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The Calgary Flames have named Hakan Loob head European pro scout.

Here is what GM Brad Treliving had to say regarding the hiring of Loob:

“We want to grow our presence in Europe,’’ said Flames General Manager Brad Treliving. “It’s an area we want to expand. Hakan has a great eye for talent, he’s familiar with Europe and he’s a worker. This isn’t just because Hakan was a great Flame. He’s so well connected over there. Hakan Loob walks into a room and he’s well known and well respected.”

I really like the decision to grow the team's European network as players there are generally undervalued. A big reason for that is they don't get as much exposure as North American players. More scouts and viewings should help with that issue.

Uncovering hidden gems is important for any team, obviously, but especially so for one short on draft picks over the next couple years. It's going to be tough for the Flames to add a lot of talent there so they'll have to do to so in other ways. Finding quality European free agents would certainly help.

Loob seems like a solid bet to help them do just that. He served as GM of Farjestads BK for 11 years from 1996-2007. They made the playoffs eight times and won four titles during that span. He also served as President for almost a decade.

Loob is both experienced and successful. He clearly has a good eye for talent and should be a nice addition to an important area of the organization.

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