Mrazek looked a ton better than I thought he would last night.
It's only one game, so I'm obviously not breaking out the anointing oil just yet, but it would be nice if he got more time so we could see what he brings to the table. His pedigree suggests he could have the right stuff.
It's only one game, so I'm obviously not breaking out the anointing oil just yet, but it would be nice if he got more time so we could see what he brings to the table. His pedigree suggests he could have the right stuff.
He really does : ECHL debut, win. AHL debut, win. AHL All-Star Game, win. NHL debut, win. All in one season. Wow.
I thought he looked solid, but I also think that our defense did a great job limiting quality scoring chances. I thrilled to have Pete in our organization.
We could potentially have a 1a, 1b, 1c situation with Howard, Gustavsson and Mrazek. The kid is that good.
The best tactic to maximize season points at this special season is not to use the back-up goalie at all, imo. Because he will never get in game shape if he gets a game twice in a month. Especially an injured guy like Gustavsson, who would need 5-6 games in-a-row to get in some kind of shape.
Just use the starter (Howard) and make the rest for that starter by using the AHL-starter, who has excellent game shape. Especially if you have a hot AHL-guy like Mrazek.
Game shape is a really big thing for goalies and most back-ups suck because they are missing that.
He's one of my favorite prospects and played very solid last night, but I think we have to cool it with the backup talk. Yes he's a gamer and a good goalie but, unlike Nyquist and Tatar, he can still learn a lot playing nightly in the AHL. Provided we resign Howard and Gustavsson is a solid backup, I think you could see Mrazek and Howard in a 1A 1B situation in two years once Gustavsson's contract is over. But as of right now, I think Mrazek will be our #3 goalie.
Having played at a high level as a goaltender myself I feel I have a pretty good judgement of how good a goalie is. Having said that, the kid has it. I was only able to catch the first period because I had to go play hockey myself but from what I saw he was patient, technically sound and quick. It's easy for a young goalie, in his first NHL game, to bite and overplay the one save in the first when a STL player came from the corner to the front of the net and give up the goal short side. He has the attitude too. When he said he never gets nervous and he's going to enjoy every minute out there it cemented my idea that he may be the franchise goalie they haven't had in a long time. Reminded me of me seven years ago
They / we may go through a couple down years but when Mrazek, Sproul and Ouellet are in town this team has a chance to be real good. Let's just hope Kenny doesn't let them rot in GR.
*We have to keep in mind he's still years away from being a regular on the DRW
I don't think he's quite 6'1, probably closer to 6 feet in reality.
Good game last night and the D did a good job helping him out. I like the fact that he doesn't give up a lot of rebounds and if he can't catch the puck he deflects the shots into the corners.
Having played at a high level as a goaltender myself I feel I have a pretty good judgement of how good a goalie is. Having said that, the kid has it. I was only able to catch the first period because I had to go play hockey myself but from what I saw he was patient, technically sound and quick. It's easy for a young goalie, in his first NHL game, to bite and overplay the one save in the first when a STL player came from the corner to the front of the net and give up the goal short side. He has the attitude too. When he said he never gets nervous and he's going to enjoy every minute out there it cemented my idea that he may be the franchise goalie they haven't had in a long time. Reminded me of me seven years ago
They / we may go through a couple down years but when Mrazek, Sproul and Ouellet are in town this team has a chance to be real good. Let's just hope Kenny doesn't let them rot in GR.
*We have to keep in mind he's still years away from being a regular on the DRW
High level is a pretty vague term if you're using it to acquire some sort of credence
I did not forget that game, I omitted it on purpuose.
I was kidding around. Of course one game does not mean much/everything. Nevertheless it actually proves that the team struggles because of Howard.
As I understand Howard had not played until the season started, so he is obviously out of game shape. He has to get his game back quickly as we need points badly.
