YOU GOT THE SILVER
There are seven men on the current 50-man roster—that is 14 percent, for the math challenged—who (in my estimation) have no chance of playing in an NHL game this coming season. That is no big deal—unless this is your third year of pro hockey and final one on an entry-level deal. If that is the case, then the chances of getting another deal at the end of the entry deal could be in doubt. Here is the list of players for whom I cannot see a pathway to the majors this winter.
ENTERING FIRST YEAR PRO
- G Nick Ellis—Despite a solid final season in college (.936SP), he is likely to play in Bakersfield and or Norfolk in the coming season.
ENTERING SECOND YEAR PRO
- R Greg Chase—I am uncertain what happened with this player. Offense did not spike final season junior, but he played well in Norfolk and they kept him there for quite a long time (he and Betker basically spent the entire season there). I believe he should still be considered a prospect, but NHL time? I cannot see it in 2016-17.
- LD Ben Betker—Giant blue is the end of the Leftorium and despite being 6.06 cannot see beyond all of the lefties above him on defense. I do think he should get more games in Bakersfield this season (just 14 a year ago).
- G Eetu Laurikainen—My guess is he could play in Bakersfield, Norfolk or Finland this coming season. If he is going to hang around for long, will need to improve on his AHL numbers (18, .907) from a year ago.
- L Braden Christoffer—He played in 33 AHL games (Chase’s total: 19) but didn’t get much done offensively (1-4-5). If he has NHL talent it does not show up in the numbers. Peter Chiarelli signed him, should keep that in mind.
ENTERING THIRD YEAR PRO
- C Bogdan Yakimov—Oilers have loaned his rights to a KHL team, so there is a good chance he will not be in an NHL uniform in the coming year. It is probably a good bet this will be his final season on the 50-man list for Edmonton.
- L Mitch Moroz—His first two seasons in pro hockey have been a disappointment. In 106 AHL games, he has 10 goals—miles from the kind of production that is going to earn a second contract. A big season ahead.
The odds of Yakimov and Moroz finding new homes in pro hockey in the summer of 2017 are fairly high in my opinion. Other prospects with expiring deals? Jujhar Khaira, Joey Laleggia, Griffin Reinhart, Dillon Simpson, Jere Sallinen, Tyler Pitlick.
JP’S BOXCARS
First, I want to credit The Leafs Nation folks (Jon Steitzer, Laine) (Tom Hunter, Puljujarvi) for difficult, plodding work. Seriously, please click on the links.
Next, this is a more encouraging set of numbers for Puljujarvi than I thought it might be in a head-to-head look at these two players. Aleksandr Barkov is my JP comparable for offense, and that is a nice offense per 60 number. Add that to the impressive possession number and I do like what these totals are showing. PDO be damned, I remain thrilled about this selection.
BRANDON DAVIDSON
- “I never had a year that was so stressful, yet so rewarding at the same time. It was the most fun year of my life. I really want to make sure I come into this year and keeping going where I left off and keep improving. The coaching staff played me to my strengths and allowed me to succeed.” Source
He is the new Pisani, swear to God. I will do his RE next week, but one of the key elements next season—and if the club can successfully use him RH on the second pairing, this defense may actually be labelled capable—for the first time in many years.
- Oscar Klefbom—Adam Larsson
- Andrej Sekera—Brandon Davidson
- Darnell Nurse—Mark Fayne
Brandon Davidson epitomizes hard work and dedication to make it to the next level. A throw back player that is easy to cheer for. Thinking of getting another Oiler jersey and getting his number. 🙂
I have always liked Dustin Byfuglien, but I swore a blue streak at him that game. Big galoot.
The frustrating part LT is that the Oilers take a player in Davidson who did all that was asked of him and more, took step(s) forward and now is going to be put in a position to fail on his wrong side.
While he did play the right side a bit, he made it clear in a recent interview with Reid Wilkins (I believe) that LHS is more comfortable, but he will do whatever he needs to.
I would much rather find another proper RHS defenceman or as a second option play Sekera, a veteran, on the wrong side. Davidson had a phenomenal year. I wish the Oilers would build on it rather than trying to put square pegs in round holes.
While we are at it let’s make Cagguila a centre as Stauffer floated via a blue/orange trial balloon the other day. After 0 games of pro experience that seems fair.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
I am a believer in lefty-righty and in Brandon Davidson, so would be willing to move Nurse out and place Davidson LH side. I very much doubt PC does it though. Davidson has experience RH side and is a substantial enough player (well, his one season) to be able to do it effectively. I would prefer a trade, but doubt it happens, certainly before the season.
