SteelFlyers Football Videos
Prospect Watch: Critiquing the Top-Rated Goalies of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
If you have read any of my work before, you know that I have been a goalie for well over 30 years, and I also enjoy giving back to my community by volunteering to coach young netminders. In saying that, though, I feel there’s a legitimate reason why goalies often take a little longer to develop. That reason is that a goaltender tends to be a rare breed. This job requires a person to be slightly off or even a bit deranged. Think about it: would you be willing to offer to stand in front of someone shooting a large piece of vulcanized rubber toward your head at a rate of over 100 m.p.h.? Most of you probably very quickly said NO to that last question. But for the few of you odd ducks that thought that sounded like fun and can honestly say you have no problem dealing with the extreme stress and pressure of being the last line of defense that often gets blamed for their team losing a game, not to mention having to put your body through the most strain of any other position out on the ice then this may be the job for you!
And since I have the gray hair, bad knees, and horrible posture to prove it. For all intense purposes here, I’ll just go ahead and consider myself more qualified than most so-called sports journalists (who have probably not ever stepped foot on the ice) to critique the next crop of guardians of the blue paint coming out of the 2024 Entry Draft.
Eric Olsson
For some time now, Eric Olsson from Sweden has been one of the highest rated goalies in this upcoming draft. This is for good reason, seeing that besides being arguably one of the most complete goalies out of this draft, he also has the size teams in the NHL tend to covet. Standing at 6’4 and 183 pounds, this 18-year-old netminder has recently decided to leave his native county where he had so much success to instead get a head start on learning the North American game when he agreed to play for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) this season. So far, that learning curve is proving to be rather steep because, through five games played, Eric is averaging an atrocious 4.97 goals against average (G.A.A.) and a .862 Save Percentage (SV%).
One thing I like about his game is that it is evident that he has been properly trained. Like most top-level goalies coming out of Sweden, Olsson shows good mobility and positioning. Something he needs to work on, though, is his ability to play the puck. Although I like his willingness to come out and play the puck, It doesn’t make him exactly good at it. Olsson has looked tentative at best when coming out to play the puck, resulting in a few missed handles. Overall, if the draft were to take place today, most mock drafts would still have him going in the late 2nd round.
Carter George
The next goaltender on our list is my favorite of this draft class, and his name is Carter George. This 17-year-old goalie plays for the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and unlike most guys featured in this article, Carter can win games all by himself. Being able to play much larger than his 6’0 frame should be physically capable of has allowed Carter to become unbelievably patient between the pipes. I believe this trait has most scouts drooling because it is George’s innate ability to wait until the opposing player makes a move before he decides to counter it that sees him being labeled a bit of a shootout prodigy. And we all know if a goalie does well in shootouts, then their team will most likely be able to acquire quite a few more points over the course of the season. This sometimes means the difference between a club making the playoffs and one destined to start working on their golf game a little earlier.
George has played in 12 games this season, averaging 2.65 G.A.A. and a .915 SV%, earning himself one shutout and a record of 5-4-1. Regarding international play, Carter recently backstopped Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to a Gold Medal, where he posted similar numbers in five games played. As it stands now, scouts have George being drafted by a team in the third round.
Eemil Vinni
Subsequently, the next goalie projected to be taken in the 3rd round is Eemil Vinni of Finland. Eemil is a 17-year-old goalie that currently stands at 6’2 and 187 pounds. Vinni has received high praise primarily for his efforts while wearing his nation’s colors. Take, for instance, Eemils’ performance in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last season, where through four games played, he was able to maintain a 1.75 G.A.A. and a .927 SV%.
But those stat lines were some time ago now, for he has struggled playing in the Finland’s junior ranks this season. For example, in the Mestis this season, he has barely been a .500 goalie with a record of 5-4-1. But I guess that’s what kind of production you get when you allow an average of 3.67 G.A.A. and only manage a .868 SV%.
What I like about Vinni’s game, though, is his hands. He has a solid glove and blocker that he uses to react quickly by swallowing up all rebounds into his chest.
But with Eemil still far from being perfect, there are a few things I still feel he needs to work on. First, Eemil likes to keep the puck in play a little too much. Doing this does not allow your team the chance to change personnel and can result in costly turnovers or rebound attempts. Next up is his inability to control rebounds down low. Vinni seems not to be able to control shots on the ice. Instead, he wildly kicks the puck, more often than not right back out into the danger zones, and when he does go down to make a play, his stick comes up off the ice too frequently, resulting in the puck sometimes rolling right up his stick and over his shoulder into the goal. Although still young, he has got to work on controlling the lower half of his body because, as we all know, ice level is where most shots come from.
