4 Outstanding AHL Goalies You Need To Watch This Season
4 Outstanding AHL Goalies You Need To Watch This Season
Let's have a look at some of the top goalie prospects in the AHL who are all 25 or younger.
Arguably, there is no position in sports as important as the goalie is in hockey. And because it's so important, NHL teams work hard to have a wealth of talent at the position stocked with their AHL affiliates.
Just look at last season's Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who provide us with a perfect example of just how important depth in the AHL at the goalie position. When their franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury went down with an injury, they called up their AHL starter Matt Murray who stepped in and absolutely shined during his Stanley Cup debut, helping the Pens lift the cup once again.
So, who could be this year's Murray? Let's have a look at some of the top goalie prospects in the AHL who are all 25 or younger.
Scott Wedgewood, the 25-year old out of Etobicoke, Ontario, was at one time touted as the heir apparent to New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur. However, the Devils' acquisition of Cory Schneider, and the emergence of backup Keith Kinkaid has put those thoughts on hold -- at least temporarily.
Wedgewood had a stellar 2015-16 AHL campaign and posted a 1.55 GAA and a .933 save percentage during his 22 games of action. The 6-foot-1, third-round draft pick thrives when facing a lot of shots, according to HockeysFuture.com and also has great stick handling skills like Brodeur. If Kinkaid struggles backing up Schneider this season or either of the NHL squad's goaltenders face an injury, keep an eye on this kid. He's primed to make a splash in the NHL sooner rather than later.
While Garret Sparks only saw about one-third of the action in goal for the Marlies last season, his stat line was impressive. He posted the fourth best save percentage (.928) in the AHL for goalies under 25 and also posted a 2.33 GAA.
While Sparks did see some NHL action last season, the Maple Leafs' acquisition of Frederik Anderson via trade and the signing of Jhonas Enroth means Sparks will be seasoning his craft most of the year in the AHL.
Sparks plays big at 6-foot-2 and was clutch during last year's AHL playoffs, where he posted a shutout during the Marlies' run to the Eastern Conference final.
Joonas Korpisalo, drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft will open the season at the top of the defending-champion Cleveland Monsters' depth chart at goalie. The 23-year-old, 6-foot-2 goalie from Finland got a taste of the NHL last season in Columbus due to injuries to both Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney, the starter and backup respectively for the Blue Jackets.
Korpisalo held his own in the NHL, at one point starting 11 straight games. He does need some additional seasoning, though. According to HockeysFuture.com, his strength and weakness is his aggressive nature in net. He challenges shooters outside of his crease, which can sometimes be great, but he needs to know when to play things a bit safer. He's a player to keep an eye on for sure this season.
Mackenzie Skapski was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and ran into some injury problems after the 2014-15 season. The big, tall lefty from British Columbia made two starts in the NHL during the previous season for the Rangers when Henrik Lundquist was injured. His record? 2-0 with one shutout, with both victories coming against the lowly Buffalo Sabres that year. It was one of the feel-good stories for the Rangers that season.
While Skapski will technically start the season second on the Wolfpack's depth chart, a strong training camp could quickly change that as the Rangers are very high on him. They would love nothing more than to see him push his counterpart, Magnus Hellberg.
At 22 years old, Skapski still has plenty of time to develop, but he's already proven he's got all the skills needed to excel at the highest level. He'll be fun to watch in the AHL this year.
By Matthew Parvis
Just look at last season's Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who provide us with a perfect example of just how important depth in the AHL at the goalie position. When their franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury went down with an injury, they called up their AHL starter Matt Murray who stepped in and absolutely shined during his Stanley Cup debut, helping the Pens lift the cup once again.
So, who could be this year's Murray? Let's have a look at some of the top goalie prospects in the AHL who are all 25 or younger.
Scott Wedgewood, Albany Devils/New Jersey Devils
Scott Wedgewood, the 25-year old out of Etobicoke, Ontario, was at one time touted as the heir apparent to New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur. However, the Devils' acquisition of Cory Schneider, and the emergence of backup Keith Kinkaid has put those thoughts on hold -- at least temporarily.
Wedgewood had a stellar 2015-16 AHL campaign and posted a 1.55 GAA and a .933 save percentage during his 22 games of action. The 6-foot-1, third-round draft pick thrives when facing a lot of shots, according to HockeysFuture.com and also has great stick handling skills like Brodeur. If Kinkaid struggles backing up Schneider this season or either of the NHL squad's goaltenders face an injury, keep an eye on this kid. He's primed to make a splash in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Garret Sparks, Toronto Marlies/Toronto Maple Leafs
While Garret Sparks only saw about one-third of the action in goal for the Marlies last season, his stat line was impressive. He posted the fourth best save percentage (.928) in the AHL for goalies under 25 and also posted a 2.33 GAA.
While Sparks did see some NHL action last season, the Maple Leafs' acquisition of Frederik Anderson via trade and the signing of Jhonas Enroth means Sparks will be seasoning his craft most of the year in the AHL.
Sparks plays big at 6-foot-2 and was clutch during last year's AHL playoffs, where he posted a shutout during the Marlies' run to the Eastern Conference final.
Joonas Korpisalo, Cleveland Monsters/Columbus Blue Jackets
Joonas Korpisalo, drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft will open the season at the top of the defending-champion Cleveland Monsters' depth chart at goalie. The 23-year-old, 6-foot-2 goalie from Finland got a taste of the NHL last season in Columbus due to injuries to both Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney, the starter and backup respectively for the Blue Jackets.
Korpisalo held his own in the NHL, at one point starting 11 straight games. He does need some additional seasoning, though. According to HockeysFuture.com, his strength and weakness is his aggressive nature in net. He challenges shooters outside of his crease, which can sometimes be great, but he needs to know when to play things a bit safer. He's a player to keep an eye on for sure this season.
Mackenzie Skapski, Hartford Wolfpack/New York Rangers
Mackenzie Skapski was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and ran into some injury problems after the 2014-15 season. The big, tall lefty from British Columbia made two starts in the NHL during the previous season for the Rangers when Henrik Lundquist was injured. His record? 2-0 with one shutout, with both victories coming against the lowly Buffalo Sabres that year. It was one of the feel-good stories for the Rangers that season.
While Skapski will technically start the season second on the Wolfpack's depth chart, a strong training camp could quickly change that as the Rangers are very high on him. They would love nothing more than to see him push his counterpart, Magnus Hellberg.
At 22 years old, Skapski still has plenty of time to develop, but he's already proven he's got all the skills needed to excel at the highest level. He'll be fun to watch in the AHL this year.
By Matthew Parvis