The 2023 NHL Goalie Draft Rankings - Last Minute Read Edition
It’s that time of year again where teams get the chance to add an influx of goalie talent into their system via the draft. Whether it’s a swing for the fences or the 1G of the future, it’s an exciting time for all including the goalies who will be drafted. Scouting goalies is the easy part. All you have to do is watch and point out everything that they’re doing. The tough part is projecting them into the NHL when there are so many factors at play with the biggest one being where is the NHL in terms of what goalies need skill wise to succeed. The game is getting faster but defensive systems are also becoming a big factor in how goalies find success in the NHL. The best defensive teams can insulate their goalies to extreme success just look at Carolina, Toronto in the regular season, the Avalanche Cup run, and the Vegas Cup run as some examples. So even if a goalie prospect has a large flaw it might not matter if they end up on the right team, in the right defensive situation. That’s partly the purpose of the prospect pyramid tiers to give yourself (and myself) a better idea as to what path to the NHL each prospect is on. So let’s get to it!
1. Carson Bjarnason, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), 6’ 3”/181lbs, 06/30/05
This was honestly a tough choice of potential vs what’s been proven. Trey Augustine has proven the high end goalie prospect he is but what Carson Bjarnason has is the potential every NHL team should be wanting. He has everything you want in a goalie. Whether he’s using his inner edges or outer edges his mobility is very good. He’s not a goalie you need to worry about getting around the crease in any situation. Shows a good level of agility especially for a goalie his size and it’s controlled as well meaning you don’t need to worry about him having happy feet. He’ll hold his edges and be in the proper position. He's got quick reflexes that you love to see on a goalie with his frame to the point where he has a better chance than most on deflections.
Another plus in his favour is he’s an intelligent goalie. He does very well in where he positions himself in the crease and how he plays situations. His reads of the play ensure that he doesn’t need to rely on his physical skills to bail him out of situations he shouldn’t need to be bailed out of. His tracking is another big asset for him as he sees shots very well and is able to make active saves consistently leading to very good rebound control. Now where he struggles is in his ready stance. He likes playing with a wide base and getting low. This takes away part of his size advantage and takes away the advantage of his outer edges. Luckily this is easily fixable which is where the potential part comes in. He fixes this issue and he’s essentially everything you want in a modern day NHL goalie.
When it comes to translating is game into the NHL the teams looking to draft him won't find it too difficult to fit him in. Teams who play a chaotic defensive style won't see the best out of Bjarnason. He can find success it just won't look pretty. Behind even a moderately well structured defensive team Bjarnason will look great. If he's seeing or partially seeing shots it's going to make it easy on the defense, east-west passes or low-high passes he can handle just fine, and 1v1 situations if he can fix his stance he'll look very good in those too. NHL teams should always be planning on building the best defense possible if they want to compete and with Bjarnason you're not forced into playing a particular way defensively, just play good defensively.
2. Trey Augustine, US NTDP U18 (USHL), 6’ 1”/179lbs, 02/23/05
The US NTDP program as done it again, another highly talented goalie is coming out of the program and is looking like another Drew Commesso. For those that don’t know what this comparison means it means that Trey Augustine is a high end goalie prospect who plays a modern style. As mentioned above the only reason really is that Bjarnason has the edge in potential and can reasonably reach that potential while Augustine’s ceiling is a bit lower. They’re in the same Tier though so it’s not like we’re taking a huge stance here. So what makes Augustine the high end modern day NHL goalie he is?
His edge work is untouched by any other prospect in this draft. Whether he’s using his inner edges or outer edges he’s going to keep up with the play with ease and very rarely end up out of position. He’s just never out of play because he can zip right over to give himself a chance on the play. The agility he shows can reach astounding levels. Once he gets moving he can be a blur in the crease. This extends to his reaction speed as well where he’s very capable of flashing a leg, toe, glove out of nowhere to make a save. He’s also very strong positionally and while his frame is on the below average side he does a very good job in mitigating that size issue.
The size issue does still pose a problem though. How big of a problem is a bit hard to tell. There’s going to be goals scored because he just doesn’t have the size to reach that extra inch or take up a bit more space to prevent that deflection from going in. He’s also going to stop a lot because of his already mentioned physical skills and positioning but none of that would matter if he wasn’t as smart as he was. He does a really great job at approaching every situation to the best of his abilities. He just doesn’t put himself at a disadvantage. The situation might be to his disadvantage but it’s once in a blue moon where he’ll actually put himself in a bad spot. He makes the job of defending in front of him easy because he’ll make the first save, the shot will end up in a non-dangerous area, you don’t have to worry about him scrambling, and a lot of shot situations he’ll thrive in. He’s a coaches dream as long as the coach isn’t dreaming of a 6’ 3”+ goalie.
3. Scott Ratzlaff, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), 6’ 0”/174lbs, 03/25/05
The first big hot take of the draft rankings? Sometimes when you really like what a goalie prospect brings to the table you have a sense of hope and belief that are high. NHL teams are always looking for goalies who can win games, who can handle the big moments. While Ratzlaff is in the “lots of NHL skill, need to prove more” tier of goalie prospects he’s proven a fair bit already. At the start of the season he took over the 1G spot for Team Canada at the Hlinka Cup backstopping Canada in a way that was reminiscent of Carey Price in 2014. Just be a trusted, calm goalie that ensures the opposing team gets a shot and that’s it on each offensive possession. It’s easier to play good offensive and defensive hockey when you know you’re goalie is going to do his job. Look at what Ratzlaff did when Thomas Milic was gone to the WJC’s, had a 0.833 QS% and 0.934 SV% when taking over the 1G position. And this was a Seattle team that also lost other teammates to the WJC. If you want to see a microcosm of Ratzlaff watch him face down Connor Bedard and come out the victor multiple times at the CHL Top Prospects Game.
Enough of the anecdotal evidence though and let’s talk about what Ratzlaff does on the ice that has translated to such a successful season. First and foremost he’s not a goalie that is easily rattled or ever just rattled in general. He doesn’t care who is staring him down on a high danger scoring opportunity he’s going to hold his edges and force you to make the first move. He holds his edges and stands tall, doesn’t even go into a low base until the play is almost right on top of him which helps to really mitigate the size disadvantage. What might be his most impressive skill is his ability to react so fast that even Bedard with his great release couldn’t just beat him with a fast shot. If Ratzlaff can see the puck he’s going to be able to make the save. He backs this up by having very good positioning where he sets himself up for success.
If you’re the size of Ratzlaff you don’t have a large margin of error if you’re off on your angle or positioning. You have to be nearly as perfect as possible in your positioning or there’s going to be extra net to shoot at. This is what helps lead to the success that Ratzlaff has seen this season. He’s also a very mobile goalie which is how he’s getting into position and then get’s set. Without his ability to get set so quickly he wouldn’t be able to react to shots the way he does. He does have a good level of agility, you’re just not going to see him use it in the same way Augustine will or how the best goalies use their inner edges. Like Augustine there’s going to be a question about how much his size will limit him. The increase in ice time is also going to be watched closely especially since he’ll no longer be on a super team. Ratzlaff is going to have to deal with more of the chaos that comes with junior hockey and how he deals with it will show what kind of goalie he is moving forward.
4. Jacob Fowler, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), 6’ 1”/215lbs, 11/24/04
Sometimes awards and accolades are very nice but ultimately don’t mean a whole lot in terms of trying to pick the best NHL draft prospects. A USHL Clark Cup Championship, Clark Cup Playoff MVP, USHL 1st Team All-Star, and USHL Top Goalie Award doesn’t mean Jacob Fowler will be a NHL goalie one day but they certainly give you a lot of hope that he will. Possibly the most successful season out of every draft eligible goalie (Thomas Milic probably comes closest) & he did it playing a style of play that you can see translating to the NHL. You feel a lot better about a goalie’s ability to translate when they play a modern NHL style and rack up a lot of awards/accomplishments.
