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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Calgary
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More Thoughts on Central Scouting's Preliminary Rankings:
-Central Scouting gave RG Jacoby Weiner (6'4",227lbs) a "B"-rating at the beginning of the current campaign, but it's been a bit of a disaster for him so far. The Connecticut-native is in his rookie season with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats, who are once again a contender- sitting in 2nd-place in the standings. Their starter, Detroit Red Wings' draftee Rudy Guimond, is the league's best Goaltender, sporting a 19-4-2 record, with a 2.25 GAA (1st-overall), and a .927 SV% (1st-overall). How is it then that Weiner, his backup, holds a record of 3-3-1, with a 3.76 GAA, and a .857 SV%? He put together a few good games, with wins against Victoriaville (the 4th-worst team in the Q) on Nov.28th (.920 SV%), and Saint John (the 2nd-worst team in the Q) on Dec.7th (.913 SV%), before being pulled on Dec.18th at the 27:32 mark, after letting in 3 goals on 14 shots against Cape Breton (7th-best team in the Q). Simply put, his game is a mess, and he is much more raw than most. First of all, he's a huge goalie, but looks much smaller in his net due to his hunched-over stance, and how deep he tends to stay in his net, which also affects the placement of his glove-hand, that sits too low and fails to cover the top corner of his net; he has been working to improve this issue, though. While he he is superbly athletic, and is blessed with acute reflexes, his lack of hockey-sense and anticipation lets him down by forcing him to be much more reactive than proactive- and his poor posture leaves holes open. While he's quite mobile in his crease, owns solid edges, pops up-and-down in the butterfly with ease, and displays the ability to explode laterally, he has problems micro-adjusting to stay square to the puck. There's too much relying on athleticism, and not nearly enough attention being given to technique, tracking, and positioning- which negatively affects his rebound-control. Scouts keep screaming about his potential, and cite the need for patience, as he will surely be a long-term project.
-Finnish LG William Gammals (6'0.25",191lbs) was given a "C" by Central Scouting at the beginning of the season, and it might be because of his performance in the summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup- where he played all 5 games for the 4th-place Team Finland, posting a 2.99 GAA, and a .907 SV% (8th in the tournament), while putting in the 2nd-most minutes (241), and making the most saves (117) on the most shots-against (129). In league play this season with Tappara U20 (who are 8th in the standings, out of 18 teams), he is 9-7-0, with a 2.77 GAA, and an .899 SV% (15th) in the 4th-most minutes played (1235). Gammals doesn't possess the kind of size scouts look for in a goalie, but he makes up for it somewhat with his hockey sense and anticipation, aided by his acute puck-tracking skills- helping him to be ready and set proactively. Like most successful netminders of his size, he possesses sharply-honed reflexes, lightning-quick limbs, and the ability to nimbly zip around the crease in all directions. He seals off the bottom of the net well with his flexibility and fast pads, and his positioning is sound to always be square to the shooter, as well as to cut down the angles. His rebound-control is ideal, as he can direct the puck out of danger with both his blocker as well as his pads, but battles hard to make second, and third-saves. He also does well in handling the puck when needed- even aiding in breakouts. Going forward, he will need to add leg strength in order to be a bit more explosive off his posts, add more flexibility, and work on sealing off the top of his net better- he also sometimes goes down in the butterfly a bit early.
