The Sabres should be drafting a Goalie

[ddaryl]

Our Cupbaord is pretty bare now that Levi is here.... nobody to get excited about yet with any of the G's in the system.

Topias Leinonen - Hasn't done much to get exicited about but still developing

Erik Portillo  

Michael Houser - is what he is, emergency call up but mostly a minor leaguer

Malcolm Subban - similiar to Houser in regards to expectations

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - inconsistency is what drives us all nuts. He'll be here, for how long is the question

Eric Comrie - Similiar to UPL 

 

That list is a bit depressing


there are 2 decent G's in the NHL Draft that all I know about is from the blogs/scouting reports/stat sheets

Anybody have some input regarding our possible choices

I just copied and pasted some basic info, can't say I agree or disagree with anything said here, just for reference

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2023-nhl-draft-10-goaltenders-you-need-to-know

Quote

Michael Hrabal, Omaha (USHL)

Sometimes, you have to look beyond the stats. Hrabal’s numbers with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers are nothing special, but scouts love his raw potential. He’s 6-foot-6, faces a significant number of shots a night, tracks the puck well, has good athleticism and covers the net down low well. One of the biggest knocks, style-wise, is how he can be caught going down too early often, but he’s an imposing figure who is tough to beat on a given night.

Carson Bjarnason, Brandon (WHL)

It’s sometimes tough to judge CHL goaltenders because the stats can look downright awful – and having Connor Bedard and Zach Benson in the same division, among others, doesn’t help. But Bjarnason has carried the load for a lousy Wheat Kings team, making him the top-ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting. Bjarnason has what teams are looking for: good size, quick reflexes and the ability to not get rattled after a goal. Some scouts think he has true No. 1 potential.

Adam Gajan, Green Bay (USHL)

Scouts I talked to at the World Junior Championship fell in love with Gajan, who many believed to be a diamond in the rough. Gajan went undrafted out of the Slovak league last year but made some noise in the NAHL and USHL before joining Slovakia as the team’s third goalie to begin. Before too long, he was the No. 1, giving fits to teams like Canada and USA. Gajan doesn’t have a major sample size, which probably knocks him down a bit, but he has great size, excellent athleticism and seems to only get better with more viewings.

Trey Augustine, USNTDP

USNTDP goaltenders typically get lost in the shuffle with the amount of high-quality talent at other positions. But Augustine was the lone current player from the program to represent USA at the World Junior Championship. He snagged the starter’s role as the youngest No. 1 in the tournament and played quite well, leading USA to bronze. While he isn’t big, Augustine relies on his individual movements in the crease to make up for it. They’re swift and focused, and he always has his eyes fixated on the puck. In my opinion, the Michigan State University commit has a bright future and is one of the goalie prospects with the highest ceilings.

Jacob Fowler, Youngstown (USHL)

It’s been a few good months for Fowler, who led USA to gold at the World Junior A Challenge and has been named USHL goaltender of the week three times. The 6-foot-2 goaltender has been excellent with Youngstown, leading the league with a .914 save percentage and four shutouts. Fowler tracks the puck well and has good athleticism and when he gets scored on, it’s rarely because he’s out of position. He plays like a much bigger goalie, with strong shoulders and fluent movements that allow him to quickly cover high shots.

Scott Ratzlaff, Seattle (WHL)

Ratzlaff seems to play his best hockey when everyone’s watching. Ratzlaff made 24 saves on 25 shots against Connor Bedard and Co. at the CHL Top Prospects Game and posted a 4-0-0 record with two shutouts and an incredible .976 save percentage en route to gold at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with Canada. Scouts notice big-game performances like that, even if he didn’t have the toughest competition at the Hlinka. In league play, Ratzlaff has put up great numbers with Seattle, so it’s not like he needs to be carried. He isn’t a big goaltender, but he has excellent rebound control, does a good job of sifting through traffic and is quite athletic, too.

