Quote:
Originally Posted by gvitaly
I'm in the habit of doubting every goalie since Kipper.
Ortio was supposed to be great since he was picked by Kipper. Then we had a couple of 2nd rounders in Parsons and McDonald. Parsons in particular looked like a stud. Not to mention we had Brossiot whom we conveniently traded for Smid(or so I think). Aside from that Rittich was supposed to be a stud, then Vladar. Not to mention other proven starting goalies like Elliotte, Smith, or Talbot. Even Markstrom turned into a pumpkin for a season.
HM: Irving, Gillies, McBackup, Krahn, Keeley.
I'll happily eat crow on this one, but I have a hard time betting on goalie prospects with the Flames.
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Boy, I don't remember it this way. I think only a couple of those guys were thought of as being real options to become a starting goalie. Many of them were just throwing picks at an organizational need to see if anything panned out.
Joni Ortio: 6th round pick, athletic, but inconsistent. He had some hype because of a strong World Junior tournament performance and then followed that up with some solid (but unspectacular) seasons in the AHL. However, he never really impressed at the NHL level, and likely would have been a journeyman backup if he stayed in NA instead of going back to Europe.
Mason McDonald: was just a bad pick. He never showed well at any level, and there was no real expectations for him after he was drafted.
Tyler Parsons: Another guy with some good junior numbers and then a nice showing at the World Juniors to hype him up, but no goalie should ever really be thought of as a "stud" until they get past junior. Then he turned pro and looked pretty terrible, bouncing back and forth between ECHL and AHL for a few years. Something happened in his maturity and mental health development that completely derailed him, so that should be taken into account.
Laurent Broissoit: Another 6th round draft pick that should never have been thought of as a high end prospect. Pretty solid, but pedestrian results in junior, and then traded before he really got a chance in the organization. He actually turned out pretty well considering his draft position and pedigree, and has managed a journeyman backup career in the NHL. I'd say that's actually a success story.
David Rittich: euro free agent signing. Sorry, he was never thought of as a "stud". He was actually a good news story finding an NHL capable goaltender out of nowhere. He looked better than average one year, but the reality is his abilities and pedigree never screamed that he was destined to be a great goalie. He's never had a GAA below 2.6. Not sure why you thought he was the answer.
Dan Vladar: never thought of as anything more than a back up who could maybe be a starter if everything went right. His background and current performance seem to support that. Not sure why you thought he would be more.
I'm not going to even address the pros that were signed like Smith, Talbot, and god help me, Elliott. That was a combination of terrible pro scouting and desperate moves by Treliving. Those were always stop gap moves.
I have to address a few you zoomed by...
Jon Gillies: Had a couple monster seasons in college backed by a strong defensive system, but then seemed exposed in the World Junior tournament as overhyped. However, he had hip problems requiring surgery, which can be the death knell for any goalie's career. He was never quite right after that, but still managed a career in the AHL and a cup of coffee in the NHL. Had he been healthy, he may have been good.
Leland Irving: This is the one that fizzled out for no real reason. He had a strong junior career, similar to Wolf. He then moved to the AHL and had a pretty strong few years there as well. Not as big as Wolf, but similar. Then he tried his game at the NHL level and got exposed badly. No real explanation for it other than he just wasn't good enough to win in the NHL. He played a lot in Europe and has good numbers there. It just goes to show you how hard it is to be a goalie at the NHL level. The talent and skill there is just a big jump up, which is why you never know how good goalies are until you see them play games in the NHL. The concerns about Wolf being able to translate his game to the NHL are valid for those reasons, but he still has such a strong pedigree at lower levels that I think he will at least be an average NHL starter. But...I could be completely wrong as well.
McBackup, Krahn, and Keetley were always depth prospects that were never considered serious NHL options. McElhinney actually was the best out of the bunch, but was always going to be a backup at best, hence the moniker.
Anyway, goalies are voodoo priests, or mages, or some other odd group of illusionist. At least that's what I've been told.