THE FUTURE OF GOALTENDING IN THE NHL

Drafting and developing goalies to play in the NHL is probably one of the most difficult things to do. They take a long time to develop their games because there are so many things you have to get right before they reach the NHL. They need to have some sort of poise and calmness to their games, they should have size to be able to track where the puck is, they need fluid movement to shift side to side, they need to have an elite brain to know what to do at the right time. You only have so many chances to develop an elite goaltender, so let’s take a look at some of the brightest young netminders in the sport of hockey. 

Current NHLers: 

Carter Hart: Carter Hart is the goalie that all Flyers fans have been waiting for. He’s got everything that you want in a goalie. Size, skill, poise, etc. He’s the Flyers starter for the foreseeable future and may win a Vezina in the next few years. 

Igor Sheshterkin: Henrik Lundqvist’s heir. The successor to King Henrik’s throne in New York finally arrived this season. He started the season in the AHL where he absolutely shined. He posted a 17-4-3 record with a 1.90 GAA and a .930 sv%. He was called up to the NHL midway through the season and kept on playing well. In 12 games with the Rangers, he had a 10-2-0 record, with a 2.52 GAA and a .932 sv%. The future is looking very bright for the Rangers, and having Sheshterkin in net will only increase their chances of winning a Stanley Cup.  

Ilya Samsonov: Ilya Samsonov was picked 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. After playing 3 seasons in the KHL from 2015-2018, Samsonov came over to North America and played the full 2018-19 season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL. When he was in the AHL, he posted a record of 20-16-1 with a 2.70 GAA and a .898 sv%. The sv% stat wasn’t pretty for Samsonov last year, but he worked hard enough in the offseason and in training camp to make the Capitals opening night roster for this season. While playing for the Caps this season, he performed way better than his partner Braden Holtby did. Samsonov was lights out in the regular season, posting a 16-6-2 record with an impressive 2.55 GAA and a .913 sv%. Since Holtby’s contract is done at the end of the season, Samsonov will likely be the starter once next season rolls around. 

Mackenzie Blackwood: Mackenzie Blackwood was lights out for the Devils this season. He gave them a chance to win everytime he went out on the ice to play, and it shows on the stat sheet. He faced a lot of tough shots and was counted on very heavily for a young Devils team that included guys like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Blackwood's stats impressed this season where he posted a 22-14-8 record, a 2.77 GAA and a .915 sv% in 47 games. The Canadian born netminder will be heavily relied upon to lead the Devils into the future. 

Tristan Jarry: Tristan Jarry really stepped up for the Penguins this season, due to the inconsistent play of Matt Murray. Tristan has a really good frame for a goalie and may be the starter for the Pens in this year's play in series against the Montreal Canadiens. Jarry posted a record of 20-12-1 and had a 2.43 GAA and a .921 sv% in 33 games. If the Penguins decide that Jarry is their guy, he will be heavily relied upon to carry the load as guys like Crosby and Malkin start to creep into their late 30s. 

Drafted NHL Goalie Prospects:

Ilya Sorokin: Ilya Sorokin may be the best drafted goalie in hockey currently that isn’t in the NHL just yet. He’s been playing for the past several years with CSKA Moscow in the KHL. He’s hadn’t had a season in the KHL with CSKA that hasn’t been impressive. He’s put up countless seasons in a row with at least a sv% of at least .929. He’s got the size to be an effective goalie in the NHL. He's an athletic goalie that can steal you a game at ease. Since Thomas Greiss is a UFA at the end of this season, Sorokin will most likely be the starter for the Islanders and may contend for the starter role by the end of next season. He’s an A+ goalie prospect, but not as good as a goalie prospect that I’ll mention later.

Spencer Knight: Spencer Knight was the star goalie for the USNTDP when they had guys like Jack Hughes and Cole Caufield on it. He was drafted 13th overall by the Florida Panthers because they really didn’t have top notch goalie prospects. But since they now have Bobrovsky and Driedger, there’s no need to rush this supreme goalie prospect. For Boston College of the NCAA this season, he had a 23-8-2 record, with a 1.97 GAA and a .931 sv%. The future is definitely bright for Spencer Knight. 

Connor Ingram: Connor Ingram is probably the most underrated goalie prospect in this article. He was drafted by Tampa in 2016 and was traded to the Nashville Predators due to the emergence of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Ingram has been playing extremely well in the AHL in the past few years. He’s a 6’1 200lb goalie who had an incredible season this year. He had a record of 21-5-5 with a 1.92 GAA and a .933 sv%. He’s Nashville's top goalie prospect and will be an integral part of their future. 

