Prospect Info: Scott Ratzlaff, G, Seattle (WHL) - 141 OA, 2023; Signed ATO 3/27/24

[sabresfan129103]

Nice! There's the goalie. Let him slow cook and who knows what'll happen in 4-5 years.

 

[Jim Bob]

Gotta say I like the Bauer Digiprint set with the retro Reactor 4 graphics.

 

[Ehran]

Milic is a multi-year overager at 20 who needs to be signed immediately. Ratzlaff has development runway and they don't clutter up the AHL with another prospect immediately.

Right now, assuming we don't sign anyone, we have 3 signed goalies in the org.

I could see the benefits of signing an overager to assign to Rochester (or Jacksonville) that is waiver exempt in case of emergencies. But if they think Ratzlaff is much better after a year or so of development, I guess that overrides my thoughts.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Jim Bob]

Ratzlaff may be 18, but he looks like he's 28.

Right now, assuming we don't sign anyone, we have 3 signed goalies in the org.

I could see the benefits of signing an overager to assign to Rochester (or Jacksonville) that is waiver exempt in case of emergencies. But if they think Ratzlaff is much better after a year or so of development, I guess that overrides my thoughts.

I'd much rather have Subban and Houser as the depth guys than a kid straight out of JRs.

 

[Ace]

Comrie is going to be in Rochester. No one is claiming that for their nhl roster.

 

[KiwiGriff]

Smart teams pick 1 goalie per year, as a little treat

Yes! I’ve been saying this for years. Goalies are a stab in the dark anyway, so if you buy one scratchy each year and you win occasionally. Glad to see one more goalie in the system. And after the great first three picks.

 

[Zman5778]

Smart teams pick 1 goalie per year, as a little treat

I think every year can get a little excessive and cloggy..........

I've long been an advocate for 2-out-of-every-3.

 

[Puppa2Miller]

Forton said his father is 6'3 and his mother is 5'10 - they expect the kid to grow yet

 

[Fezzy126]

HP talked about him in their predraft Q&A (starting at the 5:35 mark)



Basically, Brad Allen had two main points about him:

1. Really difficult to judge draft year goalies when playing on a stacked team, so there's some uneasiness trying to assess them
2. He fails to meet their minimum athletic profile for a shorter goalie, they specifically mention Levi, Saros, and Wolf as guys with high level athletic profiles

 

[Dingo44]

In his presser, he says he is a stand up goalie who is good at being agile and moving side-to-side. Also models his game after and likes to watch Juuse Saros. He also loves to watch Levi because he is similar. Seems like the perfect back up for Levi.

 

[Jim Bob]

I like how he talked about beating plays on his feet.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Forton mentioned he is Carson Soucy's 1st cousin (Sea) and the Sea jr folks raved about him

25:40

 

[Fjordy]

Forton mentioned he is Carson Soucy's 1st cousin (Sea) and the Sea jr folks raved about him

25:40

So that's why they chose Ratzlaff, bait for Soucy at UFA.

 

[Jim Bob]

HP talked about him in their predraft Q&A (starting at the 5:35 mark)



Basically, Brad Allen had two main points about him:

1. Really difficult to judge draft year goalies when playing on a stacked team, so there's some uneasiness trying to assess them
2. He fails to meet their minimum athletic profile for a shorter goalie, they specifically mention Levi, Saros, and Wolf as guys with high level athletic profiles

The interesting thing is that Marty Biron said the opposite. Marty said that he was watching video and Ratzlaff looked really good on breakaways and 2 on 1s and that he had a little Levi in his game with his ability to keep his edges for a long time and beat plays on his feet.

In the modern day, you have to beat plays on your feet through either high level play reading skill (like Craig Anderson) or the ability to beat plays on your feet due to skating ability (like Saros/Levi/Wolf), especially when you are the size that Ratzlaff is.

The projection given his role and the team in front of him is challenging. But, that's why he went where he did in the draft.

I like this goalie lottery ticket more than last year's one.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Jim Bob]

InGoal Radio Episode 223with Scott Ratzlaff | InGoal Magazine

ingoalmag.com

 

[Jacob582]

InGoal Radio Episode 223with Scott Ratzlaff | InGoal Magazine

ingoalmag.com

Ratzkaff interview starts at 37:30.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

 

[Jim Bob]

Gotta say I like the Bauer Digiprint set with the retro Reactor 4 graphics.

It will be interesting to see if this is still a thing by the time he turns pro...

 

[Dingo44]

Corey Pronman's NHL Pipeline Rankings: No. 3 Sabres have built a formidable system

Ranking the top prospects and under-23 players in the organization. Plus, what to expect of every player.

theathletic.com

18. Scott Raztlaff, G

3/9/2005 | 6-feet | 175 pounds | Catches left

Drafted: No. 141 in 2023
Tier: Projected to play NHL games

Skating: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average

Analysis: Ratzlaff’s pure athleticism stands out when you watch him. He can explode across the crease with his quickness. He’s quick but controlled, as he doesn’t overslide plays. Ratzlaff’s size is the main knock against him, as he’s barely 6-foot-1, but he plays quite aggressively which helps. He uses his quick lower body to challenge shooters and generally makes a lot of high-difficulty saves. The size will be an issue until he shows it isn’t, but I think he has the brain, consistency and talent to play games.

 

[RoyalOverNavy]

Scott gets a nice bounce-back win after getting shelled in his opener.
Stops 28 of 30 in a 4-2 win at Spokane,
The first goal, though ... woof.
Link -- Western Hockey League

 

[RoyalOverNavy]

I thought I'd give this kid a bump.
I'm a sucker for goalie prospects, and Scott's timeline intrigues me.

His numbers this year aren't as good as last, but that's understandable coming off a WHL championship run.
Seattle is a bad team (12-20-2 / 10th place in WHL's Western Conference).

Here are two real recent examples of him doing all he can to keep the Thunderbirds in games
Friday -- Scott earned the No.1 star in a 2-1 defeat to Prince George. He stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced.
Saturday -- Scott made 54 saves (57 shots) in a 4-2 loss to Everett, a No.2 star earning performance.

Has the trade deadline passed in the WHL?
Matt Savoie and Vsevlod Komarov recently got traded to better teams.
It seems to me Scott would be a good candidate for a similar move.

 

[Chainshot]

I thought I'd give this kid a bump.
I'm a sucker for goalie prospects, and Scott's timeline intrigues me.

His numbers this year aren't as good as last, but that's understandable coming off a WHL championship run.
Seattle is a bad team (12-20-2 / 10th place in WHL's Western Conference).

Here are two real recent examples of him doing all he can to keep the Thunderbirds in games
Friday -- Scott earned the No.1 star in a 2-1 defeat to Prince George. He stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced.
Saturday -- Scott made 54 saves (57 shots) in a 4-2 loss to Everett, a No.2 star earning performance.

Has the trade deadline passed in the WHL?
Matt Savoie and Vsevlod Komarov recently got traded to better teams.
It seems to me Scott would be a good candidate for a similar move.

Deadline for the WHL is the 9th, so he might move.