Fowler is another goalie who plays with an upright stance because he’s quite good at using his outer edges to move around the crease thereby keeping up with the play without the need of using quite a few slides and to mitigate his size disadvantage. Fowler can’t afford a low base that brings him down often so he understands the importance of not giving space over the shoulders. He’s a goalie with a strong technical sense of the game and really likes to lean into that strength. His ability to use his outer edges to get him into position quickly ensure he’s providing the puck carrier with a tough target to shoot around and nothing to shoot through. Even while he’s moving his structure stays strong so he’s still not offering the shooter additional space to shoot at.
He has some decent reflexes/reaction speed to back up his high level of positioning as well. It’s not to the same level as an Augustine or Ratzlaff which is why you’ll see him lean on his positioning a bit more than you would the three goalies in front of Fowler leading to a bit more rebounds landing in front. Fowler is also smart enough to know that he simply doesn’t have the higher end type of shot tracking necessary to have a high level of consistency in making active saves so he opts to still make the save. He’s just creating a rebound he generally does well at getting back in front of mitigating the downsides that come with the use of a blocking style. Fowler rounds out a four-goalie group where you’ll have your best chance at finding a 1G without the need to ensure he’ll still fit your teams defensive structure extremely well. Fowler will still need some favourable conditions to make it to the NHL such as structured play in front of him, a team good at clearing rebounds, and a team that can limit cross crease passes.
5. Michael Hrabal, Omaha Lancers (USHL), 6’ 6”/216lbs, 01/20/05
We’re at the start of the next tier and if Scott Ratzlaff being the 3rd highest ranked goalie is a hot track, one might consider Michael Hrabal being at 5th quite the hot take as well. Hrabal had a year that scouts generally love. Comes over from Europe, struggles at first to adapt to North American ice, then once he’s comfortable goes on an absolute run at the end of the season. Doing this while also being on one of the worst teams in the USHL is definitely another point in his favour. He’s a fascinating goalie prospect and one of the hardest ones to place on this list to the point where this tier was essentially created just for him.
If there’s a goalie that really knows how to use their massive frame it’s Hrabal. He knows how big he is, how much net he covers and how little he needs to move in order to keep maximum net coverage. He uses his outer edges well to ensure he’s only having to make short movements across short distances. He has the leg strength and ability to dig in with his edges to be explosive to get in front of a puck. Hrabal will use his inner edges to control his slides or control his movement when he gets into a wide base though he needs momentum to give himself the ability to move quickly around the crease on his inner edges.
So when you’re up against a giant goalie (aka Hrabal) who is capable of keeping up with the play without giving up his positioning and is usually presenting a wall of equipment, how do you beat him? You can try going 1v1, you versus Hrabal to see if your release was faster then a NHLer. Issue there is Hrabal has very good reflexes and can make very fast saves in close with an active save selections. The ways you beat Hrabal is the reason he and this tier exist. One of the ways to go about it, and the easiest aspect for Hrabal to improve on, is to force Hrabal to rotate. Any medium to big rotations puts Hrabal at a big disadvantage as he’s forced in the moment to either be off-angle for the shot or end up in position noticeably later than he should be. The other way is make passes in the medium to long range areas of the offensive zone. Hrabal struggles so much in reading passes that you can notice him stutter step before moving to get into position. If you can build a team that baits teams into playing around the crease then Hrabal will fit your team extremely well. If the game ends up with a lot of east-west play or low-high plays than Hrabal won’t be as nearly effective as he could be.
