RED DEER, Alberta -- The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup may not mark the return of hockey for all or even most of the sport's fans, but its status as the unofficial start of the scouting season isn't up for debate. You pick up that first lineup sheet, and it's like you're turning the first page on a brand new draft.

It's not like most of these players are new to the scouts and executives in attendance. They trace their work on these players back two, sometimes three years. But it is the first opportunity to see where they stand going into the most critical year of hockey to that point in their careers. Now the games really start to matter.

What I'm saying is that this tournament is kind of a big deal. And given the weight of this tournament, my colleague J.D. Burke and I have set up shop at the Peavey