We can’t have nice things because Chiarelli is an awful general manager. In some ways, worse than Tambellini, which is shocking.
We can’t have nice things because Chiarelli is an awful general manager. He is in the conversation for worst in the league.
I wish they leave puljijarvi in Finland for another year. He’s progressing well there. It will prevent the Oilers from throwing him out there this year. Given that JP only played less than 13 min of ES time he definitely has room to grow in Finland and bring him over next year.
Didn’t Nurse fail because he was played too high, too soon? Wasn’t that due to the ridiculous rate of injuries to all but 1 (?) of our top players last year?
If that’s the case why is everybody wanting to trade exactly the player type this team needs?
Seems a bit silly to me.
Is he not good enough to excel as a 3rd line pairing?
I sometimes wonder if Brandon is aware that a good portion of Oiler fans are swooning hard over him.
Include me in this group, full stop.
Or is he more like; “aw shucks, I just hope I can make the team this year”
I am projecting him as either;
A: a top four Dman playing his off side on a playoff push team.
Or B: An exceptional 3rd pairing guy who can provide cover for a young Lefty D.
It might not be fair to have such high expectations for a guy who has only played in what? 50 NHL games, but to hell with that.
The tidbit that always resinates with me is: Every level he has made it to since Midget, scouts have said He’ll never make it to the next one. I probably F’ed that up but you get the idea.
Not everyone wants to trade him, but Davidson is an emerging talent. We need to see him do it (repeat his season) again, but Davidson could force a defender out if the team chooses to go L-R.
I”m with you big time right here! While I support the work of stats heavy folks and love the depth of analysis that it offers I’m really surprised to see a lot of folks ready to send Nurse out of town. The kid comes from a sports crazed family, has been watching his little sister kick serious ass at the olympics (really it was Kia Nurse who prevented a loss against Serbia a few days ago), spends tons of time with his uncle who managed to have a ridiculous career in probably the most difficult sports league on the planet and who has done everything that management and new signings have said the team needed to get better at (he had an incredible fight with his new 1LW if I remember correctly). But he had a somewhat shitty rookie campaign as the team fell to injuries at an alarming rate so time to trade him away? Do folks really believe that with all of the family pressure/competition and the internal drive that DN didn’t take a long hard look at the areas he needed to improve on and say “too much work I’m outta here?”
Nah I don’t buy it for one second. If he struggles immensely this year than maybe but Darnell Nurse seems to be exactly what Chia and TMac covet in a player. Lets give him a few more games before sending him out of town eh?
Hi
I know no one puts much credit towards +/- anymore. For defensmen though I think it has a bit more relevancy.
Davidson was +7 in 50ish games last year.
On the Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers.
That’s a full stop on anyone doubting this man’s ability to hockey good.
I would be tempted to try him on the first pairing with Larsson just to see if he could.
Our defense goes from thin and weak to an area of strength and depth in one year.
Ty Pete you read my mind
I dislike Nurse specifically because Chiarelli likes him.
Comeau cross check pissed me off to no end. How the refs miss this is beyond me. Gets beat and throws a cross check. Dirty play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVh2AyM7RgU
I love Davey’s pro career, but before we put him on our top pairing or playing RS on the second pairing, it worth remembering he has only played 65 NHL games. We need to continue to be placed in situations where he can be successful.
Oilers finished in 29th last year.
If Chia was willing to trade his 2nd best player for better balance on the back end, I’m sure he would entertain the thought of trading a player like Nurse ( who is 3rd pairing) and a plus for an upgrade.
Nurse probably does not move the dial much this year but the potential that he could in the future is real.
Nurse is my 2nd favorite Oiler behind McDavid, and Id hate to see him traded. I think some of his tools are elite and few young Dman in the league have his size, strength, mobility and nastiness. But the game needs to slow down for him. He also needs to get better at passing, and making better reads on when to rush the puck and not just carry it into the corner.
The biggest question is will he be able to add a good passing game, a good shot and a good offensive game to that skillset? And if he does, when?
Do the Oilers wait on possible potential? Or would they pull the trigger if the right deal came across the table?
Totally agree. Put a young player in a position to succeed – not a concept the Oilers are familiar with. I still believe another RHD will come in – even a 3RD guy like Gryba is preferable IMHO – but if not my faith in Chia will start to fade.
