Alvaro Montoya

[BrooklynCanuck]

Just got done watching the UM-MSU game.

That evil school up north won in the last 2 minutes on a wrister that Eric Nystrom poked in.

I've watched Montoya several times now over the last year or so, going back to last season. At first I was impressed by his play, his stats were impressive for a Frosh. Now that I've seen him a few times, I'm a lot less high on him. When you watch him play he often fails to fill the net, he looks smaller than he is; especially when a shot is coming. He also has some bad habits, especially overusing his glove. On several occasions I've seen him on the "scramble" it's not a Hasek scramble, he just seems lost out there flailing at pucks. I've never seen a keeper look as poor in a shutout as he looked tonight.

Has anyone else noticed these flaws? or anyone have any comments that might turn me around? right now I'm writing him off...

Click to read more...

 

[Erack82]

I don' t think I would write him off too. His stats seemed very impressive and I was expecting a little more from him. It's kind of hard to put my finger on it, but I don't think he is as good as some of the other NCAA goalies out there.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I don' t think I would write him off too. His stats seemed very impressive and I was expecting a little more from him. It's kind of hard to put my finger on it, but I don't think he is as good as some of the other NCAA goalies out there.

Well, he's good enough to be named to the U.S. WJC team, and considered by Bob McKenzie (among others) as one of the top two goaltenders in the 2004 draft, so I think he's doing something right. One thing to remember is his youth, didn't he start college early?

 

[Twisted Wrister]

Yes, Montoya did accelerate high school and was a 17 year old freshman for Michigan last year.

Overall, he hasn't been quite as sharp this season as he was as a freshman. Perhaps he had a little too much success last year (won 30 games) and is still learning that he needs to work hard to maintain that level of success.

Still, he has boatloads of potential and hopefully his trip to the WJCs will help him refine his game against top competition.

 

[SpaceGhost79]

Well, Michigan as a team hasn't really been sharp this year. They got swept in the College Hockey Showcase and lost to Ohio State prior to that. First time since '99 they've lost three in a row. So I wouldn't say just Montoya hasn't been sharp.

Jeff Tambellini's in a scoring slump, the big junior class has been underachieving, special teams have been poor (0-for-20 PP in last 5 games or something like that, plus giving up way too many PP and SH goals...had like a 90% PP kill rate last year, NOWHERE near that this season). The offense has been struggling so much that Berenson has moved defenseman Eric Werner to a wing.

 

[Oilers Chick]

Well, Michigan as a team hasn't really been sharp this year. They got swept in the College Hockey Showcase and lost to Ohio State prior to that. First time since '99 they've lost three in a row. So I wouldn't say just Montoya hasn't been sharp.

Jeff Tambellini's in a scoring slump, the big junior class has been underachieving, special teams have been poor (0-for-20 PP in last 5 games or something like that, plus giving up way too many PP and SH goals...had like a 90% PP kill rate last year, NOWHERE near that this season). The offense has been struggling so much that Berenson has moved defenseman Eric Werner to a wing.

Good post SpaceGhost. One thing I would add to this is how Michigan's special teams (specifically power play) has been struggling. With that much offensive talent on that team, one would think that power plays wouldn't be a problem, but right now that's not the case.

As far as Montoya goes, he hasn't impressed me thus far the way he did last season. Maybe my expectations of him are quite high. That said, I still think he's got lots of potential to become quite good.

One other thing......Montoya will be splitting time with Maine's Jimmy Howard at the WJCs. Considering how badly Howard fared at last year's WJCs, I think he (Howard) will be out to try and prove that he's gonna better THIS year than he was at last year's WJCs.

 

[VOB]

Michigan was simply playing a better defensive game last year, one that masked some of Montoya's deficiencies. Montoya isn't any worse than last year but thats the problem, he has not really developed into a better goaltender.

I wouldn't give up on him just yet though.

 

[Twisted Wrister]

Michigan was simply playing a better defensive game last year, one that masked some of Montoya's deficiencies. Montoya isn't any worse than last year but thats the problem, he has not really developed into a better goaltender.

As someone who watched nearly all of Michigan's games last year and has seen most of them this year, I can tell you that yes, Michigan is struggling in the areas of the game noted above, but Montoya also has not been making some of the saves he made last year. He's in a little bit of a sophomore slump. Hopefully his trip to the WJCs will help refine his game and refocus him. He's obviously still very young.

 

[TMHUNH]

Consistency is an issue, but keep in mind that Montoya is tied for the nation lead in shutouts (3). One of them came in a real lopsided game, but he shutout Ohio State with around 30 saves and the most recent game against rival Mich. State.

I think we may be expecting too much from Al, and I think the WJC's can be a real strong point for him as far as his draft status, if he can outplay Howard, he will really improve his stock. No matter what he does, I can't see him falling out of the top 3 for goalies in 04, with the potential to be right up there with Dubnyk and Schwarz if he has a strong WJC and/or a strong 2nd half of the season and postseason for UMich

 

[BrooklynCanuck]

I watched his MSU shut out. He played terribly. Made several technical errors that would have been easy goals against NHL competition. Not to mention leaking several rebounds. He got very lucky in that game.

 

[Hockeypuck]

Made several technical errors that would have been easy goals against NHL competition

Maybe that's because he's an 18 year old playing in the NCAA? How many goalies in the NCAA wouldn't give up alot of goals to NHL teams? That's why they aren't in the NHL right now.