Prospect Info: 2014 NHL Draft / Pick #118 - Igor Shestyorkin (G) - Part II

[Edge]

Goalies are volatile and can be difficult to predict --- there's no getting around that.

But Shestyorkin is about as accomplished of an NHL goaltending prospect as you're ever going to find.

Literally, this is about it.

If you're looking for more that a goalie outside the NHL can do before their 23rd birthday, it's going to be a long, agonizing search.

 

[kovazub94]

Goalies are volatile and can be difficult to predict --- there's no getting around that.

But Shestyorkin is about as accomplished of an NHL goaltending prospect as you're ever going to find.

Literally, this is about it.

If you're looking for more that a goalie outside the NHL can do before their 23rd birthday, it's going to be a long, agonizing search.

Isles' fans would disagree. But outside of these two I completely agree with this sentiment.

 

[Edge]

Isles' fans would disagree. But outside of these two I completely agree with this sentiment.

In fairness, it's really those two and then everyone else right now.

I'm not even sure this board truly understands that point.

 

[Algernop Kreider]

Goalies are volatile and can be difficult to predict --- there's no getting around that.

But Shestyorkin is about as accomplished of an NHL goaltending prospect as you're ever going to find.

Literally, this is about it.

If you're looking for more that a goalie outside the NHL can do before their 23rd birthday, it's going to be a long, agonizing search.

They can win the MVP award in Sweden while NHLers are there during a lockout. But other than that...

 

[darko]

when is this guy coming to the Rangers

Hopefully after this season. Hank has 3 more years left. Shesty comes over next season then spends 2 years as a back up then takes the reins for good (if he's good enough).

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Hopefully after this season. Hank has 3 more years left. Shesty comes over next season then spends 2 years as a back up then takes the reins for good (if he's good enough).

Henrik Lundqvist
Age when drafted: 18
Age when coming over to the NHL: 23
Years between: 5
sv% in the last 3 years: .948, .927, .936

Igor Shestyorkin
Age when drafted: 18
Age when coming over to the NHL: 23
Years between: 5
sv% in the last 2 years: .937, .933

The similarities are definitely noticeable. Both

 

[darko]

And in 2 years as a back up there's no reason why Shesty can't start 30-odd games.

Maybe something like 60-22 split in year one and 45/50 - 32/37 split in year 2.

 

[kovazub94]

And in 2 years as a back up there's no reason why Shesty can't start 30-odd games.

Maybe something like 60-22 split in year one and 45/50 - 32/37 split in year 2.

Probably even more games for Shesty in year 1, plus another dozen or so games with Wolfpack.

 

[broadwayblue]

Still can't figure out why you burn a second round pick to take a goalie (that likely could have been had later) when you are sitting on such a great goalie prospect on the verge of making it. What could they have been thinking?

 

[Kovalev27]

especially in a year when goalie prospects where underwhelming to say the least. the only thing you can say is lindbom was and I've said this the best goalie in that U18 tournament. however picking a goalie based on a tournament? is absolutely awful.

frankly if we used a late first on spencer knight this summer of 19 if we accumulate another one. id understand that pick. he's worth it. but lindbom at that range was not not a first or second round talent. crazy pick. just crazy.

shesterkin is probably right there with Sorokin and Samsonov (still extremely raw imo). Hart is probably the consensus best goalie prospect outside of the nhl right now.

 

[ElLeetch]

What could they have been thinking?

They are always trying to 'outsmart' the room.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

especially in a year when goalie prospects where underwhelming to say the least. the only thing you can say is lindbom was and I've said this the best goalie in that U18 tournament. however picking a goalie based on a tournament? is absolutely awful.

frankly if we used a late first on spencer knight this summer of 19 if we accumulate another one. id understand that pick. he's worth it. but lindbom at that range was not not a first or second round talent. crazy pick. just crazy.

shesterkin is probably right there with Sorokin and Samsonov (still extremely raw imo). Hart is probably the consensus best goalie prospect outside of the nhl right now.

I thought Knight had a better tournament than Lindbom. USA defense was terrible. They were playing street hockey. Coach was terrible, and he turned a talented defense into a disaster. Sweden is the opposite. Not as talented, but they always play so defensive, and are well-schooled defensively. It might be why so few Swedish goalies pan out. Very few of them actually face a lot of shots and get a real chance to stand out. Its mostly just solid play plus excellent defense in front of them.

I think Hart is considered the best by the experts purely because he's a NA guy. Easier to watch play, Canada hasn't had a big goalie prospect in a while, players in the KHL are usually underrated. From what I've seen, he's less athletic than the three Russians and Demko. I also don't consider him so much more polished than everyone. I compare him to a guy like Shestyorkin, and I'm not sure what Hart actually does better.

 

[Tawnos]

Still can't figure out why you burn a second round pick to take a goalie (that likely could have been had later) when you are sitting on such a great goalie prospect on the verge of making it. What could they have been thinking?

That goalies not only take a long time to develop, but you never know what happens? Any Rangers fan who remembers Dan Blackburn and Al Montoya should understand the motivation to hedge your bets with goaltenders. In 4-5 years, Shestyorkin might have proven a bust or had a career ending injury.