As for Davidson, I have mentioned before, his style of play is not unlike TJ Brodie. He has that same calmness when handling and making decisions with the puck. I don’t see Davidson becoming as good as Brodie, Brodie in my books in a top 10 Dman in the league, but if Davidson takes another step forward he is entering top 3 Dman conversation.
I see the core of the Oilers now done, McDavid, Nuge, Draisaitl, Puljajarvi, Klefbom, Larsson, Nurse, Reinhart, Talbot is the core.
Interchange supporting vets are Lucic, Eberle, Pouliot, Sekera.
Flowing through prospects are Davidson, Kahaira, Slepyshev
I think I can see the day that day one of Free Agency is a day off for our GM.
No more Gryba, Potter, Egens (sp), Barker gambles
Just a slight play at Devil’s Advocate here, peeps.
LT’s series is Reasonable Expectations. One truth hammered into us is that young D do not develop in straight lines.
Davo is found money, a rare currency indeed in this particular organisation.
the ‘if’ in ‘if he continues his development’ is the biggest ‘if’ in the world. From his draft position and who’s been developing him, it’s more reasonable to assume he’ll have second pairing as his absolute ceiling.
I guess what I’m getting at, is that Davidson’s RE should be TE – Tempered Expectations.
I’ve been wondering about this for awhile. If Davidson is healthy and still trending upwards by the deadline, Nurse and a first round pick might get you something impressive at the deadline.
Draft pedigree does stay with a player for some time, and its not like every team in the league follows analytics completely anyways. So I doubt his bad possession numbers in his rookie year caved Nurses value too much.
PS: if Nurse steps up this year (which could happen) there is a very real chance HE forces another player off the roster instead of the other way around. I’m betting it isn’t Davidson though. As others have said, the tools are all there. He just needs to get the hang of figuring out when to use which tool. It’s really hard to bet against this kid.
Off topic, we are in Barcelona for the next 7 days, does anyone on the blog have a good reco for a restaurant?
Agree completely.
He was playing over 20 minutes a night for the majority of games leading up to his injury. And instead of struggling with more pressure added, he seemed to thrive. There was more than one February night where he was one of the two best Oilers on the ice.
Davidson also has hundreds of pro games under his belt already, he is miles and miles ahead of where Nurse is right now. Maybe Davy’s not as dynamic a skater as some of the other lefties on the roster, but he is perfectly fine at it. Davidson’s hockey sense and ability to read and react are his best assets. He can also pass the puck under pressure, as well as owning the best clapper on the team and it’s probably not close.
I don’t think 8 goals and 25 points is out of range for Davidson if he plays at least 75 games. That would be around where my RE would be if he’s in the top 4 for most of the year. He would be getting some second unit PP time as well in that case.
I think it’s smart to pair Davey with Sekera, who is also comfortable on his right side. They can switch off depending on who’s feeling it, maybe Sekera can help ease the transition is what I’m getting at. It would suck to have a Lefty on Daveys pair who can’t switch over comfortably and cover if Davidson pinches deep for example.
How many 6th round picks play top four minutes in the NHL?
Great questions. The Nurse debate will be a big one. I suggest we wait till his RE comes out then discuss.
To LT’s point:
“Not everyone wants to trade him, but Davidson is an emerging talent. We need to see him do it (repeat his season) again, but Davidson could force a defender out if the team chooses to go L-R.”
I agree but think Klefbom is more likely to be the odd one in that scenario not Nurse. Davidson would take his spot on top pairing.
Woogie63,
Viana Barcelona if you like Med food.
I also agree save your argument for his RE. There are a lot of people looking to run the most talented rookie dman prospect we’ve had in decades out of town (already?) we need to gently remind them why this is a bad idea so that doesn’t create unnecessary rumors.
Davidson almost always played the right side in the AHL paired with Hunt. The majority of his professional career has been as a right side D.
Davidson on the third pairing with Nurse is an ideal spot for him. Fayne has to play with a veteran because of his limitations as a D.
If Reinhart beats out Fayne, than Davidson plays 2nd pairing with Sekera, and Reinhart and Nurse are the 3rd pairing.
Kiltymcbagpipes,
Care to elaborate your position on Nurse vs Klefbom? My argument is that Davidson is leaving Nurse in the dust already, if Klefbom is healthy he will be the teams number 1 D.
Are you betting Klef gets hurt again?! How could you, you monster! haha. I’m joking but still. All things equal, Nurse is far behind where both Davidson/Klefbom are and should probably be in the AHL if it was a perfect world.
