CopperAndBlueGM
Registered User
- Mar 9, 2017
- 119
- 41
Drafting goalies has always been one of the hardest positions to project. Undeservedly so I had some good luck with drafting wildcard goalies during my 12 year tenure with the HFNHL Red Wings with 8 of 15 goalie draftees having played at least 40 NHL games.
Overall there are three narratives:
(i) Going with my gut
(ii) Successful goalies that never came to the NHL
(iii) The Matt Gledhill era
Starting with the positive, and excluding UDFA goalies, the eight successful goalie selections are as follows:
Henrik Lundqvist (6th round 2000) - 742 games played and counting, 2.32GAA, .920 sav%
Jussi Markannen (2nd round 2002) - the only goalie I have drafted that high (if I recall he was a draft reentry) and the least successful of the 8 having played 128 NHL games, 2.70GAA, .901 sav%
Martin Gerber (6th round 2002) - having played in 7 NHL seasons he had two stints as the starter. Overall 229 games played, 2.63 GAA, 911 sav%
Cristobal Huet (5th round 2003) - Really a 1b starter his big contract signing was the start of the end for him as he couldn't live up to it. Overall 273 NHL games, 2.46 GAA, .913 sav%.
Curtis McIlhinney (6th round 2003) - always a backup he is about to start his 10th NHL season. 168 games, 2.95 GAA, .905 sav%.
Niklas Backstrom (3rd round 2006) -back in the days when all European players had to be drafted I used an earlier than usual pick to jump on the unproven recent signee of the NHL Minnesota Wild and never regretted it. 413 NHL games, 2.49 GAA, .914sav%
Eddie Lack (6th round 2008) - The pick I will always remember as being the one a certain HFNHL Commish called out at the time as being proof GM Niece had lost his touch in selecting goalies. 135 games played and counting, 2.56 GAA, .911 sav%
Joonas Korpisalo (3rd round 2012) - My last drafted goalie is just starting his career but is stuck behind two time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky. So far 45 games, 2.68GAA, .915 sav%.
Playing in Europe:
The risk with going with one's gut on goalies that are flying under the radar, and generally not heavily scouted, is the uncertainty of their commitment to coming to the NHL or even if they will be drafted.
Four of the seven goalies that did not have NHL careers were indeed talented goalies that had, or are still having, great careers in Europe and the KHL. They've all won championships and awards in their respective leagues and all but one has represented their countries at the World championships over the years.
The two most frustrating were Tomas Popperle and Julius Hudacek. Popperle (6th round 2005) came for a couple of years after his draft and was rising up the depth charts fast and even got in 2 NHL games at a young age with good results ... but then he chose to return to Europe (homesick?).
Hudacek (5th round 2008) I still believe to be one of the most gifted goalies I ever selected but he was never drafted in the NHL and opted to spend a good chunk of his career at home in Slovakie before going to the SHL where he was both the goalie of the year and MVP in the 2014/15 season.
The other two goalies that have had good careers in Europe are Michael Tobler (8th round 2004) and Jacub Kovar (5th round 2006).
Here's hoping 2017 draftee Kirill Ustimenko doesn't join this group.
There was indeed a period where luck ran out, or at least shifted, in what I refer to as the Matt Gledhill era.
While Matt had been in the league for years he suddenly started targeting the same under the radar goaltenders I was and started to snag them before me in the draft for a few years running. Martin Jones being the one that still perturbs me the most and I ended up getting Kieran Millan instead (one of only three I consider true busts in terms of talent).
Culminating with that Jones/Millan disappointment in 2009 I decided not to take any other goalies if someone beat me to my true target. The outcome was I did not get a goalie the next two drafts (2010 and 2011) and even the 2012 selection of Korpisalo was earlier than I would have usually taken him (3rd round) assuming Matt was likely waiting to pounce in the 4th round.
Aside from Kieran Millan the other two busts were Brad Topping in 2002 (a complete homer Brampton Battalion pick) and Daniel Larsson.
I can only hope to be at least half as lucky with goalies during my tenure as GM of the HFNHL Oilers.
Overall there are three narratives:
(i) Going with my gut
(ii) Successful goalies that never came to the NHL
(iii) The Matt Gledhill era
Starting with the positive, and excluding UDFA goalies, the eight successful goalie selections are as follows:
Henrik Lundqvist (6th round 2000) - 742 games played and counting, 2.32GAA, .920 sav%
Jussi Markannen (2nd round 2002) - the only goalie I have drafted that high (if I recall he was a draft reentry) and the least successful of the 8 having played 128 NHL games, 2.70GAA, .901 sav%
Martin Gerber (6th round 2002) - having played in 7 NHL seasons he had two stints as the starter. Overall 229 games played, 2.63 GAA, 911 sav%
Cristobal Huet (5th round 2003) - Really a 1b starter his big contract signing was the start of the end for him as he couldn't live up to it. Overall 273 NHL games, 2.46 GAA, .913 sav%.
Curtis McIlhinney (6th round 2003) - always a backup he is about to start his 10th NHL season. 168 games, 2.95 GAA, .905 sav%.
Niklas Backstrom (3rd round 2006) -back in the days when all European players had to be drafted I used an earlier than usual pick to jump on the unproven recent signee of the NHL Minnesota Wild and never regretted it. 413 NHL games, 2.49 GAA, .914sav%
Eddie Lack (6th round 2008) - The pick I will always remember as being the one a certain HFNHL Commish called out at the time as being proof GM Niece had lost his touch in selecting goalies. 135 games played and counting, 2.56 GAA, .911 sav%
Joonas Korpisalo (3rd round 2012) - My last drafted goalie is just starting his career but is stuck behind two time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky. So far 45 games, 2.68GAA, .915 sav%.
Playing in Europe:
The risk with going with one's gut on goalies that are flying under the radar, and generally not heavily scouted, is the uncertainty of their commitment to coming to the NHL or even if they will be drafted.
Four of the seven goalies that did not have NHL careers were indeed talented goalies that had, or are still having, great careers in Europe and the KHL. They've all won championships and awards in their respective leagues and all but one has represented their countries at the World championships over the years.
The two most frustrating were Tomas Popperle and Julius Hudacek. Popperle (6th round 2005) came for a couple of years after his draft and was rising up the depth charts fast and even got in 2 NHL games at a young age with good results ... but then he chose to return to Europe (homesick?).
Hudacek (5th round 2008) I still believe to be one of the most gifted goalies I ever selected but he was never drafted in the NHL and opted to spend a good chunk of his career at home in Slovakie before going to the SHL where he was both the goalie of the year and MVP in the 2014/15 season.
The other two goalies that have had good careers in Europe are Michael Tobler (8th round 2004) and Jacub Kovar (5th round 2006).
Here's hoping 2017 draftee Kirill Ustimenko doesn't join this group.
There was indeed a period where luck ran out, or at least shifted, in what I refer to as the Matt Gledhill era.
While Matt had been in the league for years he suddenly started targeting the same under the radar goaltenders I was and started to snag them before me in the draft for a few years running. Martin Jones being the one that still perturbs me the most and I ended up getting Kieran Millan instead (one of only three I consider true busts in terms of talent).
Culminating with that Jones/Millan disappointment in 2009 I decided not to take any other goalies if someone beat me to my true target. The outcome was I did not get a goalie the next two drafts (2010 and 2011) and even the 2012 selection of Korpisalo was earlier than I would have usually taken him (3rd round) assuming Matt was likely waiting to pounce in the 4th round.
Aside from Kieran Millan the other two busts were Brad Topping in 2002 (a complete homer Brampton Battalion pick) and Daniel Larsson.
I can only hope to be at least half as lucky with goalies during my tenure as GM of the HFNHL Oilers.
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