-Another European netminder who may have earned his "C"-rating because of his Hlinka performance is LG Douglas Nilsson (6'3.75",178lbs), who seems to get a lot of love from scouts. In the Hlinka, he only played in 1 game for Team Sweden, a 5-3 victory over the eventual Championship-winning US team, where he stopped 41 out of 44 shots (.932 SV%), and received glowing reviews for his play. Team Sweden lost in the final to the Americans, with starter Milo Tjarnlund in net (who started the other 4 games in the tournament), by a score of 5-3. In league play so far this season, Nilsson has played 9 games for Farjestad U20, with starter Mans Goos (Dallas, 5th-round, #158) playing the other 13, but his numbers are a bit disappointing, going 4-5-0, with a 3.31 GAA, and an .875 SV%. Farjestad is not a bad team, sitting in 5th-place in the Sorra Division, and 8th-overall in the 20-team league. Nilsson has also played 6 games with Farjestad's U18 squad, posting a 5-1-0 record, with a 0.99 GAA, and a .958 SV%. Nilsson fills the desired profile of the kind of goalie that scouts like, with size, athleticism, and an uncommonly poised and calm demeanor- and he's ahead of most goalies in his age group when it comes to technique. He always seems to be in perfect position, and in the ideal upright stance, while maintaining squareness to the puck with micro-adjustments, and controlled movements. He could use more leg-strength in order be a little more explosive in his movements, and a bit quicker going up-and-down into butterfly position, but his technical skill is his savior. His rebound-control gets mixed reviews; he often seems to be adept at deflecting the shots he can't immediately swallow up to the corner using his blocker or pads, but it looks like a weakness in some games. His glove is well-positioned in his default stance to cover more net, but he has a tendency to stay deeper in his net than he should- although he is not afraid to challenge shooters one-on-one. Some say his puck-tracking through traffic needs work, as well, but he has plenty of fans in the scouting world.
-"C"-rated LG Rafael Courchesne (6'2.25",190lbs) is in his rookie season in the QMJHL, but unfortunately for him, he has the unenviable task of backstopping the 17th-place (out of 18 teams) Saint John Sea Dogs, posting a 7-9-1 record, with a 3.77 GAA (22nd), and an .879 SV% (24th), with the 14th-most TOI (1051 minutes), and the 14th-most saves (481). Courchesne has played 21 games, which is three more than 3-year veteran Justin Robinson's 18. This is the type of goalie that reminds me a bit of those who came out of the Q in the 90's, and early 2000's, with his size in the net, how technically sound he is, and his athleticism. He has plenty to work on, but is already fairly refined in all areas for a young netminder- who happens to be one of the youngest players available in the upcoming draft, with an August 21st birthdate. His positioning and stance are well-developed, but he is sometimes too deep in his net, and can lose the top of his net when he goes down in the butterfly, as he keeps his hands too low. He is quick in his crease, displays good edgework in staying square to the puck, and is quite flexible in sealing off the bottom of the net- but he could use more leg strength to be more explosive in his lateral movements. While he uses a rigid RVH to seal off his posts, some say he still lets pucks squeak through at times, and he has been criticized for going down in the butterfly too early. He seems to have good hockey sense and anticipation, but has problems seeing the puck through traffic, and after giving up a rebound. While he may be a bit of a project, he has a fairly good technical base.
-In the 2024-25 season, "C"-rated LG Samuel Hrenak (6'3",190lbs) had an excellent season for the 4th-place HK Dukla Trencin U20 squad in Slovakia, going 10-5-0, with a 1.86 GAA, and a .945 SV%, making him the top netminder in that circuit. This season, with his team in 7th-place (out of 13 teams), his .911 SV% in the U20 league split between the U-18 Team Slovakia (.907%), and HK Dukla Trencin (.915%) put him in a tie for 14th for that stat. He didn't fare nearly as well at the U-18 Worlds (0-1-0, with a 6.00 GAA, and an .833 SV%), or the Hlinka (0-2, with a 5.49 GAA, and an .852 SV%). The Slovakian U-18 Team plays games in the second-tier men's league, and reviews say that he manages to hold his own, despite facing an average of almost 50 shots per contest, many of the difficult variety (0-11-0, with a 5.55 GAA, and an .890 SV%). This proves his ability to stay at even-keel under pressure, and shows his durability under a heavy workload. Hrenak is a hybrid goalie, with size, athleticism, and a solid technical base, who tracks the puck well, and reads the play in front of him with acuity to get set proactively. He moves very quickly around the crease, giving him the ability to make desperation saves when his technique fails him, and he can flash the pads with lightning-speed to rob chances at the bottom of the net. His glove hand gets high marks, as well. In his stance, he stays low to find pucks through traffic, but also to be able to snap down into the butterfly to slam his five-hole shut; however, this affects his explosiveness when moving laterally. Hrenak is composed and calm, but he's a competitor, and will battle through second, and third-chances. There needs to be more attention to technique in his game, and less dependency in his athleticism and quickness, as he can sometimes be out of position, and without the proper angling. He could be a longer-term project, but worth taking a chance on in the mid-to-late rounds.