6. Adam Gajan, Chippewa Steel (NAHL), 6’ 3”/176lbs, 06/05/04
Yes it’s finally everyone’s favourite WJC goalie! The WJC Top Goalie Adam Gajan came out of pretty much nowhere then. Gajan wasn’t even the 1G for Slovakia to start the WJC’s yet ended up coming oh close at beating the Canadians. Now we’ve see high end performances at the WJC before from goalies such as Denis Godla but has yet to be translated into NHL success. Gajan might be one of the rare few where an out of the blue amazing tournament performance actually leads to NHL success. If you’re a fan of goalies who love to play on their inner edges to just to make the biggest looking saves than here he is! It’s little wonder Gajan loves playing on his inner edges because of just how elite he is at using them. Strong, powerful pushes to give him a highly explosive element to his game meaning he can come out of seemingly nowhere to make the save. He has good outer edge work as well but doesn’t rely on it as maybe he should as once an opponent gets to the medium range part of the ice Gajan likes to get quite low in his stance and react to plays in close, often using his inner edges to quickly get over ensuring the bottom of the ice is completely sealed taking away the easy shot and forcing a much harder high angle shot that will more than likely be sent over the net. He does fine holding his edges and if he does drop too early he’s usually able to make up for it because he’s dropping if the puck carrier is in close in which case he’ll be able to react quickly due to his inner edges ability. So the puck carrier even if they find some space to go around Gajan might not have that opening for long. With the way that he plays he’s capable of making active saves though usually only on long range shots as when he gets into his low stance it’s more blocking saves than active ones which he can handle as with his size and inner edges he’ll just get himself back into position. Like Hrabal his ability to read passes is a struggle so he’s much better when he only needs to react to the play rather than trying to read it and know what’s about to happen. You’ll notice this is how he handles passes by committing to the slide and thereby committing to the immediate shot. The team drafting Gajan can count on him being able to handle passes and chaos in close which is not something most goalies are good at. Can’t let teams walk in and take their time picking their shot, you’ll need to force the pass and an immediate shot. Medium danger area passes that go east-west you’ll want to cut down on too.
7. Stanlislav Berezhnoy, Omskie Yastreby (MHL), 6’ 4”/218lbs, 07/06/03
For teams who watched the Vegas Golden Knights and Adin Hill win a Stanley Cup, the idea of finding their own hulking goalie who they can insulate well all the way to a championship is fresh and very intriguing. Not to mention NHL teams just love themselves a big goalie prospect. For the teams looking for the next Adin Hill look no further than Stanlislav Berezhnoy. He’s the closest thing to an Adin Hill clone both in size and playstyle. He’s already further along in is development than other goalies as he’s an 03-birth year so that will interest teams as well who might want to plug a goalie hole a bit earlier than the usual timeline. From a Crease Giants Scouting Report: “Uses a hybrid stance with a wide base with the upper body remaining upright which has him taking up a lot of space. Struggles to generate power on is knees using is inner edges needing either multiple pushes or will take awhile to slide to where he needs to be. When forced to use his inner edges even when on his feet it’s a near desperation move. Outer edges provide him a good level of mobility allowing him to keep up with the play though would like to see smoother movement. Noticeable lack of agility. Has fine reaction speed where it’ll get him by in most situations but not something that can be relied on. Does very well holding his edges until the shot is taken or he needs to go into a slide.
Shows he knows how to properly integrate into his posts though would like to see him be quicker at it. Does very well in tracking the puck and rarely loses track of it in any situation. Recoveries are fine though would like to see some added quickness. Makes good reads which allows him to position himself well to react to any situation and not need to rely on his lack of agility as well as hold his edges. Does well in seeing the shot being taken but often prefers to block the shot rather than use an active save selection leading to some juicy rebounds. Keeps his structure intact while moving to a high level of success. Has a strong technical sense in knowing how to approach each situation in a positional sense in terms of where is positioned and how his body is positioned.”
8. Noah Erliden, HV71 J20 (J20 Nationell), 5’ 11”/170lbs, 09/09/05
The youngest goalie in this draft and one of the smallest too comes the goalie who tip toes the line of how small is too small for a goalie in the NHL? Noah Erliden has a skill set very similar to Trey Augustine’s which made it ever better when they played each other at the men’s U18 WJC’s for Gold. Erliden didn’t see a lot of play in the J20 Nationell as he was in the 2G role. However he took the reigns as the 1G for Sweden in their U18 play and he just didn’t disappoint. He ended this year with two silver medals (Hlinka/U18’s) as well as being named to the U18 WJC’s All-Star team and the U18 WJC’s Top Goalie. Every year there’s a goalie or two that is super talented but the question is always asked is there enough talent there to overcome the size disadvantage?
