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For the first time since the 1997 draft, the New Jersey Devils drafted two goaltenders in the 2010 NHL Draft. They selected Gatineau Olympiques netminder Maxime Clermont
Maxime Clermont - G - 6'0" 190 lbs. - CSS Rank: 18 (N.A. Goalies) - Born in: Montreal, PQ (Source: NHL.com)
2009-10 Team: Gatineau Olympiques - 58 GP - 2.81 GAA - 89.7 Sv% - 4 SO
Like Scott Wedgewood, Clermont was ranked higher at midterms but fell quite a bit since then. I'm not quite sure why? Unlike Wedgewood, Clermont has played the majority of Gatineau's games and was even invited to play in the CHL Top Prospects Game. Interestingly, Clermont started playing the QMJHL early as noted in this NHL.com article about the goaltender. Here's how Clermont describes himself:
The 6-foot, 189-pounder describes himself as a "big butterfly goaltender."
"I like the styles of Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Carey Price," Clermont said. "They play the same blocking style as me, trying to block as much of the net as they can."
Incidentally, Central Scouting's Chris Bordeleau had some nice things to say but given that CSS dropped his rank 8 spots since midterm, I can't help but think CSS didn't necessarily agree with Bordeleau. Hockey's Future does have a different take and offers some insight as to why he fell so far:
A solid goaltender, Clermont plays the angles well and shows a willingness to aggressively challenge opposing shooters. Controlling rebounds well and having a good glove, Clermont's game will benefit as he gets quicker in the crease. Possessing good size, he has struggled at times tracking the puck, especially through traffic, another thing that he'll need to improve upon.
I want to say he can improve on this with more development time, and perhaps he will. However, he'll be seeing QMJHL talent for a fourth season. Surely, he'll be the starter; but how much more can he improve at that level?
On it's own, I don't mind this pick except that the Devils selected Wedgewood much earlier in the draft. Why select a second one? OK, he's not so devoid of talent; why else would he get invited to the CHL Top Prospects game? Still, why not pick him earlier? Or a different goaltender? With that in mind, I admittedly don't understand the pick.
Did I leave anything out? Have you seen Clermont play? Let me know, as well as leave your thoughts on the pick in the comments. UPDATE: The Devils official website has a video interview with Clermont; I've added it after the jump.