-On a deep and talented Brantford Bulldogs team, having their goaltending situation already set with Ryerson Leenders and David Egorov splitting the netminding duties, "C"-rated LG Maksim "Maks" Corovic (6'1.75",195lbs) is stuck in the OJHL with the Collingwood Blues for the forseeable future. He played a game with the Bulldogs at the start of the season with Leenders away at the Buffalo Sabres' camp, and earned some praise, despite posting a 3.95 GAA, and an .867 SV% in a 4-3 OT loss- facing a total of 30 shots. He is arguably the best goalie in the OJHL this year, sporting a 7-2-2 record, with a 1.70 GAA, and a league-leading .945 SV%. In the World Junior A Challenge in early December, scouts were undoubtedly hoping to see more of him than just the one game he played (the other 4 were backstopped by Kale Osipenko), but he looked good in a 42-save shootout win for Canada East, over Canada West. In the 2024-25 season, he led Cushing Academy to a New England Prep School Championship. Though he can often lose sight of the puck in traffic, Corovic possesses keen hockey sense and anticipation to stay well-positioned, and square to the shooter, with the edges to stay in control of his movements, and to micro-adjust on the fly. He is quick and athletic, but could use more muscle in his lower-body to get stronger pushes in his lateral mobility. Many outlets list him as being 6'3", but he was measured as a hair under 6'2" by Central Scouting, and he doesn't always make himself look bigger in his net, as he tends to retreat deeper into his crease when traffic arrives. Mentally, he gets good grades for his poise and focus, and doesn't seem to crumple under a heavy workload. His hands are quick, but they drop when he goes down in the butterfly, and his rebound-control could use a bit of work. Maks is very much an unfinished product, and the fact that he plays in a lower-level of hockey might mean that he doesn't get drafted, but he has some nice tools.
-The Seattle Thunderbirds sit 17th in the 23-team WHL, with a .500 win %, on a 14-14-2-2 record, and yet their young netminder, "C"-rated LG Marek Sklenicka (6'4",170lbs) shows a record of 10-6-2, with a 3.53 GAA (T-24th), and an .898 SV% (T-13th). It won't come as a big surprise to scouts though, as Sklenicka posted the 5th-best GAA (2.18), and the 7th-best SV% in the Czech U20 (.928 %) as a 16 year-old in 2024-25, which enticed the Thunderbirds enough to take him with the 22nd-overall pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft. The young Czech has top-tier hockey sense, and good tracking skills, with speed and athleticism in his crease. He stays poised and focused, and is a calming presence for his team, but he is known as a battler who will dive and sprawl out to make first, and second desperation saves when his technique fails him, or when he loses sight of the puck. He battles through screens, and fights through bodies in his crease, but has some issues with depth-control, as he is sometimes too deep in the blue paint, and can leave the top of the net unprotected at times. Most often though, he is a rather staunch butterfly goalie who stays well-positioned and square to the puck, with good posture, and an ability to cover a lot of net with perfectly executed technique- he takes away the bottom of the net proficiently, and seals off his posts tightly. Sklenicka is flexible, and owns good edges to make quick adjustments, while staying in control, and doesn't seem to lose his net when sliding on his pads. While he is quick in his movements, he needs to work on his lateral explosiveness, and his up-and-down mobility.
Last edited by Sandman; 12-29-2025 at 05:42 AM.
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