How Erliden overcomes his size disadvantage comes in many different forms. The most noticeable, and most exciting, is just how quick he is no matter what he is doing. If he’s using his inner or outer edges the result is the same, he’s zooming all over the net. If he needs to quickly flash a glove or pad it’ll be there before the puck gets there the vast majority of the time. Going back to his movement it is especially great to watch because he really understands he needs to stay on his feet as much as possible and he can trust this aspect of his game because he’s outer edges are great. Then once he gets to his knees or goes into a slide it’s still very difficult to beat him because he’s able to generate power on his inner edges and they’re so controlled he can stop on a dime about as well as any player does.
If he was all about just being fast and relying on his overall quickness then he wouldn’t be this high on the list if at all! What Erliden also brings to the table is very smart positional/technical play. He knows his size and he knows the angles of the puck. He knows where he needs to be to take up just enough net that he won’t get beat except by the most elite shots. Even while he’s moving Erliden isn’t offering up anything more, it’s extremely rare to put a puck through Erliden in any situation. The Swedish goalie development system always manages to produce technical elite goalies and Erliden is another of them. None of this would be possible either if he hadn’t managed to find a way to see pucks at the high level which he has. Unless you have a multiple layer screen Erliden is seeing the puck, getting in front of it and more than likely actively moving it into a non-dangerous area. What teams will have to contend with is Erliden’s size disadvantage means certain situations are going to be more dangerous to him. Situations such as shots through screens or deflections. He’s not going to stop many just by a part of his body being in the right place at the right time. He needs to make the save and can’t just rely on positioning. Also he’s vulnerable on most passes. Any time he’s not covering a part of the net, that part of the net is going to be more difficult for him to get to make that save compared to the majority of goalies who are all bigger than him.
9. Jan Korec, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL), 6’ 0.5”/187lbs, 28/09/04
This was a tricky one. He almost ended up in the same tier as Scott Ratzlaff and Jacob Fowler. He’s a tier behind though because a goalie his size needs to be a certain level of agile/quick and Korec is underneath it. Not by much but by a noticeable enough amount. He’s reminiscent of Alex Nedeljkovic who had a lot of skills necessary to make the NHL but his small frame and just didn’t have a high enough level of agility so while the Carolina Hurricanes could insulate him to a high level of success, he floundered with the Detroit Red Wings. If your team ends up with Korec he’s still a good goalie prospect with enough skill to give you hope but there’s a reason he’s in this tier.
From a Crease Giants Scouting Report:
“Keeps his legs upright with upper body being compact and his hands forward in is stance. Has good outer edges as he’s capable of keeping up with the play without needing to use a lot of slides with the only improvement you’d want is for the movement to be smoother. Shows very good reaction speed as there’s few instances he’s not able to react to quick enough. Rotations need improvement to see success at higher levels. Does really well holding his edges. Not the most agile though makes up for it by putting himself in good situations. By not having high level ability or rotations he leaves himself vulnerable to high royal road and passes on the rush. Very quick knee recoveries. Struggles to generate power from inner edges but does very well in using them to stop immediately. Is able to generate some explosiveness using his outer edges.
He’s an intelligent and aware puck handler. Does well at tracking the puck even through screens though would like to see more improvement in looking on the correct side of screens. Generally does well maintaining his depth rarely ever looking too deep or too shallow. Has a strong technical sense as he positions himself well and does well in his post integration. Shot tracking is strong and with his fast reflexes he’s able to often use an active save selection to have a high level of rebound control. Does well in reading the play which is how he’s able to put himself in good situations to react and where he needs to go efficiently. Does very well in keeping his structure intact while moving.”
