NHL Draft Blog: The Goaltenders

GOALIE DRAFT ORDER

As expected, it was another busy draft for the goaltenders, as there were 21 total prospects plucked on Sunday afternoon. While it was a bit of a surprise that no goalies were selected in the first round, there was a neat and tidy alternation in the next six rounds, going 4-3-4-3-4-3.

The biggest splash of the day wasn't even a goalie being drafted, however. It was the trade of Cory Schneider from Vancouver to the New Jersey Devils.

That move will have major implications on the future of both the Canucks and Devils' goaltending, but it didn't overshadow the fact that Zach Fucale was the first goalie selected when Montreal finally chose him at 36th overall. This was a great pick since the Canadiens were starving for long-term depth behind Carey Price.

Of the 21 goalies selected today, here's the breakdown by country: CAN - 8, USA - 7, SWE - 2, FIN - 2, CZE - 1, LVA - 1. The breakdown by league is as follows: WHL - 5, QMJHL - 4, USHL - 2, FIN. JR - 2, SWE. JR - 2, HS (MN) - 1, HS (CT) - 1, RUS. JR - 1, NCAA - 1, NAHL - 1, OHL - 1.

Check back on Monday for more thoughts on the goalies selected in the 2013 NHL Draft!

PICK	TEAM	GOALIE	NOTES
36	MTL	Fucale, Zach	Definitely slipped lower than I expected, but the Canadiens do an excellent job of taking the top-ranked goalie at 36th overall. Fucale is very mature for his age, patient on his skates, lets pucks come to him, not a lot of reaching with the hands. Cool and composed. Here's my scouting report on Fucale. Link
44	PIT	Jarry, Tristan	A bit of a surprise, the Penguins traded two picks to Columbus in order to move up the list and take the Edmonton Oil Kings backup. Jarry was excellent in limited games, but will get a chance to lead the team next season as Laurent Brossoit turns pro. Jarry really stood out to me during the 2013 CHL Top Prospects Game. He came off the bench for Team Cherry and shut the door, not allowing a goal. He was awarded the Team Cherry MVP for his play. Here's a small report on him. Link
54	DAL	Desrosiers, Philippe	Dallas adds to their depth by bringing in the QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Beyond his success with Rimouski, he dominated in the U-18 WJC's for Team Canada, posting a .970 SV% and .80 GAA in five games en route to winning a Gold Medal. He's known for being a good skater and having quick, athletic hands. Here's a short report: Link
59	WPG	Comrie, Eric	Winnipeg gets a steal by selecting the 2nd-ranked North American goalie. Comrie missed most of the season, but his upside is tremendous. Main strengths are his athleticism, reflexes, and energetic competitiveness. Smart with angles, good net coverage, gifted hand and foot speed. Battles hard and never gives up on a puck.
63	COL	Martin, Spencer	Avs get a very athletic and quick goalie that did well behind a fragile Mississauga blue line. Has great mobility and excellent footwork, but must work on puck management and controlling his rebounds. That being said, he's a real good fit to work with new Avs goalie coach Francois Allaire. Link
70	NYI	McAdam, Eamon	McAdam split time with Cal Petersen this season and handled the tandem and time split very well. McAdam has the optimal pro frame at 6-foot-2 and does an excellent job of reading the play and using his reactions to his advantage. He's not afraid to think outside the box and surprise shooters with a poke check or an aggressive challenge on a breakaway. He is committed to Penn State and will play D1 hockey next season. Link
78	OTT	Hogberg, Marcus	Sens snag another big Swedish goalie, taking the first International goalie of the draft. In 23 games for Linkoping in Sweden’s top junior league (SuperElit J20), Marcus posted a 2.41 GAA and .917 SV% along with two shutouts, while also appearing on the international stage in two separate tournaments .. due to his solid 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame, he has the luxury of being able to play the progressive Swedish butterfly style, one in which he stays deeper in the crease and displays a wider stance in order to bait shooters to aim low.
92	FLA	Cowley, Evan	Played in 50 games this season for Wichita Falls (NAHL) and went 22-24-4 with a 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, and two shutouts, while also appearing in the USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament (1-0-1 with a .953 SV%), and the Five Nations Tournament for Team USA .. main strengths include being able to use his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame to his advantage by not only filling the net well, but playing big by gaining depth in the crease to take away space from shooters. Link
99	NSH	Saros, Juuse	Preds select another Finnish goaltender to add to their depth chart, but one that's on the opposite side of the size scale. Still, they get the top-ranked International goalie, which is essentially a steal in the fourth round. He's known for being very good with the hands and feet in tight, and he battles like a bulldog. He also led Finland to bronze at the U-18 World Championships, being named the tourney's Best Goaltender after posting a 1.86 GAA and .946 SV%. Link
106	NYI	Williams, Stephon	This was the first pick way off the board, as Williams was not ranked by Central Scouting at any point this year. Williams was the WCHA Rookie of the Year and went 21-12-2 with a 1.99 GAA and .924 SV% with four shutouts. I have not seen him play before.
117	SJS	Bergvik, Fredrik	This is my favorite pick of the draft so far. Bergvik was one of my main sleepers in this year's draft due to his amazing second-half with Frolunda's J-20 team. He was not ranked at all by CSS at any point this season, but had an outstanding second half and had a 1.24 GAA and .950 SV% in 14 games. He has a very structured and powerful low game. Not the biggest, but very calm and cool in the net. Smooth laterally, good hands. Link
124	TBL	Gudlevskis, Kristers	Latvian goalie was second "off-the-board" selection in goal. The Lightning are extremely deep in goal already with Wilcox, Vasilevski, Janus, and Nagle. Gudlevskis performed well on an international stage on an out-matched team, posting a 2.22 GAA and .925 SV% in the World Championships. He was actually born in 1992, so he's already 20 years old and will play in the KHL next season for Dinamo Riga. Link
129	BUF	Petersen, Cal	Petersen dropped much lower than I expected, but this could be a very nice pick long-term for the Sabres. Cal is an NCAA commit to Notre Dame and performed well in the USA Top-Prospects Game in Buffalo. He has good size, good footwork, and battles hard in the crease. He posted a 2.97 GAA in 35 games for Waterloo.
146	LAK	Bartosak, Patrik	The Kings not only filled a void following the trade that sent Bernier to the Leafs, but they did so with a top-end goalie in the 5th round. Bartosak was the WHL and CHL Goalie of the Year, posted a .935 SV% in the regular season, then posted a .941 SV% in the playoffs despite a tough loss to Calgary in the second round.
162	PHI	Madsen, Merrick	The Flyers select another lanky, big, long-term project similar to Anthony Stolarz. Madsen played for Proctor Academy this season and did very well despite being a raw-skilled goalie. He is committed to Harvard.
163	PHX	Burke, Brendan	Great story here, as Burke heads to Phoenix where he'll work with his father, Sean Burke, the Coyotes goalie coach. Burke is also a long-term project due to his lanky frame and the fact he's still growing into it, and learning how to move as efficiently as possible, but he'll get a chance to be the starter in Portland next season since Mac Carruth is turning pro.
170	NYR	Skapski, Mackenzie	Skapski was the main topic of yesterday's School of Block segment on The Pipeline Show. I had him targeted as a "below-the-radar" pick after a breakout season in Kootenay. He was passed over in last year's draft, but played in 65 games this season in the WHL and tied a league-high seven shutouts. He was invited to the Wild's development camp last summer, where I had a chance to see him up close, and liked his combination of size and athleticism.
172	TOR	Bibeau, Antoine	Bibeau is a nice selection for the Leafs considering they only spent a sixth-round pick to get him. This goalie was not ranked at the mid-term release, but was 9th in the final rankings after a breakout second half with PEI. He essentially stole the starting job from Maxime Lagace by going 16-4-2 since January. He finished the regular season 28-11-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .911 SV%, along with five shutouts. Link
200	MIN	Belanger, Alexandre	Belanger was one of the top rookies in the QMJHL this season, earning 24 wins in 44 games, which was 2nd for rookies. His 3.46 was third-best for rookies as well.
203	NSH	Juvonen, Janne	The Preds select their second Finnish goalie of the day, plucking a prospect from the Lahti Pelicans program. Link
208	NJD	Brodeur, Anthony	Very cool moment as the Devils trade in order to select Marty Brodeur's son, Anthony Brodeur. I saw him play for Shattuck a few times this season and was not impressed. Great moment for sure, but he has a lot of work ahead of him.