As it stands now, mock drafts have Eemil being selected late in the third round, but there are a few other goalies I would rather draft if I were a GM before I took a chance on this still-raw prospect.
Ryerson Leenders
Here is a guy I feel will see his stock rise as the season progresses. 17-year-old Ryerson Leenders stands at 6’1 and 179 pounds and plays for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL. Taking the league by storm with his lightning-quick glove hand, refined movements, and shutdown ice-level coverage has earned Leenders multiple goaltender of the week honors this season. Like George, I feel as though Ryerson could be the real deal. On any given night, Leenders has proven that he can will his team to victory by simply standing on his head. Through 12 games played this season, Leenders has recorded eight wins, two of which were shutouts. Currently, Ryerson holds a respectable 3.21 G.A.A. average and a .910 SV%. If he continues on this pace, there is no doubt in my mind that Leenders will see his name rise in the ranks and be taken much sooner than initially expected.
Jackson Parsons
Sticking in the OHL, we now shall talk about an 18-year-old goaltender named Jackson Parsons. Jackson plays for the Kitchener Rangers, and I believe this Canadian goalie will be better than his current 4th Rd. Draft ranking would have you believe. What sets this 6’1, 203-pound puck stopper apart from the rest is that he’s fast enough to get across the crease to stop shots that he shouldn’t. Another skill that Parsons speed has him excel at is recovering from a butterfly position. After a shot occurs that requires Jackson to drop down to the ice, he doesn’t just stay and flop around on the ice; he quickly returns to his feet and reengages the play.
So far this season, these traits have looked to pay off for Parsons and the Rangers, as they currently find themselves in first place in the Midwest Division and the entire Western Conference. In doing so, Parsons has paired a 2.71 G.A.A. with a .907 SV%, acquiring two shutouts along the way.
Although it’s still early, these are just a few quality goaltenders I believe will hear their names called this upcoming summer. In what order will they go, and which team will they be drafted by? Unfortunately, these are all questions that will have to be answered another day, but right now, all we can do is sit back and watch how these young netminders progress.
Checking in with the Flyers Centers, Down on the Farm
Since we are a couple of weeks into the season, I thought it would be wise to see how our teams’ prospects are doing down on the farm. Like most teams, the Flyers have prospects they drafted currently playing in almost every league all over the world, and in saying that, it can be awfully hard and time-consuming to keep up with them all.
So, to save you the trouble, I picked out a few players who seem to be doing pretty well for themselves right about now.
Centers
Unlike previous years, the Flyers have depth at every position, and so I don’t make this article any longer than it has to be; I thought we should break it down to positions. So the first we’ll talk about is the center position. When Danny Briere took the job of General Manager of the Flyers, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that the center position was a position of extreme need. This probably didn’t exactly sit well with this former All-Star center, so to change that in just a few short months, Danny has added depth to the NHL lineup by signing veteran center Ryan Poehling. He also made sure that his coaches would have no problem filling holes in future lineups at the position when he traded for a center prospect and selected multiple dot dwellers from this past draft.
Massimo Rizzo
The first player you should know about is Massimo Rizzo, a 22-year-old center that the Flyers acquired the rights to from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for David Kase. But we all know it was more of a thank you for having to go through the hassle of buying out Tony DeAngelo since the league blocked a trade between the two teams because it had been less than a year since the Flyers made the deal for the underperforming defenseman. Anyway, Rizzo has turned out to be more than just some consolation prize. Rizzo plays for the University of Denver (where he won a National Championship with the Flyers’ Bobby Brink in the 21-22 season). In this, his third year with the team, Massimo has seemed to pick up right where he left off last season when he scored 46 points in 38 games during the 22-23 campaign. Rizzo is currently tied for second in points this season in all the NCAA, netting five goals and ten assists for 15 points in just seven games played. With Rizzo playing so well right now, I don’t know about you, but if I were Danny Briere, I think I would make signing a center who is currently producing at a rate of 2.14 points per game and has totaled 97 points and has maintained a +54 average through just two and a quarter season in the NCAA a priority.
