I don't care if you scored 30 goals this season
The 5 skills college coaches actually evaluate in recruiting
Most families obsess over goals and assists. College coaches are watching something completely different.
The stats don’t tell the story
I genuinely don’t care if you scored 30 goals in your high school season. It doesn’t necessarily tell me if you can succeed at the college level.
The skills that actually separate college recruits from the rest rarely show up in statistics. They’re the details that determine whether an athlete can handle college pace, tactical complexity, and competitive intensity.
Here are five underrated skills that matter far more than most families realize.
1. Vision (prescan and scan)
What it is: Looking away from the ball before and after receiving it to assess your options.
Prescanning means checking your surroundings before the ball arrives. Scanning means checking again after your first touch.
Elite players know what they’re going to do with the ball before it reaches their stick. Average players figure it out after they receive it.
Why it matters: College pace is too fast to make decisions after you receive the ball. The defensive pressure arrives instantly. If you’re not prescanning, you’re already behind. If you don’t scan after receiving, turnovers follow.
Players with vision create space and tempo. They see the open teammate, the pressing defender, the space to carry into. Players without it slow everything down while they figure out what to do next.
What coaches see: Does the player’s head move before receiving? Are they aware of pressure coming from behind? Do they know their next move immediately?
The recruiting tell: At showcases, I watch players off the ball as much as on it. The ones constantly scanning - even when they’re not involved in the play - stand out immediately, especially if their on-ball actions match up well.
2. First touch (receiving to space)
What it is: Your first touch should set up your second action, not just control the ball.
An average first touch stops the ball. An elite first touch receives it into space - away from pressure, toward your target, with the right pace for your next move.
Why it matters: Your first touch determines everything that happens next. At the college level, you don’t get as many second chances. If your first touch is poor, the play breaks down. If it’s clean and directional, you create opportunities.
What coaches see: Does the ball stay within reach or bounce away under pressure? Do you receive into space or straight into a defender? Can you receive on both sides of your body?
The recruiting tell: Consistent first touch under pressure is a clear indicator of whether a player can handle college speed. If this technical fundamental isn’t consistent, the game plan can’t be executed.
3. Communication (organizing teammates)
What it is: Constant verbal direction - calling for the ball, directing teammate positioning, giving information about pressure.
Not just talking, but purposeful communication that makes your teammates better.
Why it matters: College tactics are complex and require real-time problem-solving from all players. Silent players might succeed individually, but they don’t make teams better.
The best players I coach are constantly organizing their teammates, especially when things break down and we need to solve problems on the fly.
What coaches see: Who’s directing traffic in transition? Who’s organizing the defensive shape? Who’s giving information to the player on the ball? Who is a silent player relying on individual skill versus a vocal player who elevates everyone around them?
The recruiting tell: It’s tough to teach someone to be vocal if they’ve spent years being quiet. Communication habits are built over time, and the longer you’ve been quiet on the field, the longer it’s going to take to undo it.
4. Transition speed (both ways)
What it is: How quickly you switch from defense to attack and attack to defense, both mentally and physically.
It’s not just about running fast. It’s about immediately recognizing the transition moment and acting on it.
Why it matters: Transition is a short but important part of the game - which is why coaches have principles of play for attacking, defending, and the switch from one to the other. The team that transitions faster, both ways, controls the game.
Attack-to-defense transition is especially revealing. When your team loses possession, do you immediately apply pressure, shape the other team’s attack and protect the inside of the field? Or do you jog back, hoping someone else handles it?
What coaches see: Who sprints back when possession is lost? Who creates immediate pressure after a turnover? Who recognizes the transition moment before it happens?
Work rate in transition reveals both competitive level and tactical understanding.
The recruiting tell: This skill is easy to evaluate because it’s binary - you either do it or you don’t. I’ve passed on talented players because their transition effort was inconsistent. I’ve recruited less talented players because they competed in every transition.
5. Playing without the ball (movement and positioning)
What it is: Creating passing lanes, making leads to get separation from defenders, and maintaining positioning when you don’t have possession.
Everything you do to impact the game when you don’t have the ball.
Why it matters: You have the ball maybe 3% of the game. The other 97% determines whether you’re recruitable.
Players who only come alive when they touch the ball are a liability at the college level. Players who constantly impact the game through movement and positioning are difference-makers.
What coaches see: Do you watch the ball or read the game? Do you make runs that pull defenders out of position? Do you create space for teammates?
At showcases, I often focus on one player for an entire half and watch everything they do without the ball. Their movement patterns, positioning choices, and awareness tell me far more than their highlights ever could.
The recruiting tell: Off-ball movement is the difference between a good club player and a college contributor. It’s also one of the hardest skills to develop if you haven’t been training it for years.
The bottom line
Goals and assists show up in highlight reels. These five skills show up in our recruiting notes. The athletes who develop them early create separation from competitors with similar physical tools and statistics.
If you want to know whether you’re ready for college recruiting, don’t count your goals. Ask yourself:
Do you scan before receiving? Is your first touch consistently clean under pressure? Are you constantly communicating? Do you compete in every transition? Are you impacting the game without the ball?
These are the skills that determine whether you get recruited, and whether you succeed once you arrive on campus.
Later this month, I’ll publish a deep dive on developing elite vision and first touch - with video examples from international hockey showing exactly what separates good receiving from great receiving. Stay tuned!