National Men’s Hockey Advisor for Elite Junior Profiles
With over 40-years of coaching and scouting experience. Lincoln Flagg has been a household name in the world of junior hockey for quite some time now. A current coach and USPHL Jr. Canes General Manager, Flagg has recently joined Elite Jr Profiles as the National Men’s Hockey Advisor. Placing over 400 different players in college and professional settings, Flagg will be a tremendous asset moving forward!
As a former college hockey player himself, Lincoln Flagg knows exactly what it requires to take your game to the next level. Despite getting a late start, Flagg had the privilege of playing college hockey at the University of UMass-Amherst. Now a successful Division one program in the Hockey East Conference. Flagg has made plenty of connections over the years. As the National Men’s hockey advisor, Coach Flagg is here to find players who are interested in college and then develop them to get them there. “We use hockey as a tool to open some doors to some colleges that may or may have not been open before had they not had hockey.” There are so many different paths a player can take to get to the college level. All of these depend on different variables like, academics, economics, location, and of course their on-ice ability.
Now, that is where Lincoln Flagg comes in. With over 60 NCAA Division one programs, and over 80 Division II and III programs, trying to stick out is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Not that its impossible, yet without the proper tools and guidance you may never find it. With more than enough years of experience both coaching and playing, in juniors all the way to professionally. Flagg knows that there is more to hockey than just the game. When looking for players, Lincoln Flagg takes a simple approach to scouting. “As a former college coach, I look for players that I would want to play for me.” Whether this stretches from their character, to their work ethic, to their hockey IQ. Coach Flagg looks for those who are well rounded individuals, while at the same time benefitting the program on and off the ice.
Moving Up a Level
One of the things in scouting that players sometimes forget is the aspect of potential. Every kid growing up playing any sport wants to be the best, and they want it right away. When scouting players “It’s not necessarily where they are at that point when I look at them. But where can they be in the next few years given the right environment. Then its my job to find the right program that is going to be the right environment for them" said Coach Flagg.
Lincoln Flagg genuinely cares about his players. This is not a man who tries to advance players for his own resume. Instead, Flagg does his best to put each one of his players in the best position to succeed in the future. Whether that be in hockey, school, or life, they all translate to each other. “Ill never tell a player what to do. Ill never tell a player where to go. I tell them why I feel one option is better than the other.” With that, Flagg wants everyone of his players to be successful in life in general. One part that Coach Flagg harped on is that “this is about your future.” Flagg continued mentioning that this is more than about playing a sport. Where will you be by the time your 25, 26, 27-years old. When you are playing, you feel like you have all the time in the world. Unfortunately, that is not true. The sooner players can get on that mindset of how this will affect my future, the sooner they can truly mature in adults.