Tomas Suchanek, Tri-City (WHL)

After getting passed over twice before, it’s unlikely Suchanek gets passed over again. Since the 2022 draft, he played for Buffalo’s prospect team, saved Czechia’s summer World Junior Championship tournament and gave them a huge win over USA, and then won top goaltender at the 2023 edition after leading his country to silver. Add in a decent run with Tri-City and his CV looks impressive at 19. It’s not uncommon for goaltenders to go as an overager, especially when COVID-19 impacted key parts of a player’s development time. There’s some decent potential here.

Adam Dybal, Karlovy Vary (Czechia, U-20)

Dybal has put up some ridiculous numbers in the Czech U-20 league, recording six shutouts and a .941 save percentage in 33 games. He is the fourth-ranked European goaltender by NHL Central Scouting. Dybal’s dominance has allowed him to rise up the ranks, and he even got into a second-tier Czech league game and some U-18 national team action. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to tougher competition at other levels, and he’s on the smaller size at six-foot. But, clearly, the talent is there.

Thomas Milic, Seattle (WHL)

It’s not easy sharing the net with Ratzlaff, but Milic has done enough head-turning already this season. The Canadian World Junior Championship star has a 20-3-1 record in WHL and WJC play this season and has a 5-0 record in starts since returning to the Thunderbirds. The biggest knock against Milic is his six-foot frame, but he’s quick, athletic and never gives up on a scoring chance. There’s enough raw talent to mold him into something tangible at the next level.

Alexander Hellnemo, Skeleftea (SHL)

Hellnemo is another re-entry and one with some pro experience already. The top-ranked European goalie on NHL Central Scouting wasn’t viewed highly on many public charts, but he has a solid 6-foot-2 frame and is quite athletic, to boot. He has had some impressive outings in the SHL and has been one of the better goalies in the Swedish U-20 league. I’m not sure how many NHL teams share the same opinions as Central Scouting about his play, but it’ll be interesting to see if his improved play as a Draft+1 prospect makes a big difference.

 

[Pimlach]

To bad Porto bailed on us, he would have been a good development project.  

Leinonen is far away. 

Comrie is a backup. 

UPL is still TBD. 

Thankful we have Levi right now.  

Yes, we should probably draft another Goalie.  

[inkman]

Can you just add “every year” to the thread title?  Even if it’s just a late round shot in the dark.  

[Doohicksie]

Just now, inkman said:

Can you just add “every year” to the thread title?  Even if it’s just a late round shot in the dark.  

...and I think last year Kevyn said that is his intention.

[dudacek]

Leinonen has to be one of the most quickly dismissed or forgotten 2nd-rounders in a long time.

He was the first goalie taken overall last year, and the highest drafted Sabre goalie in 25 years.

We'll see in 5-7 years if he's as bad as everyone thinks.

Yes, a goalie would be nice, but it better not be early.

Edited May 11, 2023 by dudacek

[inkman]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Leinonen has to be one of the most quickly dismissed or forgotten 2nd-rounders in a long time.

He was the first goalie taken overall last year, and the highest drafted Sabre goalie in 25 years.

We'll see in 5-7 years if he's a bad as everyone thinks.

Yes, a goalie would be nice, but it better not be early.

Kinda reminds me of Rosen the first year post draft.  Just…nothing.  Maybe he’ll develop.  Goalie are witches anyway. 

[Curt]

Should draft a goalie almost every year.

Sabres have 3 young goalies in the development system.  That’s not nothing, but yeah, they could probably add one in the mid-late rounds as a far away development project.

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, Curt said:

Should draft a goalie almost every year.

Sabres have 3 young goalies in the development system.  That’s not nothing, but yeah, they could probably add one in the mid-late rounds as a far away development project.

UPL at 24, Levi at 21 and Leinonen at 19 is probably a better "young goalie" situation than well over half the league, but we don't always do context well around here.

[French Collection]

2 hours ago, ddaryl said:

Our Cupbaord is pretty bare now that Levi is here.... nobody to get excited about yet with any of the G's in the system.

