ForeverJerseyGirl
Registered User
There are ways to evaluate goalie prospects just like any other position. There's not much quality tape I could find on Blackwood, but the guy who does the "shift by shift" videos on YouTube fid one of Blackwood. As a goalie and former goalie coach (for youth hockey), I've watched everything I can on Blackwood and like what I see.
Blackwood is very solid from a technical standpoint. I'm very picking about evaluating that sort of thing, and literally the only problem I saw was a couple of rebounds that could have been placed better. His stance is above average and his butterfly is just about perfect. His angles were good, although (like Lundqvist) he plays a little deep in the net for my taste. He also never seemed to get the slightest bit panicked - very cool and never looks like he's reacting to the play.
Probably the thing that impressed me the most is his skating. He's really an excellent skater - stays square to the shooter, maintains his angles perfectly never makes big, jerky movements.
Anyway. I'm basically in agreement that we didn't need to draft any goalies at all this year, but the one we got is one of the better goalie prospects I've seen in a while.
Good detailed analysis. The shift-by-shift video you refer to can be watched below if anyone is interested: