Prospect Info: Zachary Fucale

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ChesterNimitz

governed by the principle of calculated risk
Jul 4, 2002
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He's a 19 year old goaltender who isn't NHL ready. His value is extremely low unless a team is very high on him for some reason.

The best way to maximise his value is to develop him and hope he becomes a great backup. Then maybe we can get a fairly high pick, or a good prospect, for him the same way that Vancouver did with Schneider.

At this point, it's unlikely that his value in a trade would be anything more than a throw-in.

Fucale's lack of rebound control stems from his complete inability to catch a puck. He makes James Reimer look like Joe Pepitone. So many times when the Russians were pressing last night Fucale could have ended the pressure by simply catching the puck. Someone should take him in the backyard and fire 1,000 tennis balls at him until he can catch five in a row. If we can get any value for him let some other team hope that he can learn to catch those five tennis balls. I'm not holding my breath. His lack of athleticism will render him no more than a footnote in hockey history.
 

rockjngo

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Oct 31, 2011
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He's a 19 year old goaltender who isn't NHL ready. His value is extremely low unless a team is very high on him for some reason.

The best way to maximise his value is to develop him and hope he becomes a great backup. Then maybe we can get a fairly high pick, or a good prospect, for him the same way that Vancouver did with Schneider.

At this point, it's unlikely that his value in a trade would be anything more than a throw-in.




I could see something like Kovalenko+Rucinsky+Thibault for Roy+keane kinda of trade. Fucale is kinda like Thibault.
 

rockjngo

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Oct 31, 2011
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Not to mention, Price is 27. He's entering his prime. Fucale is 19, Price should be able to play until 35. Fucale will be 27 by then.
 

Habs Icing

Formerly Onice
Jan 17, 2004
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I remember the Carey Price growing pains and all the calls for patience, that he's "only 21" , then it was he's "only 22", then ... well you get the idea.

Fucale is 19 ****ing years old. Fans need to stop this nonsense.

On the trading chip side, goalies don't have trade value until they are beyond-all-doubt ready for the NHL. He's not worth anything at the moment, and that's not a commentary on how he may turn out it's commentary on how young and raw he is.

This!

The problems I saw were rebounds and inability to catch the puck with his glove hand. Those are all problems easily fixable.

Just as a fun fact Quick was drafted the same year as Price - never played for the US junior team and today is considered one of the top goalies. Maybe we should give Fucale some time to develop.

Also seeing how Bergevin's team is able to asset talent i.e. Colberg and Vail, I think I'll leave it in their hands.
 

ChesterNimitz

governed by the principle of calculated risk
Jul 4, 2002
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This!

The problems I saw were rebounds and inability to catch the puck with his glove hand. Those are all problems easily fixable.

Just as a fun fact Quick was drafted the same year as Price - never played for the US junior team and today is considered one of the top goalies. Maybe we should give Fucale some time to develop.

Also seeing how Bergevin's team is able to asset talent i.e. Colberg and Vail, I think I'll leave it in their hands.

I think if we have selected a goalie in the second round of a very deep draft who at 19 is still having trouble catching a puck then your faith in Bergevin's team, at least with respect to this 'prospect', is misplaced.
 

Burke the Legend

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Feb 22, 2012
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Let's wait until he is 24-25 years old to have this discussion, which is when most goalies are really ready to make a leap to NHL level.

Price was a huge exception being in the NHL at the age of 20.
 

calder candidate

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Feb 25, 2003
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Originally Posted by rockjngo
Do you guys think he has the "drive" to be a top goalie or a starter in the NHL?

Personally I don't think he has the Patrick Roy, Carey Price "drive", he's more like Dustin Tokarski than Price. When games matter Roy and Price shows up. 4 goals in one of the most important game of Fucale's life isn't not good.

I think we should package him for a top player.

Him allowing 4 goal was more due to is team overall bad play after taking that 5-1 lead fw not backchecking, defence giving the blue line everyone looking at the puck... I don't think he let in a bad goal but he is only 19yo so I sure he will improve and is able to improve. he didn't allow the 5th goal but he wasn't really tested before the final.

Not to mention, Price is 27. He's entering his prime. Fucale is 19, Price should be able to play until 35. Fucale will be 27 by then.