I'm not saying I agree with the pick, but I do understand it.

 

[Irishguy42]

I think Hart is considered the best by the experts purely because he's a NA guy. Easier to watch play, Canada hasn't had a big goalie prospect in a while, players in the KHL are usually underrated. From what I've seen, he's less athletic than the three Russians and Demko. I also don't consider him so much more polished than everyone. I compare him to a guy like Shestyorkin, and I'm not sure what Hart actually does better.

But "muh won goalie of the year awards"

Yeah...against teenagers...

 

[nyr2k2]

especially in a year when goalie prospects where underwhelming to say the least. the only thing you can say is lindbom was and I've said this the best goalie in that U18 tournament. however picking a goalie based on a tournament? is absolutely awful.

frankly if we used a late first on spencer knight this summer of 19 if we accumulate another one. id understand that pick. he's worth it. but lindbom at that range was not not a first or second round talent. crazy pick. just crazy.

shesterkin is probably right there with Sorokin and Samsonov (still extremely raw imo). Hart is probably the consensus best goalie prospect outside of the nhl right now.

I didn't like the Lindbom pick, but what evidence do you have to support the claim that the Rangers drafted him based solely on one tournament? I mean, come on. The Rangers make their fair share of poor picks, like any other team, but I don't think it's for lack of scouting the players.

As for why you draft Lindbom, it's because no one is a sure thing until they're actually performing at the anticipated level. Shesterkin is as close to a sure thing as there is, but that doesn't mean it's impossible that he busts. Now that doesn't mean you go drafting raw, young goalies in the second round, but it's fine for the team to keep the cupboard stocked. Had they picked the kid in the fourth or later I would have been fine with it.

 

[broadwayblue]

I didn't like the Lindbom pick, but what evidence do you have to support the claim that the Rangers drafted him based solely on one tournament? I mean, come on. The Rangers make their fair share of poor picks, like any other team, but I don't think it's for lack of scouting the players.

As for why you draft Lindbom, it's because no one is a sure thing until they're actually performing at the anticipated level. Shesterkin is as close to a sure thing as there is, but that doesn't mean it's impossible that he busts. Now that doesn't mean you go drafting raw, young goalies in the second round, but it's fine for the team to keep the cupboard stocked. Had they picked the kid in the fourth or later I would have been fine with it.

This. By all accounts he might have been available in the 4th. And if he wasn't from what little I've read there were plenty of other goalies picked a couple rounds later with just as much upside. It hurt even more after we moved the other 2nd rounder to grab Miller...which I wasn't opposed to. But starting with two 2nds and ending up with a goalie was a complete WTF head scratcher for me. It's as if the organization was like we got 3 first rounders, let's take the rest of the weekend off. There was so much talent left on the board and we end up with a goalie who we didn't need (at that spot). I need to let it go. lol

 

[nyr2k2]

This. By all accounts he might have been available in the 4th. And if he wasn't from what little I've read there were plenty of other goalies picked a couple rounds later with just as much upside. It hurt even more after we moved the other 2nd rounder to grab Miller...which I wasn't opposed to. But starting with two 2nds and ending up with a goalie was a complete WTF head scratcher for me. It's as if the organization was like we got 3 first rounders, let's take the rest of the weekend off. There was so much talent left on the board and we end up with a goalie who we didn't need (at that spot). I need to let it go. lol

It's fair to still be upset. Just try to remember that we got some seemingly nice values later with guys like Keane, Pajuniemi, and Ragnarsson, and that a few guys were really high on Hughes. So all in all it was a good-looking draft, outside of this one pick (and IMO, Kjellberg).

 

[broadwayblue]

That goalies not only take a long time to develop, but you never know what happens? Any Rangers fan who remembers Dan Blackburn and Al Montoya should understand the motivation to hedge your bets with goaltenders. In 4-5 years, Shestyorkin might have proven a bust or had a career ending injury.

I'm not saying I agree with the pick, but I do understand it.

I agree with what you are saying...I just don't see why we needed to use a 2nd on this kid. Most teams didn't take goalies until rounds later. And they don't have Hank in net now and a prospect of Shesty's caliber waiting in the wings. Did we really need to burn our only 2nd on Lindbom when guys like McCleod, Thomas, Wilde and others were on the board? Odds are every one of those guys has a better probability of having an NHL career than Lindbom. I'm not saying any of them are locks...heck, they are probably only 25% odds to make it...but I'll be surprised if Lindbom ever wears a NYR sweater.

 

[broadwayblue]

It's fair to still be upset. Just try to remember that we got some seemingly nice values later with guys like Keane, Pajuniemi, and Ragnarsson, and that a few guys were really high on Hughes. So all in all it was a good-looking draft, outside of this one pick (and IMO, Kjellberg).

Agreed. I just feel we really burned a great pick there for no good reason. I want as many shots at good talent as possible, so every pick is really important. I wish Lindbom nothing but the best...but in my heart I don't see this pick working out for us. But time will tell.

