Darkhorse goalie prospect

[oli88]

Guys,

Do you have any darkhorse goalie prospect in mind?

You know...these goalies that were dratfed in the 4th round or more in the recent years?

[Axeman33]

99% of prospect goalies are dark horses LOL! Safe to say if they are deep like you're hoping, their chances are slim and probably not worth owning. Just being honest with you.

[Dennis]

Kyle Keyser went undrafted and was signed by the Bruins. He has impressed me when I've seen him in the OHL but I'm not seeing a huge sample size of prospect goalies outside the OHL and AHL and also, goalies, voodoo, and such.

[Eskimo Brother]

Best way to get an answer is what kind of wait time you're looking for. Do they have to be in a backup role in the newt year or two? Starter by then? Do you not mind waiting four years? Different goalie options for each.
Dobberprospects is probably your best place to start with some research too.

[jtloveshack]

99% of prospect goalies are dark horses LOL! Safe to say if they are deep like you're hoping, their chances are slim and probably not worth owning. Just being honest with you.

While I agree with this as goalies seem to be a crap shoot........one goalie who intrigues me is Ilya Konovalov (drafted by EDM this year in the 3rd round). He has insane numbers in the KHL (as a rookie) but has only done it for a year. If he can replicate or even build on this past year, I suspect he is going to be a hot commodity much like Igor Shestyorkin was this past year or two.

[lucafen4]

I'll also toot Konovalov's horn here.

One G that doesn't get much recognition yet... Joseph Woll Tor.
Turns pro this summer & will likely start with the Marlies. 3 really good years at Boston College. Posted his best numbers in year 3 - even though it was a really weak and bad team.

[SensArmy93]

Keep an eye on the situation in Ottawa as well. Anderson and Condon off the books next year, so one of the young guys should get a shot at least at the back-up role.

[mounD]

I'll add to the Ilya Konovalov hype a little bit, my favorite goalie prospect to come out of the 2019 draft. He turns 21 in three days, so he's about three years ahead in his development compared to guys like Knight. In 2017-18 he got a taste of the KHL, playing 7 games and finishing with a 1.56 GAA and .933 Sv%, but he mostly played MHL - winning the championship and being named MHL playoff MVP. Last season was his real coming out party, though, as he appeared in 45 games and finished with a 1.89 GAA and .930 Sv%, also adding 10 shutouts (tied with shesterkin, 1 behind Sorokin). Even going back to his time spend in the Russian U16 league in 2013-14, Konovalov has never had a GAA above 2.40 and his Sv% has never dipped below .919 ... at any level (MHL, VHL, KHL, other Russian leagues, etc.).

He's a bit undersized at only 6' 194 lbs, but he's incredibly quick and agile with good lateral movement, and boasts a great glove hand. He's also not afraid to come out and challenge shooters, playing a somewhat aggressive style. According to scouts, he's a very driven kid and a hard worker. His contract has another couple years on it, and he should be Lokomotov's starting goaltender and look to build on his breakout 18-19 season. It wouldn't surprise me if he comes over to North America at the expiration of his current contract, and given his advanced age he could be ready to produce much sooner than someone like Spencer Knight.

It doesn't hurt that he's probably the best goaltending prospect in the Edmonton Oilers system at this point.

Enjoy this little clip of Konovalov in action doing his thing:



As you can see from the video, Konovalov is very quick, has good lateral movement, technique, and a plus glove hand; however, he does leave some net open up-high, and that's where he's going to have his biggest weakness just given his size.

Here's another extended highlight video from a 42-save shutout against Avangard (Cody Franson's team):



I'm obviously not an expert on goaltenders, but this kid looks good.

[Doug Glatt]

I have been sitting here in my draft all morning screaming at you all through the screen to STFU about Konovalov and not even bring his name up.
Finally, I got him just now so you can hype him all you want. I love this kid, targeted him all year and now that I have him my draft is a complete success.
I didnt turn cartwheels when the Soilers drafted him, but given their pretty poor G situation as an organization it could be a blessing. I am hoping Holland can get the D straightened out in the interim before Konovalov comes over. He has 2 more years on his contract with Lokomotiv, BTW.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Samuel Ersson (drafted in the 5th round in 2018) is one of the best goalie prospects in the world and doesn't get nearly enough love. The only bad thing is that he's stuck behind Hart in Philly but he's so good that other teams will covet him and trade for him at some point when they need their goalie of the future.