I agree that Furcale because of the age gap and the timming of contract ending he will probably never be able to win the job from Price or prove that he he good enough to take over so that we are able to trade Price... So seem Logic that we trade him unfortunately is trade value probably isn't that high right now (as all Goalie prospect), trading him for nothing is too much of a risk. If we want good/ better return we might need to risk holding on to him for a other year or 2. If he goes on to have a great Memorial cup maybe he can raise enough to be traded at the draft.
 

Video Coach

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Sep 16, 2005
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This is just funny. "He let in 4 goals in a gold medal game!" He WON.

Only one could have been stopped and that would have been a tough stop. The rest were screened or bad bounces. The important part isn't that he let in 4 goals, it's that he stood tall after he did. When the game was at it's most important, he stood tall.

Is he ready to replace Price? Of course not. But to say that a goalie won't EVER be a starter bc he let in 4 goals in a gold medal game in which he still WON is insane.

Give him 3-4 years in the AHL and then assess whether he'll "ever" be a starter or not.

He doesn't have the pedigree of Price but he was well touted early in his junior career and has probably suffered by not facing tougher competition in 4 years. Next year he will. And he'll struggle, but then he'll get better.
 

Lebowski

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Dec 5, 2010
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He always reminded me of a poor man's Fleury. Whether he has NHL potential or not, I don't know and I don't really care. As many have already said, I'd rather use him in a trade to improve our D or winger situation.

That being said, I'm not sure how he could be blamed for yesterday's game. He didn't allow softies.
 

Drunk World Order

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Jun 22, 2003
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Man people are harsh on here. The kid is gonna be solid and will also be a starter in the NHL at some point maybe not with the habs. It takes a goaltender a while to complete there overall game and what is great about Fucale is that there is no rush or pressure to fast track his development. An AHL backup really? get a life.
 

montreal

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Mar 21, 2002
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his rebound control last game was brutal, although he had be feeling some insane pressure, but in other games overall I have been impressed with his play. I would have no problem trading him in a package if it can help the Habs win now, plus Condon is doing well and we could just pick up another young goalie at the draft.

That said the kid knows how to win, will be interesting to see him with the Dogs next year. A Condon-Fucale duo should be a good one.
 

Leon Lucius Black

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Nov 5, 2007
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I was impressed at how he looked in the third period, looked shaky in the second but being able to stay calm with the huge amount of pressure was definitely a positive.
 

Habs Icing

Formerly Onice
Jan 17, 2004
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I think if we have selected a goalie in the second round of a very deep draft who at 19 is still having trouble catching a puck then your faith in Bergevin's team, at least with respect to this 'prospect', is misplaced.

At this stage in their development every goalie has holes in their game.
Look at the Slovak goalie - who I agree with the selection committee was lights out great - had huge holes in his game. He could be had in the upper part of the net high on the glove side and above both shoulders. The reason he wasn't exposed in this tournament is because most of the players couldn't exploit that weakness but if he doesn't improve that aspect he'll never play in top leagues.

Rebound control is coach-able and improving his glove hand means just time spent doing repetitions.
 

ChesterNimitz

governed by the principle of calculated risk
Jul 4, 2002
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At this stage in their development every goalie has holes in their game.
Look at the Slovak goalie - who I agree with the selection committee was lights out great - had huge holes in his game. He could be had in the upper part of the net high on the glove side and above both shoulders. The reason he wasn't exposed in this tournament is because most of the players couldn't exploit that weakness but if he doesn't improve that aspect he'll never play in top leagues.

Rebound control is coach-able and improving his glove hand means just time spent doing repetitions.

There are holes and then there are holes. The inability to catch a puck is not a matter of technique. It is a matter of athleticism. Athleticism is something that cannot be taught. it's something you wake up with and go to sleep with. In this writer's opinion, Fucale's value will never be higher and if you are in agreement with the view that this player's upside is very limited, then trade him now before he is exposed as he faces greater competition at the pro-level.

Fucale is a good kid who stood tall for Canada for one period in the most important 20 minutes of his playing career. But those twenty minutes, do not change the long term limitations in his ability. If we can trade him for value, do it now.
 

Blackshad

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Oct 12, 2002
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Can't beleive this thread. This guy is a winner. He won big games. He might be the next MAF (Which is quite nice BTW..). Mental problem? Everywhere he went people told us he was a leader in the lockeroom and on the ice. Sure he needs to work on his rebound, but he is a blue chip prospect.
 