Nurse would have to take a massive leap forward (not technically impossible) in order to dislodge Davidson, never mind Klefbom. Injury is the only way and if you are betting on that I won’t argue. Though that is kind of morbid :p
*edit* and even if Davidson AND Klefbom were to go down, if Nurse were elevated it wouldn’t be because he’s earned it. It would be out of necessity. And I would go so far as to say he would struggle when faced with that kind of pressure.
It’s a lot like the situation was with Eberle a couple of years back. It’s not that we don’t like Eberle/Nurse and WANT to send them out of town. Rather they’re the players that could bring back a top end return in trade (and there are potentially adequate replacements for them in house).
I don’t think anyone’s worried about his tools or work ethic. If Nurse continues to struggle it will be with reads/decision making, stuff that’s not so easy to overcome with hard work.
BONE207,
Thanks # 3 on Trip Advisor
Way fewer than the number of Top 10 picks who are given lotsa ice time because they’re Top-10 picks.
Nurse and Reinhart are in the Oilers’ core? You’re definition of core obviously differs from mine.
Stralman was a 7th rounder by the Leafs I think. Look at him now, a very respectable D-man. There are others, he was just the first to come to my mind.
Agreed on all points, well said. I don’t hate Nurse, not at all. I said above in my rather pessimistic post regarding Darnell, that admittedly it’s hard to bet against a prospect with that package of raw speed and size. The brain has to catch up to the body though, and there is still a chance that happens.
That Dustin Byfuglien character was drafted in the 8th round in 2003
Centre of attention,
Thanks for that… I am struggling for more names
Don’t think I can.
Nurses RE is this coming week and I will probably miss it.
I cant find it the numbers, but I did crunch some numbers that compared his first half to his second half and there was a ” significant improvement” in his underlying numbers. They were not great but his scoring chances and shot attempts against went down while he created more individual scoring chances ( but did not cash)
Also his 3 most common partners TOI were ( he played 1176 min 5 on 5)
Sekera 392 min with Nurse corsi of 44%
Schultz 245 min with Nurse corsi of 47.2%
Clendenning 188 min with Nurse corsi of 43%
Nurse played with Sekera against top 4 competition. Lefty righty is a thing on this blog, and putting Sekera, who is a good number 3 with a fresh rookie and we should not be surprised they did not do well.
Nurse and Schultz played most against top 4 comp. Schultz as a mentor is probably not a great idea. He is a 3rd pairing Dman.
Clendenning, I’m not sure he is a NHL player.
In a small sample, Nurse played OK with Gryba 48.1% CF
If Nurse plays 3rd pairing with Gryba, I think we will more “significant improvement” from Nurse.
I wouldn’t trade Nurse as I don’t think the short term return ( the player coming this way) is more than what the long term return potential could be ( IF Nurse reaches his ceiling)
LT, found this for you!
http://www.businessinsider.de/things-to-say-instead-of-sorry-2016-2?obref=BusinessInsider
Woogie63,
If you like Tapa’s and Sangria your in the right place. In the core there are so many Tapa’s restaurants it is pretty hard to go wrong. My favourite Tapa’s were the octopus and squid but most restaurants have a huge variety of dishes so many that you could never try them all. Barcelona is a great city lots to do night life ,culture (gaudy) great museums , beaches so enjoy yourself.
I am very good at the fill air portion. 🙂
Little off topic. But it would be approx in the 6th round since there was only 20 teams then. One of my fav drafts was in 1984 9th round ,Gary Suter 180th over all and Lucky Luc Robitaille 171st both played over 1100 games in the NHL.
Let me start by saying I like Klefbom a lot but yes he definitely needs to stay healthy that’s a given. I am not predicting or hoping his does but he needs to shake that label or it will only add to my point.
I am saying Klefbom’s game and skills have been duplicated with the addition of Larsson (minus the cannon). Yesterday I was trying to illustrate how Larsson has outscored him pretty much every level and is considered a defensive defenseman. If I had to choose only one I would take Adam because he is the RHD. I think there is a good chance Larsson becomes the guy we thought Klef was going to be.
LT suggested Davidson could improve to the point that a top LHD would be expendable. If Davidson does improve that much then I think he would be looking at a possible #1 pairing which would mean Klef’s spot. I dont see him replacing Sekera but could happen admittedly. He has his shot if he progresses Klef’s skills will be more than duplicated with a Davidson-Larsson pair next year.