FOLLOW ALONG ON TWITTER

If you're following the draft on Twitter, I've compiled a list of all the top draft-eligible goalies and their handles. Be sure to follow me on Twitter as well @TheGoalieGuild as I drop notes and analysis throughout the day!

EUROPEAN GOALIES: Juuse Saros: @ | Ebbe Sionas: @EbbeSionas | Luka Gracnar: @LukaGracnar | Melvin Nyffler: @NYF60 |

OK there you go. That should help keep you busy for a bit while we wait for the draft to get underway!

PRE-DRAFT PONDERINGS

As soon as I wake up on the morning of draft day, I instantly begin to ponder three things: Promise, Potential, and Possibility.

Almost every goalie available in the NHL Draft has a lot of promise. Each and every one worked extremely hard to get to this point -- the point where they have clearly stood out from the crowd of goalies in their age group. Some have more promise than others, but you never know how that will change as a goalie works towards earning an entry-level contract.

Once all of the goalies are drafted (I'm expecting between 18 and 22 total), they all have varying degrees of potential to become NHL goaltenders. The odds may not be on their side, but depending on when they are drafted, and who they are drafted by, there are endless possibilities to how that goaltender will pan out over the next few years.

As I explained in my NHL Draft Preview, there are always exceptions to whatever rule you feel is out there. That being said, it comes down to personal opinion on whether or not it's even worth drafting a goalie at all.

The risk will always be there, and trudging through the muddy waters of selecting the right goalie at the right time is unavoidable.

And that is what makes the NHL Draft so much fun. Enjoy the ride as I drop some thoughts on all of the goalies selected today, and maybe some thoughts on those that didn't.