Denver Barkey
Another way Danny seemed to add depth to this position was when he decided to take center Denver Barkey in the third round of this past summer’s draft. As you might have seen from his pre-season success with the Flyers, this 5’9 diminutive faceoff man’s game began to draw close comparisons to the man who drafted him. And why wouldn’t it? They are the same height, similar stature, and play a similar style. But nothing lasts forever, and even though Barkey showed the team sparks of what may be to come, he eventually left camp without a contract and returned to the London Knights of the OHL. Since his return, though Barkey has not let off the gas pedal. In 13 games played so far, Denver has scored eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. Folks, if you’re doing the math, that means he is scoring at a rate of 1.30 points per game right now, and if he continues at this pace, Denver is due to record 42 goals and 47 assists for 89 points. Let’s not forget that he is a plus player and is projected to finish the season as a +47. For all these reasons and more, the Flyers look like they just may have stolen one here in the form of Barkey. For getting a guy who can perform at this level at such a young age, you would think the Flyers would have had to utilize a 1st or an early 2nd round pick on him not a third. Time will tell just what his ceiling may be, but as of right now, it appears that Denver could find himself with an entry-level contract real soon.
Ryan MacPherson
The last guy we will discuss in this article is Ryan MacPherson, Philly’s 6th-round pick from 2023. Ryan is currently playing for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL and is operating at a 1.38-point-per-game pace. Through 14 games, he has scored seven goals and 12 assists for a total of 19 points. But Ryan can do more than score; he is defensively responsible, too. MacPherson is commonly the last forward out of the defensive zone because he frequently is the only one willing to help out deep in his defensive zone to create a breakout. While Ryan is currently a top-five scorer in his league, maintaining a 1.35 points per game right now, it usually is not as competitive as some others, so he might have to stay there longer until he can materialize into a player whose stats management just can’t deny.
For far too long, the Flyers have drafted a player they liked at the time and then turned around with the intention of making them learn a new position out of need. For example, take Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton being forced in the past to play wing. With these three above-mentioned players now in the system, there should be no need for the likes of Cutter Gauthier and or Alexis Gendron to feel obligated to learn to play center. Hopefully, now that the team has people in place (Briere at GM, and Jones at President of Hockey Ops) with some common sense and actual knowledge of how to play the game, we will see this trend come to an end and rather than wishing and hoping a guy can learn a new position they will just draft with that position of need in mind.
Prospect Watch: Daxon Rudolph
Photo Credit: Nathan Reiter/Daily Herald.
While the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League may be managing to pilfer themselves a couple more wins than usual this year, with the highly talented Ryder Ritchie leading the way, it should be known that they may have just landed themselves one of the next great defenders of our time. This player is so good that, statically, when his time in Prince Albert is all said and done, he may not only find himself having surpassed the likes of former Raiders blueliners Kaiden Guhle and Josh Morrissey but one day could see his number raised to the rafters of the Art Hauser Centre alongside Dave Mason’s number four, Mike Modano’s number nine, and Dan Hodgson’s number sixteen.
Who is this player, and why do I feel so confident in his future success, you might be asking? Well, his name is Daxon Rudolph, and he is a 15-year-old right-hand shot, offensive defenseman who was recently taken by the Raiders number one overall in the 2023 WHL Prospect Draft.
While some may question why a team would ever take a defenseman with the first overall pick, I assure you this one was no mistake, for Daxon is a human highlight reel. Whether he is launching water bottle rockets with one of his twisted wristers coming in from the point, feathering a pass through an opponent’s legs to an awaiting teammate’s stick blade, or simply annihilating an oblivious adversary who chose so foolishly to try to cross over his blueline with their head down, Rudolph can simply do it all. This was made evident by his efforts last season while playing for the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep Team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), wherein the regular season, Daxon was able to finish with 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points in only 30 games played. But, although that 1.66 points per game average from a defender may have seemed impressive, Rudolph showed that he must have ice coursing through his veins because he somehow was able to elevate his game come playoff time, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points in only five games played; which mind you included Daxon scoring the overtime game-winner that bested the likes of Jarome Iginla’s son Joe and the rest of the RHA Kelowna to win them the CSSHL U15 Western Championship. But that’s not all. While you are still sitting there and trying to comprehend how a defender can average 2.40 points per game in the playoffs, let me also inform you that Rudolph was named an Alberta Cup All-Star and the CSSHL’s Top Defender last season.
That takes us to this year, where Daxon has been able to elevate his game once again, this time by dressing for Northern Alberta’s U18 Team. Through just five games played versus older and tougher competition this season, Rudolph has averaged 2.00 points per game, netting six goals and four assists for ten points.
With all this being said, while Daxon may not be due to be drafted by an NHL team until the 2026 Entry Draft, it should go without saying that you guys should keep a close on this young man, seeing that he will only get better from here.