Topias Leinonen - Hasn't done much to get exicited about but still developing

Erik Portillo  

Michael Houser - is what he is, emergency call up but mostly a minor leaguer

Malcolm Subban - similiar to Houser in regards to expectations

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - inconsistency is what drives us all nuts. He'll be here, for how long is the question

Eric Comrie - Similiar to UPL 

 

That list is a bit depressing


there are 2 decent G's in the NHL Draft that all I know about is from the blogs/scouting reports/stat sheets

Anybody have some input regarding our possible choices

I just copied and pasted some basic info, can't say I agree or disagree with anything said here, just for reference

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2023-nhl-draft-10-goaltenders-you-need-to-know

 

I agree that the right move is to take a goalie every year, to keep the cupboard stocked. These guys generally develop so late that a 6th or 7th rounder can turn into an NHL #1 in 6-8 years.

I would use the later rounds and probably get a guy that was passed over in his draft year because of the extra year of viewing him and development. Many goalies are not starters on their junior teams at 17 or 18 so the viewings and sample sizes are limited.

I think the NHL is at the point where monster sized goalies may start to lose their lustre. Smaller guys having success like Saros and  Shesterkin may change a few minds and if Levi and Wolf have success the pendulum might start to swing back towards athleticism.

I know very little about the goalies in this article. I will trust the Sabres scouts to get a good kid.

I would take a chance on Suchanek or Milic as older guys who have had success.

 

[MattPie]

Sometime in the 3rd round or preferably later, absolutely. Even if you tag Levi as "the real thing", and maybe UPL blossoms (not unusual for NHL goalies to come into their own 25+), you still need to keep stocking. Hopefully the Sabres have learned their lesson post-Miller.

[ddaryl]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

UPL at 24, Levi at 21 and Leinonen at 19 is probably a better "young goalie" situation than well over half the league, but we don't always do context well around here.

UPL could be a short timer if consistency doesn't ramp up majorily

Leinonen really hasn't done much to get excited about but there is still time here

 

It may be better than other teams but if UPL fizzles out and Leinonen doesn't take the next couple of steps will wish we had another your net minder int he system

1 hour ago, Curt said:

Should draft a goalie almost every year.

Sabres have 3 young goalies in the development system.  That’s not nothing, but yeah, they could probably add one in the mid-late rounds as a far away development project.

I don't view UPL or Cromrie as in development, the rest are barely NHL worthy, so really we only have one young net minder in Leinonen

Edited May 11, 2023 by ddaryl

[Zamboni]

I would even push it to every other year unless a goalie slips in the draft that is too good to pass up in the “off year”. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the draft a goalie every year no matter what mindset, is slight overkill. 

[steveoath]

33 minutes ago, French Collection said:

would take a chance on Suchanek or Milic as older guys who have had success.

Could they not have had Suchanek for nothing last off season??

[GASabresIUFAN]

Yes

[French Collection]

Just now, steveoath said:

Could they not have had Suchanek for nothing last off season??

Yes, I believe they could have signed him in the summer as a FA. They are limited to 50 contracts so they didn’t see enough in him then to pull the trigger.

He has has a good season and WJHC since then so perhaps this time he has developed enough to warrant a pick. I’m sure they have good intel on him from camp and scouting.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Zamboni said:

I would even push it to every other year unless a goalie slips in the draft that is too good to pass up in the “off year”. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the draft a goalie every year no matter what mindset, is slight overkill. 

Agreed. You only have room for 4 or 5 pro goalies at any one time and only 2 of them will be getting the playing time they need.

As long as you have three prospects outside the NHL, you should be fine.

The loss of Portillo and the likely early graduation of Levi means the Sabres have adjust.

Edited May 11, 2023 by dudacek

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, inkman said:

Can you just add “every year” to the thread title?  Even if it’s just a late round shot in the dark.  

Yup, that's kind of always been my philosophy. I mean Levi was a late round shot in the dark. It's a good strategy and you can never have too many goalie prospects as they all have unique development curves. 

(We don't have enough D prospects either. Lots of forwards, some of them pretty flashy, but not many D men and just the one goalie)

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

UPL at 24, Levi at 21 and Leinonen at 19 is probably a better "young goalie" situation than well over half the league, but we don't always do context well around here.