Kaapo Kähkönen: Kaapo Kähkönen is a really good goalie whose been developing for the Minnesota Wild very nicely. He had a .931 sv% in 34 AHL games. He got to play 5 NHL games for Minnesota and had a .913 sv%. He’s got the size to cover enough net for the Wild. Dubnyk wasn’t great this year, and maybe that’s an opportunity for Kahkonen to take his job in net. Kaapo Kahkonen is a part of the prospect pool that includes guys like Boldy and Kaprizov. 

Other impressive drafted goalies that aren’t in this section: Jake Oettinger (Dallas), Cayden Primeau (Montreal), Michael DiPietro (Vancouver), Jeremy Swayman (Boston), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo), Justus Annunen (Colorado), Lukas Dostal (Anaheim), Hugo Alnefelt (Tampa Bay), Dustin Wolf (Calgary), 

2020 NHL Draft Goalie Prospects: 

Yaroslav Askarov: “The best goalie since Carey Price,” “The best available goalie in the draft,” “The best Russian goalie prospect since Andrei Vasilevskiy.” Those are the terms that are being described about Yaroslav Askarov. He’s got it all. Size, speed, poise, skill etc. Everything you want in a goalie is in Askarov’s game. Although he had a disappointing World Juniors, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Askarov is just dominant. In the VHL this season, he played in the VHL (Russia’s version of the AHL) and didn’t look out of place. In 18 games, he had a 2.45 GAA and a .920 sv%. For him to play in that league as a 17 year old is very impressive, let alone play 18 games in it. He worked hard to earn 1 game in the KHL this season, where he played very well. He only allowed 2 goals and had a .920 sv%. The future is looking very bright for this young Russian goalie. 

Joel Blomqvist: Joel Blomqvist is Finland's best goalie prospect available for the 2020 NHL Draft. He played for Karpat in Finland's top junior league this season and played very well. He had a .931 sv% in 34 games. He was named the best goalie in that league this season and will likely be playing in the Liiga as soon as next season. 

Brett Brochu: If you've seen a previous article that I wrote about Brochu, you’ll know how high I am on this kid. Although he’s undersized, he makes it up with incredible athletic ability. He moves very quickly side to side and comes up clutch when you need him most. He can steal important games and doesn’t fall when facing pressure. Not to mention, he does play for Dale Hunter in the OHL so that certainly helps. 

Here’s the link to the article I wrote on Brett Brochu: https://bthwriters.blogspot.com/2020/07/why-brochu-is-most-underrated-goalie-in.html

Goalies In Drafts That Are Way Too Early To Tell: 

Jesper Wallstedt (2021): In my honest opinion, I think that Jesper Wallstedt is going to be the best netminder of this generation. He’s better than Yaroslav Askarov in my opinion. He’s got everything you want in a netminder and more. First off, he’s basically a brick wall in net. And no, I didn’t take that from his name. Anyway, he’s 6’3 214lbs, at 17 years old! He covers a lot of net and is a complete netminder. If you know how Freddie Andersen plays, Wallstedt has some similarities. They’re both big, and can move pretty well. Wallstedt was very impressive in the u20 league and Sweden and was the youngest goalie to play an SHL game ever. He will play full time in that league next year and will look to be an exceptional netminder. If Seattle can pick him up, they’ll receive a supreme netminder. 

Sebastian Cossa (2021): Sebastian Cossa was a star for the Edmonton Oil Kings this season. He helped guide the team to 3rd place overall in the WHL. Just like Wallstedt, he’s a massive goalie who is measured at 6’4, 212lbs. He played in 33 games this season and had a 2.23 GAA and a .931 sv%. Cossa will most likely be the starter for the Oil Kings next season and may even be the starter for Canada at the 2021 World Juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer. 

Niklas Kokko (2022): Niklas Kokko is the final goalie that I’ll write about inside this article. He’s the youngest netminder on this list being only 16 years old. Yes, he’s a part of the draft that includes Shane Wright and Brad Lambert. That first round will have exciting talent. Anyway, Kokko played this season with Karpat’s u18 team and was effective. As a 15 and 16 year old, he had a .932 sv% in 25 games. He won the goalie of the year award and played one u20 game. He was effective in that game also. He’s slated to become a goalie for the Karpat’s u20 team next season where he may become the starter since Joel Blomqvist will probably be in the Liiga full time. If Kokko plays a Liiga game next season, that will be very impressive. 

Overall, this will be a very impressive crop of goalies that will all be in the NHL very soon hopefully and I can’t wait to see these guys develop. 

By: Luka Tkalcevic (Instagram: luka_tkalcevic, futurehockeystars)