"Brandon is an athletic goaltender who believes in “Having A Purpose” when he skates. He prides himself in his physical & technical skills which provide his team with an opportunity to win every time he’s on the ice. He displays a high level of confidence, determination, & composure while competing. He is an aggressive net-minder with exceptional puck handling skills. His ability to see plays develop is outstanding & has excellent on-ice communication skills. His overall play shows he has a real understanding & passion for the game. He is a coachable young man & provides team leadership as an Alternate Captain. Brandon has won three North American Silver Stick Championships, two World Championships, one State Championship & was named MVP and MVG in three. He was honored to represent Michigan in the NTDP’s national festival in 2008. He is a freshman at Plymouth HS & maintains a 3.5 GPA. Brandon believes the number one enemy of great, is good. Thus, his future plans include specialized training on & off the ice so he can pursue his dream of playing at the highest level possible."
This past season, Hope showed pretty good stats. In 32 appearances with Honeybaked's midget major squad, he posted a 11-16-4 record with 2 shutouts. In 1593 minutes played, Hope allowed 96 goals, getting him a 3.25 GAA and a .878 SV%. Where Hope really shone last season was during the post-season tournament for midget majors. In 4 games of that tourney, Hope posted a 3-1 record with 1.36 GAA and .944 save percentage. I would compare Hope to Green Bay goaltender, and USHL goaltender of the year Steve Summerhays. Expect to see Hope in the USHL sooner rather than later.
Zach Nagelvoort (Compuware U16) is a goalie who put up some good numbers in the Tier 1 Elite League this year at the midget minor level. In 17 appearances this past season, Nagelvoort posted a 13-1-2 record which is pretty impressive. He also had a shutout, with a 2.12 GAA and a .875 save percentage on the season. The 6'1", 205 pound goalie got an invite to the USHL combine this weekend and accepted the invite. It appears as if Nagelvoort hasn't gotten much college attention at all yet. Outside of a few goalies, the goalie class coming in isn't great by any means so it will be kind of hit and miss. I would compare Nagelvoort to Sioux Falls goaltender Clay Witt, who will most likely be drafted in this summer's NHL Entry Draft. I wouldn't be surprised if Nagelvoort gets his name called on Tuesday.
Other goalies that might get their name called on Tuesday: Dalton Izyk (Syracuse Nationals) and Jake Moore (Buffalo Regals.
Sorry for the lack of depth on the goalies, but I was very short of time and I wanted to get a post up quick.
Please leave comments, I would love to hear them!
Billy Wager was at the USHL combine and preformed well. He finished 2nd among the goalies at the U15 USA National Camp last year. He played for the U16 Pittsburgh Hornets and had a 2.45 GAA and a .900 save percentage. This is a goalie to watch. He was on the OHL draft list but was not selected as he has expressed interest in several US colleges when interviewed.
ReplyDeleteThis is good, if anyone has info on goalies that attended the combine, please add a comment, because I'll admit it, this post sucked. I wish I had more time to put it together but I didn't.
ReplyDeleteI saw Wager this past weekend at the combine and he was good size 6'1 185lbs. Looked solid. Blocker/butterfly hybrid. Played on a pure 1994 team - East Coast Selects at Toronto Prospects last week against 91's - 93's had two hard fought ties against much older players (Honeybaked Gold). Also saw at USA Development Camp last year - did not have a bad period very strong. Indiana Ice has interest in drafting.
ReplyDeleteCould be a suitable replacement for Morris/DeSmith. Indiana could be a good fit.
ReplyDeleteAll this HYPE about these avaerage at best goltenders. I don't really understand how a GAA in the 3s and Mid 80s save percentage makes these kids NHL material. Exactly who do you need to know to be successful.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I said any of these goalies were NHL material. They're 16. They aren't even in juniors yet. Let them have a little time to develop before you say they aren't NHL material. Hope is probably one of the most hyped 2012 Eligible goaltenders. Does that mean he is already NHL material? Of course not. Just give these guys some time to develop.
ReplyDeleteThey are just 15/16 and need time to develop. Hope is a clear frontrunner, aggressive, handles puck extremely well, and brings experience of playing up. He went awful early in OHL, and rumored to have a few D1 offers already, so no telling where he'll end up, so not sure who will risk a high pick on him. Wager is a good prospect as well, brings size and technically sound. I look for him to be there in a year or two. Izyk brings size and fundamentals to net. Good positional goalie, lacks a little with lateral mobility. He could make a team this year and see some action on a developing team. Jacobson, out west, LA Selects is another flyer. Keep an eye on him too, serious prospect.
ReplyDeleteDarrin Robinson was another goalie who played very strong at the USHL Combine. At 6'1 160 he has good size. He was a 2009 WHL Draft pick and had a good year on a weak Colorado Rampage team in the Tier 1 Elite League.
ReplyDeleteWhile Hope and Izyk are touted as the prizes of this birthclass, there are some shorter netminders out there that are excellent prospects as well. Funkey out of Chicago, Howe out of Detroit, Aldridge out of Detroit, and Bruns out of Chicago, all of which showed well at the combine. Hope and Izyk will probably be worth a kings randsome, but could be a gamble since both are fielding CHL offers. Do teams go with a gamble and hope they report or an excellent prospect who is definitely wanting to play in the USHL?
ReplyDeleteBoth of those two guys, Hope and Izyk, are still contemplating the NTDP goalie position. What I've heard is they don't plan on filling that spot until June? My guess is, unless both have already signed with their OHL team, one of those two will fill that vacancy and be in the USHL regardless of this draft. Not sure what happens if another USHL team drafts them and then they end up signing with the NTDP which is also in the USHL or if that disqualifies them for the NTDP spot?
ReplyDeleteHope didn't get selected, at least in futures? Does that mean he is going to the O? Or the U17 team? Suprising. Something has to be up with that.
ReplyDelete