10. Tomas Suchanek, Tri-City Americans (WHL), 6’ 2”/181lbs, 30/04/03
This finally feels like the year Tomas Suchanek is drafted. There were a bunch of goalies hurt by COVID in terms of it making teams apprehensive about selecting them because of a lack of games, lack of views, questionable development time, etc. Tomas Suchanek should have been drafted in is draft year, was passed over last draft despite looking good on a bad Tri-City team & taking the 1G spot at the U20 WJC’s, and now after a big year in which he made the Tri-City Americans relevant while also taking the Czech’s to the U20 WJC Gold Medal Game, he’ll finally hear his name called. He’s going to be a very good addition for a team looking to bolster their pro goalie depth chart immediately as he’ll be graduating the WHL and should be given the opportunity to be a 2G in the AHL somewhere.
Suchanek has an average frame and plays a modern style of goaltending. He often sticks to his upright stance as his ready stance and really only lets his base get wide when the play gets in-close. He does a very good job at moving around on his outer edges and limiting the need for slides or a lot of inner edge usage. His inner edges are good but he’s at his best when moving around on his outer edges and he knows it. He knows the longer he stays on is feet the bigger his average frame looks. And he has a good set of reactions/reflexes to back all of that up. What you also like about him is he can generate some explosive pushes to get him across on in close passes as well.
Like essentially any goalie that needs to make it on this list, let alone this high, is you have to have a good technical game especially if your physical skills aren’t elite. Suchanek has good to very good physical skills just not elite ones to carry him. This year saw Suchanek really find comfort and consistency in how he applies his technical skills. He does very good at positioning himself for current and future success. He’s shown he can handle any situation positionally as well. His structure is consistently strong too turning his average frame into a bit more of a threat. What’s the downside with Suchanek? There’s no high end agility there he can rely on. His game is very mental based and he needs to keep the consistency up when he has to deal with the chaos in the AHL. He’ll have to learn how to deal with inconsistent game time in the AHL to keep his timing the same. If he can handle that there’s a path to the NHL there.
11. Thomas Milic, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), 6’ 0”/174lbs, 14/04/03
Possibly the hottest draft overager available and with a trophy case this season to challenge what Jacob Fowler did. Thomas Milic won U20 WJC Gold, WHL Championship, WHL Playoff MVP, and WHL Top Goalie. Like his goalie partner Scott Ratzlaff, if NHL teams want to draft a goalie that is proven to be a positive impact on winning teams then Milic is their guy. He’s also in the same boat as Tomas Suchanek as a goalie where COVID came in during a very important time taking away development time and the chance to show well in front of scouts so teams passed on him until now where if he doesn’t get drafted I don’t know what to tell you.
There’s draft overagers every season that have very good years and win championships. What makes Milic so special that he ends up on here when others such as Michael Simpson don’t? It’s that Milic possesses quite a few NHL skills that give him a path to the NHL. When you watch Milic you can see what he does or a lot of what he does can end up in the NHL seeing success. It all begins with how he understands his strengths and weaknesses. He’ll rarely put himself in a bad position, often chooses the ideal position and the other times he’s positioned well enough to at least make the save even if it’s not pretty. Milic gets that he needs to be well positioned and his size doesn’t give him any leeway to be wrong in his positioning whether it’s where or how he’s positioned.
Having the frame that he has Milic needs his movement to be able to get him to where he needs to be and set with few issues. Milic can’t afford to be late on passes or even off-angle turning his small frame even smaller. He’s seeing this success and able to stick to his structure because his outer edges are good at getting him where he’s going and his inner edges are also good so he’s able to get into position in the time he needs to. Also has some subtly good reaction speed/reflexes where he’ll make those last second saves which we saw at the U20’s WJC’s. What’s keeping Milic in this tier and behind Suchanek even is a few flaws to his game that can make a goalie’s life very hard moving forward. For one his use of active save selections is met with inconsistent success. There’s a greater chance he’ll end up successfully moving the puck into a non-dangerous area than into a dangerous area but pucks are still ending up in a bad spot on the ice a bit too much. He also gets low in his stance which at the U20 level he’s shown it’s not an issue, at least consistently, but in the pros it’s going to be an issue so Milic is going to have to learn how to play with a taller stance. Lastly he faces the same issue Jan Korec does, his agility needs to be at a higher level or success at the NHL level will be hard to come by.
