[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Goalie Edition, Vol. 16)

LHG Marcus Gidlof, 6'6", 212lbs

Leksands IF J20: 26gp, 14-12-0, 2.22 GAA, .923 SV%
Leksands IF J20 (Playoffs): 5gp, 3-2-0, 3.14 GAA, .895 SV%
Leksands (SHL); 1gp, 9.00 GAA, .625 SV%

I've largely been ignoring Gidlof until recently, thinking that he was overrated because of his size, and perhaps paying too much attention to his Sept.28th, 2005 birthday- which makes him one of the oldest prospects in the draft. There's been a lot more chatter about him recently though, with Pronman ranking him as the best goalie in this year's crop, and Logan Horn of THW saying that if a goalie were to jump up into the first round, it would be Gidlof. I've certainly taken notice, and in diving back into scouting reports that I may have previously skipped over, there's certainly something there. Gidlof led the J20 league in both GAA and SV%, and only two other netminders posted a SV% above .910. With a player who was only a few weeks away from being eligible to be drafted last year, it's important to look at stats from 2022-23: 14gp, 7-6-0, 2.86 GAA (19th-overall), and a .904 SV% (14th-overall). Central Scouting has him ranked as #10 for EU Goaltenders.

One of Gidlof's best traits is his ability to track pucks, even through heavy traffic, and a player of his height can get a bird's eye view over players standing around his crease. Another of his best features is his top-notch rebound control; he is able to track the puck all the way into the save, and swallow it up before any crease-crashers can get to it. There are very few times in a game that he gives up an egregiously bad rebound, and when he does, he's adept at tracking it well enough to make the second-chance save. Gidlof is said to possess good athleticism, but he's not in an elite class in this regard and perhaps doesn't need to be at the junior level as he covers so much of the net, even when down in the butterfly. For a player of his immense size, he displays good mobility in his crease, and is aggressive in challenging shooters by exploding out to the edge of his crease in a telescopic motion. His lateral quickness could use a little work for the next level though, and some say his movements aren't smooth enough and look a bit clunky. With his long legs, he seals off the bottom of the net quite well and slams his five-hole shut in the blink of an eye, but while his recovery speed looks remarkable, some say he needs to be quicker in this area for the pros. He exhibits prime positioning, and makes adjustments to stay square to the puck at all times.

The bad points about his game are considered to be mostly nitpicking, though he will need a while to develop. There's a perception that he gets beaten by a higher number of long-range shots than normal- strange, considering his tracking abilities. The most common critique seems to be that he can look scrambly in his net, meaning that he needs better poise and concentration and would do better with improved footwork. He needs better confidence in his technique, and has trouble improvising when it breaks down. As with most goalies of his age, Gidlof is quite raw- but he has a solid enough foundation of skills that many believe he has NHL-starter potential. I'm gonna put him between the third round, and the fifth.