Grant McCagg

@duhduhduh
Dec 13, 2010
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Only on HF Boards can you read definitive projections on 19-year-old goaltenders. ..and not just one or two projections, but several. A 19-year-old goalie who has set league records for wins and now has a Memorial Cup and WJC championship.

Not even the pro scouts and GMs are cocky enough to do that watching these players live, but when you are an HF Board poster all you have to do is watch a few tournament games on TV and a goalies' future can be projected without a shred of doubt. There are some incredibly gifted people on here..supposedly too talented to bother taking lowly positions as NHL executives. I feel honoured to be in such hallowed company.
 

S Bah

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Nov 7, 2010
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Only on HF Boards can you read definitive projections on 19-year-old goaltenders. ..and not just one or two projections, but several. A 19-year-old goalie who has set league records for wins and now has a Memorial Cup and WJC championship.

Not even the pro scouts and GMs are cocky enough to do that watching these players live, but when you are an HF Board poster all you have to do is watch a few tournament games on TV and a goalies' future can be projected without a shred of doubt. There are some incredibly gifted people on here..supposedly too talented to bother taking lowly positions as NHL executives. I feel honoured to be in such hallowed company.

Truly I wish the Habs could draft a goalie like Zach Fucale, maybe waste a 2nd round pick getting a gold medal winning goalie is a good idea.:sarcasm: Unlike the majority of teams that wait until the 3rd round or later to pick a goalie, Philadelphia comes to mind. No small wonder that the Habs have Price, Tokarski and Fucale all that have won gold medals at the WJHC's, two were drafted before reaching that lofty height, the other gained by trade with Tampa. Oh yeah + we have Mike Condon whose play the last year makes the Habs look very competent at finding top notch goalies, that others pass by. Goalies take longer than any position to develop, evaluating them is an art form most teams haven't figured out yet, the Habs have for decades continually found great goalies and developed them.:handclap::handclap::handclap:
 

optimus2861

Registered User
Aug 29, 2005
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Mooseheads fan here. I've seen Fucale quite a lot. He's got NHL starter potential, but his plateau will be lower than Price's. That's fine; Price is arguably the best goalie on the planet right now. Not getting to that level doesn't mean you can't have a meaningful & successful NHL career.

Fucale has not played as well in the last 8-10 months as he did during his 16 & 17 year-old seasons, that much is sure. He freely admitted as much during the offseason & training camp. He's got work to do on his rebounds & his glove side. No problem; that's what the AHL is for, and he's easily a 2+ year project for that league. We're in no hurry.

If he pans out, great. If not, all it cost us was a 2R draft pick.
 

Smokey Thompson

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He has all the time in the world to develop. Price will be going strong for at least another 5-8 years, if not longer. The Habs should just let Fucale play out the season in junior, then put in a good 2 years in Hamilton and reassess him at that point. Most goaltenders only get to the NHL at 25-26, Fucale should be no different.
 

FrontierPsyCHiatrist*

Guest
Concentration problems... He doesnt really look calm in there nor does he inspire confidence with the way he plays.
 

Pricef*

Guest
Do you guys think he has the "drive" to be a top goalie or a starter in the NHL?

Personally I don't think he has the Patrick Roy, Carey Price "drive", he's more like Dustin Tokarski than Price. When games matter Roy and Price shows up. 4 goals in one of the most important game of Fucale's life isn't not good.

I think we should package him for a top player.

Too bad only ONE was MAYBE his fault.
 

Pricef*

Guest
I don't think he represents an "untouchable" prospect to us, not in the sense of representing elements we desperately want to see as part of our roster growth, the way I think of others like Scherbak, McCarron, DLR, Beaulieu, Tinordi... he's just a long-term project in an area we've currently got locked down for the forseeable future in goal. In that sense, if another team wanted to place good value on him in a trade discussion, he's obviously moveable.

But... most teams have goaltending prospects and aren't going to trade for him at anything other than "token" value, which is basically like a 2nd round pick, and I think at that threshold we're better off just keeping him in the pipeline and letting him progress, work with Waite for the next 3-4 years, see what we have. There's no rush, no need to label him right now when he's 19. He has had a great junior career, and still another run at the Memorial Cup to come, and then plenty of time to let him develop in the AHL. He'll work things out, or he won't, but you need to have a goaltending prospect in the pipeline, and even while he has some flaws to work on, his overall body of work and accomplishments are hard to match. We could do a lot worse than him for having a young prospect goalie coming along in the pipeline.

Very well said
 
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