 

[Mac n Gs]

I didn't like the Lindbom pick, but what evidence do you have to support the claim that the Rangers drafted him based solely on one tournament? I mean, come on. The Rangers make their fair share of poor picks, like any other team, but I don't think it's for lack of scouting the players.

As for why you draft Lindbom, it's because no one is a sure thing until they're actually performing at the anticipated level. Shesterkin is as close to a sure thing as there is, but that doesn't mean it's impossible that he busts. Now that doesn't mean you go drafting raw, young goalies in the second round, but it's fine for the team to keep the cupboard stocked. Had they picked the kid in the fourth or later I would have been fine with it.

I mean he had pretty decent stats relative to his age group in the SuperElit this year and it seems like he was given the primary goalie role in the playoffs.

Just looking through his history shows that he’s always performed well when he’s playing in his age group, so there’s at least a precedent of success there. I’ve only seen him at the WJC, and I thought he was great this year and last. It still doesn’t change my mind about taking a goalie in that spot, but, regardless, I’m still gonna root like hell for the kid.

 

[nyr2k2]

I mean he had pretty decent stats relative to his age group in the SuperElit this year and it seems like he was given the primary goalie role in the playoffs.

Just looking through his history shows that he’s always performed well when he’s playing in his age group, so there’s at least a precedent of success there. I’ve only seen him at the WJC, and I thought he was great this year and last. It still doesn’t change my mind about taking a goalie in that spot, but, regardless, I’m still gonna root like hell for the kid.

Yeah and some guys/collections of guys had him ranked not far from where he was taken in the draft. I don't think he's a bad prospect by any means. Just hate where he was picked, like everyone else. Even if they loved him, I just don't see the urgency.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

This. By all accounts he might have been available in the 4th. And if he wasn't from what little I've read there were plenty of other goalies picked a couple rounds later with just as much upside. It hurt even more after we moved the other 2nd rounder to grab Miller...which I wasn't opposed to. But starting with two 2nds and ending up with a goalie was a complete WTF head scratcher for me. It's as if the organization was like we got 3 first rounders, let's take the rest of the weekend off. There was so much talent left on the board and we end up with a goalie who we didn't need (at that spot). I need to let it go. lol

Let's nip this 4th round talk in the bud again.

There is no evidence to suggest that he'd be available in the 4th. We had certain guys rank him as a 4th round talent, but there's no evidence to suggest he would've been available, then.

Once McKenzie's list came out, that much was obvious. He had him as a top-60 pick for a reason. McKenzie is only going to rank guys in the top 60 if he has multiple team sources telling him that they are interested in that player in the 2nd round. Is he infallible? No, not in the least. But McKenzie had multiple people that actually work in the NHL for teams (and close to the draft process) saying that he would be taken in the 2nd round.

Do I like the pick? No. I never did. However, all of the evidence points to him as either a 2nd rounder or early 3rd rounder.

 

[broadwayblue]

Let's nip this 4th round talk in the bud again.

There is no evidence to suggest that he'd be available in the 4th. We had certain guys rank him as a 4th round talent, but there's no evidence to suggest he would've been available, then.

Once McKenzie's list came out, that much was obvious. He had him as a top-60 pick for a reason. McKenzie is only going to rank guys in the top 60 if he has multiple team sources telling him that they are interested in that player in the 2nd round. Is he infallible? No, not in the least. But McKenzie had multiple people that actually work in the NHL for teams (and close to the draft process) saying that he would be taken in the 2nd round.

Do I like the pick? No. I never did. However, all of the evidence points to him as either a 2nd rounder or early 3rd rounder.

Fair enough. I know nothing about any of these goalies, so I'm going to have to believe that the Rangers saw something in him that warranted such a high selection. Since I have no way to know whether he is truly a better prospect than the guys who would have been available in the 3rd or 4th that's all I can do. Regardless, I would have preferred they gone with a different position at that spot...but you can't change the past. You can only complain about it for ever. lol

 

[Mac n Gs]

Yeah and some guys/collections of guys had him ranked not far from where he was taken in the draft. I don't think he's a bad prospect by any means. Just hate where he was picked, like everyone else. Even if they loved him, I just don't see the urgency.

Yup, that’s where I stand on this. Jon made a good point below about his probability of being taken in the 2nd or 3rd round by another team, but I would’ve preferred a skater in that spot.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the perception of him changes this season and we see him ranked as our #2 goalie behind Shestyorkin. I’m expecting Igor to casually post another insane year in the KHL before we finally hear some news about him coming over next year. His contract ends in April 2019, right?

 

[Tawnos]

Yup, that’s where I stand on this. Jon made a good point below about his probability of being taken in the 2nd or 3rd round by another team, but I would’ve preferred a skater in that spot.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the perception of him changes this season and we see him ranked as our #2 goalie behind Shestyorkin. I’m expecting Igor to casually post another insane year in the KHL before we finally hear some news about him coming over next year. His contract ends in April 2019, right?

Yep... I don't expect to see him until September next year.

I sometimes wonder if the Rangers even liked any of the usual names we hear that were available around when we picked in the 2nd. That being said, I think we did well enough in the entire rest of the draft that this doesn't bother me much.