12. Axel Mangbo, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL), 6’ 3”/181lbs, 15/04/03
Usually around 12 goalies in I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about picks themselves and believe that while there is a path to the NHL it’s not a likely one. That’s not the case for Axel Mangbo. While he’s headed to the NCAA so there is still going to be some wait involved with him, it’s very possible he’s going to be on an accelerated path. He’s doing a lot of the right things and keeping the wrong things to a minimum. It’s hard not to get excited about him. It doesn’t feel like there’s a lot keeping him from turning NCAA success into momentum that results in a NHL career. An organization with a plan for Mangbo that works to his strengths might be walking away with one of the best goalies in the draft.
From a Crease Giants Scouting Report:
“Uses an overall tall stance with his hands tight to the body and almost resting on the pads. Loves playing the puck and shows good awareness so he can turn dangerous situations into smoot breakouts. Recovers quickly and smoothy rarely putting himself behind the play. Likes getting aggressive when he can and has the ability to recover back to a more conservative depth when needed. Shows a strong ability in using his outer edges which allows him to play as aggressive as he does and retreat with few issues. Has good skill in using is inner edges to make efficient direction changes when sliding. His agility is at a good level to the point where he’ll be able to keep with the playoff most of the time. Has good reaction speed.
Keeps his structure tight and effective during all movements. Is a strong technically inclined goalie who does very well in approaching every situation with the ideal positioning with the only concern being is aggressive challenging on initial rushes. Does very well in knowing where the puck is allowing him to be so strong positionally. He’s seeing the shots being taken but prefers to let is positioning make the save rather than be active leading to rebounds out front. Shows a good level of ability at reading the play as he's consistently good at getting set on passes and shots.”
13. Nathan Day, Flint Firebirds (OHL), 6’ 3”/185lbs, 04/05/05
If you’re looking for the BOOM OR BUST pick of the draft you’ve found him and his name is Nathan Day. You’ll never feel more hyped about a prospect but also so concerned about their NHL future more than Nathan Day. The NHL skills he has are the ones that are hard to develop so he has that part very much in his favour. The parts of his game he doesn’t have developed, aren’t developed essentially at all. He’s starting from scratch with a long way to go in some categories. If you look at his numbers this year his inconsistency is apparent. What’s interesting though is Day was the 1G for the Firebirds when it came to the playoffs over St. Louis Blues draft pick Will Cranley. The NHL team drafting Day needs to get him committed to improving his technical knowledge.
From a Crease Giants Scouting Report:
“Possesses a lot of physical skills. Able to use his edges to get powerful pushes off. Is also very adept at using his edges for sudden stops and direction changes. Shows very good mobility when on his feet and understands the importance of staying on his feet as much as possible when moving. Has very quick reactions to shots and changes in the situation in front of him allowing him to get his body in front of the puck on split second situations. Would like to see more efficiency in his movement especially when it comes to the path he takes to moving around the crease in order to get himself to the next level. Recoveries are a big concern as he’ll end up in situations where he needs to recover quickly and has no positioning or eyes on the puck sometimes leaving him very vulnerable.
His positioning is good enough at this level but would like to see some improvements. The biggest improvements to his positioning would be through the technical aspects of his game such as how he approaches each situation to be best positioned for anything to happen. He understands how high end his agility and reactions are so he cheats a bit on the positioning. Overall has very good tracking. Only time he struggles to see the puck are on heavy screens otherwise he knows where it is. His shot tracking is good as he’s able to be active in his save selection and pick up on rebounds very quickly. Would like to see him trust his reads more instead of being more reactionary and ending up behind the play/having to rely on his physical skills.”
