Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameZilla
Scouts seem to be really high on Demko. Is he really all that? I wasn't all that impressed in the BC games that I watched for Johnny Hockey reasons. I thought he let in weak goals at inopportune times. They must see lots of potential.
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There were games where he looked unbeatable, and some where he struggled.
I think the thing that has pushed him to the top of the list is that he played the majority of his team's games on one of the top teams in the NCAA as a "17 year-old".
He's two years younger than Jonathan Quick was when he played his first NCAA season. In Quick's freshman year, he didn't play the majority of his team's games, and he posted worse stats than Demko did.
The biggest question mark for Demko right now is how he'll play when the Gaudreau-Arnold-Hayes line isn't controlling the puck for half the game and giving him solid leads early in most games. Where he really seemed to struggle was in the close games late in the season.
When you look at the bottom five teams in the first round this year: Montreal, Chicago, Tampa (from the Rangers), Los Angeles, and New Jersey, any of them could be looking to pick up their goalie of the future this year. All of their current starters are in their late 20s, and if Demko takes 5-7 years to develop into an NHL starter, he'd be perfectly placed to take over.