Nurse is 21 so based on his age and physical brand of hockey he plays his spot on the 3Rd pairing is not in jeopardy IMO. He is not competing with Davy for a roster spot on the third pair. He can get the proper shelter and experience there while he develops. Trading him now when Klefbom (who hasnt proved much other than small samples) is still a question mark makes no sense. That is short term thinking and putting a lot of faith in a guy with injury history.
Klef on the other hand is on the hot seat IMO if any. He needs to prove he can stay healthy first and be a top pairing guy consistently because an improving Davidson is knocking on the door. This team still needs balance. We now have someone in Larsson with similar skills who may be the better overall defenseman and is RH. We don’t have anyone with Nurse’s skillset and in fact have not had a prospect dman with his size/speed skillset in decades. You don’t give that type of talent away you give up a guy who’s skills are duplicated on the roster first.
I rambled hope that made sense.
“The coaching staff played me to my strengths and allowed me to succeed”
Read that. Cleaned my glasses. Read it again. Cleaned the computer screen. Wow. An Oil player actually said that? It’s been a while.
Kiltymcbagpipes,
“LT suggested Davidson could improve to the point that a top LHD would be expendable.”
He said another LHD could be forced off, he didn’t infer Klefbom I don’t think.
If anything at his price point and age, in 2 years or so perhaps we ask Sekera about his NMC and what options we have there if he were to waive.
Early days, I think we are getting ahead of ourselves now 😛 Lets wait and see how it goes until the deadline, I have a feeling the leftorium may be culled around that time and we will see who is left and adjust the depth chart accordingly.
Paigin coming over could be bad news for Nurse too. He has size, mobility and significant offense at a pro level in the KHL.
So many cards in the air I don’t think we can make a call right now either way. I respect your opinion in general though, you’re not completely wrong with some of your points.
The coaching staff also let Davidson lead the team in ice time for quite a few games leading up to his injury. He is saying he was ready for those minutes and wanted them.
By January-February, Davidson was the Oilers best D, though I think Sekera and Fayne were helping with the tough comp match ups and giving Davidson a little bit of clean air.
It’s just nice to talk about actual depth for a change. It’s a good problem to have.
Agreed completely. Now to transfer some of that excessive LHD depth to RHD depth is the discussion I was trying to have above.
If a team offered you a legit top 4 NHL RHD for a first round pick and Nurse, would you do it? At least knowing that you had the depth to cover for the loss of such a significant prospect? That is a question worth asking.
Depends on the player and pick I’m not saying Nurse is untouchable even Gretzky got traded but I would be hesitant. Same question if someone offered us a top 4 RHD and 1st Rd pick for Klef would you do it? Knowing that you have Davidson and Larsson who are similar players already.
Spent a few months in Barcelona a few years ago. Great city. I’d recommend Quimet i Quimet (mostly cold tapas, really inventive and tasty) and Irati Taverna (amazing place for Basque-style pintxos) among names I can remember. Both are extremely good. For watering holes, you should visit Bar Marsella. Absinthe bar open since the early 1800s with unchanged decor. Used to be a frequent jaunt of guys like Picasso, Miro, and Hemingway. Be careful though, they’re strong!
flyfish1168,
And check out the Kings 4th round pick, 69th overall.
The quality of the defenseman they would have to offer in order for me to trade Klefbom and our first compared to Nurse and our first is much higher by an order of magnitude.
That’s where we differ and I think a lot of fans do. Keep in mind Klef has 2 years more experience in NHL than Nurse. Is the 2018-2019 version of Nurse better than the 2016-2017 version of Klefbom? I say yes so don’t sacrifice long term potential for short term gain. We have guys who are similar to Klef. We dont have anybody like Nurse in all that he brings.
This year should provide much more clarity. I gotta run look forward to his RE!
Minor clarification required here Jethro: Davidson’s nickname is likely Davey (hockey nicknames are boring – could be Brando) though I don’t know that as fact. What I am quite certain about is ‘Davo’ is the nickname of one Connor McDavid.
I think a better comparable would be: was Nurse of 15-16 a better player than Klefbom of 13-14 and/or Davidson of 11-12?
I would say yes and yes as Nurse played mostly in the NHL as a 20 yearold ( but struggled), Klefbom at 20 played mostly in the AHL ( and didn’t really light it up) while Davidson at 20 played in the WHL.
