I just don’t have time to produce something like that. There will still be plenty of free content.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who has read or supported my work in the past, whether you are a long-time reader from over the years or a new reader. I look forward to the rest of the season and appreciate all readers, free and paid. If you have stories, prospects or other topics you think I should be watching and discussing here, I’m all ears: reach me by email (jasper@tealhockey.net), direct message on Twitter or Instagram (@overtheboards), or by replying to an email from this newsletter.

With that finished, here is a list of content available (with the full archive here), starting with what is available to paid subscribers as of today:

2019-20 Paid Coverage

U16 NJ Avs Showcase Review - Oct. 24, 2019

U15 and U18 Avs Showcase Notebook - Oct. 24, 2019

USHL: Fargo x Sioux Falls, Des Moines x Lincoln - Oct. 24, 2019

2019-20 Public Coverage

October 2019

Seventeen Standouts from the NJ Avalanche Showcase

Thoughts from the Wisconsin sweep over Duluth + more

News from the Big Ten and More

Two Must-Watch Prospects For Every Big Ten Team

Big Ten Week Zero Power Rankings (Podcast)

USHL Top 5 Power Rankings (Podcast)

Nearly 120 NCAA Prospects on NHL Central Scouting

BU x Union

September 2019

Prospect Currents: USHL Fall Classic, KUA add Adam Fantilli

Three Big Ten Schools in Zack Bolduc's Top Five + Other B1G News

Recruiting Notes from a Weekend in New Jersey

North Jersey Avalanche 16s Steal the Show at AYHL Showcase

Mid-Late Summer 2019

News in the Big Ten: Summer of 2019

Prospect Currents: Summer of 2019

2019-20 Big Ten Fantasy Draft

General News from the Summer of '19

Stand-outs from the WNY College Prep Showcase

NJ Devils Red - White Game Report

Tealcast Ep. 00: 2019 NHL Draft (Podcast)

Last year’s coverage, which was mostly writings on the Big Ten alongside the lower levels of amateur hockey are all free as well. You can find the archive by clicking here.