Scouting and management staff from Hockey Canada were prevalent in Whitehorse throughout the two weeks of the Canada Winter Games, and by the time the medals were handed out and the tournament officially came to a close, one thing had become clear.

This hockey-mad country is in good hands when it comes to the future of our beloved game.

'I was really impressed actually,' said Jim Hammett, Hockey Canada's head scout for Canada's national junior and national under-18 men's teams. 'That age category (U-16) is terrific. There was a lot of potential in that group.'

With several men's and women's games sold out, spectators at Takhini Arena were treated to some fantastic hockey during the Canada Games, particularly in the medal rounds. Offensive stars like Ontario's Steven Stamkos and British Columbia's Kyle Beach put on a show while defencemen like Quebec's Yann SauvÈ and Ontario's Michael Del Zotto did their best to stop them.

Hammett said the Games are really the ground level for Hockey Canada, where the scouting staff start identifying players for the national teams.

Of course, it's also the perfect opportunity for junior, university and even NHL scouts to get a really good look at the top prospects.

'I think we're all looking for the same things,' said Hammett, a former scout for the Colorado Avalanche. 'Number one, can they skate and also, do they have good character to them ... work ethic, intensity and how they conduct themselves off the ice.'

Scouting, he added, is all projection. A player might not be the same a year or two from now, so a lot of it is doing your your homework and researching each player's background.

Goaltenders can be particularly tough to key in on, because so much of the position is mental. That's why Hockey Canada brought in former NHL netminder Corey Hirsch as a consultant this year.

'I'm a big believer that goalies ID goalies better,' stated Hammett. 'They can see the little things that maybe other people wouldn't see. Corey has done a good job with our program.'

While he hates to toss out specific numbers, Hammett estimated there were 40 to 50 players at the Canada Games that peaked his interest. That doesn't mean they'll all get a shot to attend a national camp, but a good number of them likely will.

After a full season of watching major midget and junior hockey, and now the Canada Games, Hammett said he's pretty much done in terms of compiling a possible list for the Hockey Canada U-18 summer team selection and development camp. The Games were kind of the final ranking process.

The scouting staff won't make the decision on who will actually be on the invitee list until at least a few months from now, although Hammett admitted players like Stamkos, Beach, Del Zotto and SauvÈ are pretty much locks.

'Things would have to go terribly wrong for them not to make it.'

Hockey Canada staff for the women's event were equally impressed with what they saw over the week-long competition in Whitehorse.

Julie Healy, the director of female hockey for the national sports organization, said the Games were a great place to help start what she hopes will be a successful new U-18 women's program, to supplement the current U-22 program.

'This is really the entry level to high performance women's hockey. This is a good kickoff for us, because we're hoping to start the U-18 program in the summer.'

Healy expects many of the players that competed in Whitehorse will make up the new development program, especially those standouts like Ontario's Jennifer Wakefield, Saskatchewan's Kylie Rossler and Alberta's Cassea Schols.

Healy said her staff has thousands of players to chose from, but they're looking for those players that want to be elite athletes.

'Obviously, skating is a priority. Then it's a combination of skill, smarts and some intangibles. Everybody brings little bits and pieces. Every team has players that catch your eye and bring that skill set. You just try to find the best.'

While some may move up to the U-22 program in the next couple of years, Healy said it's unlikely they'll be challenging for a spot on the senior national team for at least several years. The average age of Canada's 2006 women's Olympic team was 26.

At 14, 15, 16, or 17 years of age, the athletes who competed at the Canada Games are still eight or nine years away, said Healy.

'The bulk of these kids will challenge for spots in 2014.'

In the meantime, they'll continue playing on professional teams in places like the Ontario Women's Hockey Association or the Western Women's Hockey League, challenging for the ESSO Women's National Championship.

Many of them will head off to college or university on scholarship once they graduate from high school.

'These girls are scouted from the time they're at least 15 years old,' said Team Ontario coach Dave St. Germain, following his team's gold medal victory. 'We have seven or eight girls on this team already committed to scholarship opportunities in the (U.S.).

'NCAA rules prohibit schools from talking to these girls until July, but I think the rest will be snapped up pretty quickly then.'

For some of the men who played at the Games, there will be similar college or university opportunities once they're done playing junior hockey. The elite will end up representing their country at the junior world championships in a couple of years.

Those like Stamkos, said Hammett, will be looked to as the next wave of NHL superstars.

'When you see the NHL draft next year, I expect a number of these kids from the Games are going to go very high.'