Since their 20 year old seasons, Klefbom made some significant strides ( especially offensively) and Davidson blew every projection out of the water. If both are healthy, and don’t take a step back, they are top 3 Dman if not better.
Will Nurse have similar development gains over the next couple of years? I hope so, but nothing is guaranteed in a prospects development. If we look at other big strong D men who can skate really well and are physical, Nurse could be at the bottom end another Gudbranson, or, and I am blue skying it, Brent Burns 2.0. I think Nurse falls somewhere in between as he can move the puck better at 20 yearsold than Gudbranson can at 25, but I’m reaching at Burns 2.0.
bendelson,
Kevin Quinn refers to McDavid as “Davidson” so often I almost don’t grimace every time anymore.
Woogie63,
Anything along the Ramblas is excellent, there is a great tapas place just north of the large traffic circle. Down at the marina near the Arts Hotel is great seafood and in the old city there are literally hundreds of great places, especially for tapas.Now right at the very bottom of the Ramblas where it meets the main road just to the east is a great pizza place. Good luck, let me know how it goes!
My favourite Kevin Quinn moments are when he is reminding us that Pakarinen is 7th in rookie hits and 6th in rookie blocks shots (you know, the important stuff) game in and game out.
Here’s a few others: Brian Campbell, Markov, Spurgeon, Streit, Braun, Tanev.
Also, any undrafted/FAs would fit in spirit. Boyle, Rafalski, Giordano, Krug.
It’s not so so rare really.
I forget sometimes Pakarinen is on the team. And then he’s on Nuge’s line or something silly and I’m like oh yeah this guy.
Gretzky was never drafted into the NHL. :^)
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/55372-Injuries-cost-NHL-218M-a-year-in-lost-salaries-a-wallop-to-bottom-line-study.html
63% of players last an average of 8.8 games to injuries over the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
How many players should one reasonably have in reserve over and above the active roster, assuming the Oil miraculously have league average injuries this year?
Just hope Davidsons wonkey knee holds out. I’ve been informed he’s had 3 serious acl injuries over the years.
Awesome, good list
Barcelona is an amazing city. I myself found the cuisine to be lacking. All that I seem to remember was ham, cheese, cold cuts, and paella. Haha, also freshly squeezed oj was all the rage everywhere.
Watch out for the sangria.
My wife is currently on a river cruise with her mother and a couple of hundred other senior citizens. Does anyone have a good ‘recommendation’ for a reasonably priced, gluten-free, vegetarian restaurant, located within easy walking distance of the Danube, in Belgrade? Must be open early.
bendelson,
I would suggest Red Bread restaurant which is 7 or 8 blocks away from Kalemegdan Castle. However I understand that perhaps that is perhaps too far for her to walk though it is a beautiful walking area in that district. I had the pleasure to visit Belgrade along with other interesting spots in the area last summer. They do offer vegetarian dishes – gluten free I am not sure about though – that is a very rare thing in Eastern Europe in my limited experience.
I found all Spanish food a disappointment in Barcelona and Madrid. Expected flavor and heat. Got bland in many high end restaraunts. Got tastier foods at the markets.
deucalion,
I admit to chuckling while writing the post for two reasons:
1. As ridiculous a question as it might be, it is nevertheless completely honest.
2. As impossible an ask as it is, I actually believed I might get an answer.
Brilliant.
Thank you.
I’m sure Ellis needs some AHL time, but I wouldn’t count him out of challenging Broissot for #1 in Bakersfield. That 936 Pct last yea in his 21 yr old season is pretty impressive. Of current NHLers who went through the college system, he ranks up there with the best.
Save Pct in NCAA Regular Season minimum 20 GP:
Jimmy Howard (916, 956, 924) – Howard’s 19 yr old season was better in 2003-04.
Brian Elliott (938, 923) – Elliott’s 20 yr old season was better in 2005-06.
Jonathan Quick (929)
Cory Schneider (930, 925)
Chad Johnson (940) – Johnson’s 22 yr old season was better in 2008-09. Flames got him, grrrr.
Ben Scrivens (930, 931, 934) – What happened, Ben?? 🙁
Ben Bishop (908, 923, 920)
Cam Talbot (907, 925)
Andrew Hammond (915, 903, 917)
Matt O’Connor (920, 927)
Connor Hellebuyck (952, 941) – Hellebuyck’s 19 & 20 yr old seasons are astonishing.
Nick Ellis (936)
Only 3 players had a better SV Pct at the same age or younger. He’ll be an interesting story to follow this year.