As we continue the NHL draft coverage, our sights turn from promising skaters to promising net minders. Given that this is Brodeur's last year under contract with the New Jersey Devils, it might not hurt for the Devils to look at one more goalie to add into their prospect pool. The Devils do two promising goalie prospects in their system, Keith Kinkaid and Sott Wedgewood. While both players are far from a sure thing, goalie are often the key player for many teams. See: Pittsburgh Penguins. This week I'll take an in depth look at the 2nd ranked goaltender in this year's NHL draft.
Who is Eric Comrie?
Eric Comrie is a 17 year old canadian goaltender from Edmonton, Alberta. He weighs in at 170 lbs and stands six feet tall. The 2012-13 season was his second season playing in the WHL and he has been very consist for the Tri-City Americans. While goaltending may be the hardest position to evaluate through different leagues, I believe consistency year over year is a great determiner of a good goalie.
Comrie was taken #13 overall in the 2010 WHL Bantam draft and has lived up to the expectations. He has played two seasons with the Americans and started more than 30 games each season. However, while playing with the Tri-City Americans, Comrie has only played in one playoff game.
In his rookie season, Comrie put up a GAA of 2.67 and a SV% of .900, pretty darn good for a rookie goalie in the WHL. Along with those stats, he won 19 of his 31 starts while being having the seventh best GAA in the WHL. In the 2012-13 season he dropped his GAA to 2.62 and increased his SV% to a very respectable .915, good for 10th in the league.
Given Comrie's amateur play, the CSS had them ranked as the #2 North American goalie eligible for the 2013 NHL draft.
What Experts Have Said About Comrie
Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News: "The netminder brings energy, athleticism and great reflexes to the crease, but doesn't just rest on his physical tools."
Ben Kerr, Last Word on Sports "Comrie has decent size and good technique as a hybrid goalie. He has very good lateral movement and gets side to side quickly and efficiently. He reads the play well and shows excellent puck tracking as he is rarely caught out of position. His quick legs do a great job of taking away the bottom of the net. He also has a very quick glove hand which helps him to take away the top portions."
A Little Video
Here's a seven second clip showing Comrie's flexibility as he dives across the crease
That video reminded me of this nifty save by a goalie you may have heard of.
An Opinion of Sorts
One thing to note is that Comrie suffered a hip injury and underwent surgery this February. Knowing that, I think Comrie will fall to the 2nd round, most likely later in the second round given the depth of this year's draft. Since he is a goaltender, it is near impossible to tell if he will be successful as an NHL player. I think he still needs to play in more high pressure situations such as the playoffs or some sort of international play. If Comrie has that cool mentality a goalie needs to succeed, he will be a great addition for any NHL team, especially if picked up in the second round.
Your Take
I'd like to know your take on Eric Comrie as a prospect given all that you read. Perhaps you know more. Did you see him play? Do you know more about what his strengths and weaknesses may be? If so, please feel free to share it with the rest of us so we all can learn more. Otherwise, please leave your thoughts about Comrie as a prospect and the possibility of the Devils of picking him in the comments. Thank you for reading.