I think the problem is that is pretty much all we have with Levi at 21 projecting to be a starter after only 7 NHL games.  

[DarthEbriate]

Considering Subban and Houser are UFAs and could easily be starters elsewhere next season (and I don't consider either of them prospects), the Amerks have a clear need of a prospect goalie next season. This is why I'm firmly in the 5th or 6th on Suchanek or Milic camp so you have someone who can immediately step in as a backup in Rochester. Then, you only have to ensure you keep either Subban or Houser (you can still keep both and that's fine, too).

Then, in 2024, draft another goalie as a more long-term project.

[PerreaultForever]

If Jacob Fowler is still on the board when we get to our L.A. pick I'm taking him, just because I am amused at the idea of taking a goalie with the Portillo pick. 

[mjd1001]

Every year after 3rd round (maybe the 2nd round) you should be picking a goalie:

-In the past 5 seasons, look at the most successful goalies (in wins, who happen to be also close to the top in GAA and SV percentage).  Only 2 were first rounders.   7 of the 10 were picked in the 3rd round or later.  

-On the other side of that, impact players taken later than the 3rd round in other players are few and far between.

  The sabres, since 2008, in the 3rd round and later, these are their most impactful  non-goalie picks: Brayden McNabb, Marcus Foligno, Nick Baptiste, Olofsson, Will Borgen, Brandon Hagel, Jacob Bryson.  That is it out of 79 total players picked over that time.  In those same rounds they did Draft Portillo, UPL, Jonas Johansson, Cal Peterson, Linus Ulmark (among 2-3 other goalies) and this is not with them drafting one every year.  Lets not forget Levi was a late round pick.

Across the league goalies have a much better chance of being impact players, as with the Sabres own drafting, with later round picks than other positions.   If you have a goalie ANYWHERE on your draft board close to where you are picking, you should be picking one every year in the middle to late rounds.

[dudacek]

None of you guys wanting a goalie every year are the same guys wanting the Sabres to stop drafting college players are you?

You know Portillo skipped town in part because there were 2 other young goalies in the system.

Also, you’re not planning on signing all these guys right? Where are you going to develop them if you do?

[French Collection]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

None of you guys wanting a goalie every year are the same guys wanting the Sabres to stop drafting college players are you?

You know Portillo skipped town in part because there were 2 other young goalies in the system.

Also, you’re not planning on signing all these guys right? Where are you going to develop them if you do?

I guess one every year can cause a glut in the system. You can sign an undrafted FA every once in a while when you are in need.Some will not develop and fall by the wayside.
If you take a Euro they can stay over there for a few years before signing them.

You can get 2 prospects in the ECHL and one in Rochester.

[Eleven]

Always draft a goalie somewhere in the seven rounds.  I can't argue with that. 

38 minutes ago, dudacek said:

None of you guys wanting a goalie every year are the same guys wanting the Sabres to stop drafting college players are you?

You know Portillo skipped town in part because there were 2 other young goalies in the system.

Also, you’re not planning on signing all these guys right? Where are you going to develop them if you do?

They are the most tradeable commodities.

[msw2112]

The Sabres have a reasonable goalie pipeline now, but you never know how guys will develop.  They should be drafting a goalie in every draft or, at least 3 out of every 5 drafts.  Given the varied rates of development, wide age ranges, and different paths to the NHL (NCAA, Canadian juniors, Europe, Russia), guys are all over the place and they won't all be in the system at the same time and/or ready for the NHL at the same time.  If they ever have too many, they can trade/release the guys that are favored less the others, as they did with Portillo this year.  I think they liked/wanted Portillo, but they liked Levi more, so when Portillo was reluctant to join the organization, they wisely moved on and received an asset in exchange.

As a side note, I still think UPL has a chance to be a solid NHL goaltender.  He was highly inconsistent this season, but he did start and win a lot of NHL games this year, playing in front of a porous defense, and it's widely known that many goalies don't hit their prime until their late 20's (or even early 30s in some cases).  UPL, at 24 (or is he still 23?) is a few years away from that now.  Levi, who appears to be NHL ready at 21, is the exception and outlier, not UPL.