Why Brochu is the most underrated goalie in the 2020 Draft

2019-20 Team: London Knights (OHL)

Position: Goalie 

Height: 5'11

Weight: 161 lbs

Catches: Left 

Brett Brochu is one of the youngest players available in this year's NHL Draft. Playing with the London Knights of the OHL this season, he amassed a record of 32-6-0, while posting a 2.40 GAA and a .919 sv%. He won the OHL rookie goaltender of the year award and also broke records like the most wins by a rookie goalie in OHL history.  He is a potential candidate for Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Juniors. 

Size

Brett Brochu is not the biggest goalie on the ice, but that doesn't stop him from being an effective goalie. Although he's only 5'11, he can still stop pucks at an exceptional rate. He had a .919 sv% as a 17 year old in the OHL and won the OHL's rookie goalie of the year award. So I think he's doing okay. He also made the London Knights at a young age (which is a hard team to make) and didn't look out of place. 

Playing Style

Brett Brochu is a fun goalie to watch when he's in net. He's an aggressive goalie, similar to a Mikey Dipietro. He can come out of his net whenever he wants, and can make the all important big save late in the game. He can play the puck also, allowing his teammates to not have to come back around the net. They can just come to the hasmarks and Brochu's got the puck ready for them to carry it backup the ice. 

Abilities

Brochu's got a lot of likeable traits in a goaltender. He's calm, poised and skilled. He doesn't like to rush things like make the wrong choice, but to make the right save. He's a poised goalie because he doesn't get rattled after he lets a soft goal go in. If that happens, he'll forget that it went in and move on to making the next save. There's no denying that Brett Brochu isn't a skilled goalie. His glove hand is really good, his speed is very good, his angles are excellent, his reaction time is quick and also makes important saves. He will most likely have a good shot to be a goalie for Canada's World Juniors team this upcoming Boxing Day. 

Future Projection

You might think I'm crazy, but I believe that Brett Brochu can be one of the best goaltenders to come out of this year's draft class. He does play for Dale and Mark Hunter, and we all know how good they can develop prospects. If he slips in the draft (which he probably will due to size), a team like the Vegas Golden Knights should be willing to take a chance on this goalie because they don't really have a goalie of the future behind Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. I think that Brett Brochu can become a really good starter for any NHL team. 

Here's a highlight reel showing Brett Brochu highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4FkBnua-vU

       

By: Luka Tkalcevic (Instagram: luka_tkalcevic, futurehockeystars)

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