Eric Fink is a simple man with simple pleasures. 

As a scout for the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks, Fink has whittled down what he desires from each foray into the hockey landscape into three solid examples.

“I like where I can get a good line of sight, a good concession stand and a nice restaurant or coffee shop nearby,” Fink said, adding that convenient parking is a nice bonus.

Any time these pieces of a scout's holy trinity of comfort can align is a win for Fink, whose work as a scout in a junior league comes with the added complications of not being a traditional route to the next level. 

Whereas scouts at certain levels identify talented players and pursue them, Fink’s identification process comes with a few caveats. 

“It’s not just who’s good,” Fink said. 

“It’s (finding) who has an actual interest in our league, who might fit in our league. We don’t get everybody that we always want.”

Since the 2011-2012 season, approximately 10 players have moved on from the Minnesota high school ranks early for opportunities in the WHL. 

The most recent players to make the move in 2017 thus far are Clay Hanus of Minnetonka to Portland and Bemidji’s Chase Hartje to Moose Jaw.

The players that Fink does want are creative with the puck, and use the bulk of their possessions as scoring opportunities as opposed to a series of serves and volleys.

“It’s frustrating to watch people dumping pucks, or throwing pucks aimlessly,” Fink said. 

“I don’t know how people think they’re going to be successful at the next level if they can’t carry a puck in or make a play with it at a lower level,” Fink continued.

Other skills that stand out in Fink’s mind are the same ones he says every scout has on their checklist. 

“Everybody’s looking for how well a guy skates and their hockey sense,” Fink explained. 

“(Scouts) try to get a feel for (players’) skill level and how hard they compete and what type of kid they are.”

On the negative side of the spectrum, Fink said that players who make poor choices habitually are the ones who throw up the reddest flags. 

"If guys show bad body language all the time, they treat their teammates poorly and you see that as a trend, those are bad signs.”