14. Max Lundgren, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL), 6’ 5”/229lbs, 03/04/02
For the people out there asking for literal crease giants I have you covered! Everyone meet Max Lundgren the Swedish giant who has been passed over three times so far but this season I think he’s shown enough to be a very intriguing prospect. If you wanted a giant goalie but Michael Hrabal is off the board the next best giant of a goalie is probably Lundgren. The important part when you get to this stage is you know there are flaws with these goalies, can the flaws be developed or mitigated in some other way? When it comes to Lundgren I think there’s enough there to warrant a chance at developing.
From a Crease Giants Scouting Report:
“Ready stance he sets as low/wide as you can for a goalie his size with his hands resting above the pads. Can get off a strong pus when he needs to. Shows good rotations that don’t slow him down or cause positional issues. Really likes going into the RVH and will stay in it long past what is advised as he trusts his size a lot. He’s fine at using is inner edges as they’re important in his rotations and he’s good at manipulating his inner edges to successfully do what he wants. Needs continual improvement on using his outer edges as he shows he knows how important they are but he’s not effective/efficient at using them yet. Recoveries need improvement as he takes too much time and effort to recover.
Struggles in keeping is hands well positioned when moving. Really likes to play the puck and does well at it. Shows good reflexes as he’s capable of making a quick save. Has a basic understanding of the technical parts of the position so he’s often positioned just fine for tis level but needs improvement for higher levels. Shot tracking is decent and e can find the ability to get set quicker he could be ding more active save selections. Makes fine reads which helps him keep up with the play even without a high level of agility though would like to see more trust in his reads to prevent all of the unnecessary movement from happening. “
15. William Rousseau, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL), 6’ 1”/187lbs, 09/01/03
Last but not least is the 15th ranked goalie and this spot is always the toughest because you want to give it to someone who still gives you some level of confidence in their game. Some level of confidence that they can reach the NHL. Had a few goalies for this spot but ultimately I’m going with William Rousseau of the Quebec Remparts. QMJHL and Memorial Cup Champion. Also was a surprise invite to the Canadian U20 WJC pre-tournament camp. He’s had a good QMJHL career up to this point but this year he settled into his playstyle and the team in front of him fit like a glove leading to one of the most dominating seasons of the year. This spot on the draft rankings is not only recognition of a job well done but it’s recognition that Rousseau has shown enough NHL talent to warrant discussion. He's a very positionally/technically strong goalie to the point where you can rightfully say his game revolves around it more than others. His focus is getting himself in the right spot for the situation and hold his edges until the shot is taken or the puck is passed. He does well reading the play to ensure he’s setting himself in the best position. Shows he understands the importance of playing on his outer edges as he has a bit of a below average frame so the margin for giving up space is small before it becomes extremely detrimental. He’s just so good positionally that he does make saves just by being in right place without the need of extra size. When the pace of play is kept to above average and nothing higher Rousseau really excels at ending plays. A great defensive team will find a lot of comfort in him just like the Remparts did. Rousseau is 15th for a reason though. It’s tough to play as much of a positional game that Rousseau does at his size in the NHL as unless you start playing aggressively you’re still not covering as much space as a larger goalie who plays the same way does. And this is a problem with Rousseau is while his mobility and agility are fine, there’s quite the gap between fine and NHL acceptable. If Rousseau plans on making the NHL he needs to essentially be quicker overall. There’s just not a lot of speed to his game which you need when you don’t cover as much net as the average goalie. That’s going to be the tough part moving forward for Rousseau as it’s easy at this time to keep leaning on his technical parts of the game when he needs to put serious effort into just being more agile, developing quicker reflexes, and quicker recoveries. If you’ve made it to the end thank you so much for reading! If you want to quote any of this anywhere please do (some credit thrown this way wouldn’t hurt haha). Appreciate every one of you who reads this as it’s a lot of work but it’s always worth it for people to learn about goalies and have the chance to discuss them better.