FLYERS SIGN WHITE TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT
The Flyers signed unrestricted free agent center Ryan White to a one-year, two-way contract yesterday. The gritty former Montreal Canadiens forward became a UFA this summer after the Habs declined to tender him a qualifying offer.
White dressed in 52 games for the Canadiens in 2013-14, primarily as the team's fourth line center. Strictly a checking forward, White had a higher percentage of defensive zone starts than any other Montreal forward. He averaged 9:41 of ice time per game, with 1:46 coming on the penalty kill. In 24 home games, the pivot won 55.43 percent of his faceoffs. On the road, he won 46.57 percent. The righthanded shooting White posted two goals, four assists and six points.
Despite a torn pectoral muscle tear that sidelined him for 14 games, White continued to play the tenacious physical style that is his best-known trait. He was credited with 88 hits and 37 blocked shots. White was also credited with 10 takeaways.
White took 10 minor penalties in 2013-14 (two hookings, two roughings, two trippings, one delay of game for flipping the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, one holding, one high sticking and one interference). He had four fights and received one 10-minute misconduct.
This signing is a depth addition for the Flyers. If the team prefers to have Scott Laughton play in the AHL to get more ice than he would in a fourth-line role, White may be the Flyers fourth-line center. Michael Raffl is also a candidate for the spot, as he played a bit in that spot last season in addition to moving around the lineup as a winger.
If White is assigned to the Phantoms, he would be a superior AHL/NHL swingman to the players the Flyers had in that role last year. He knocks Chris VandeVelde down a notch on the organizational depth chart and is an NHL-level upgrade on Kris Newbury (who is now in the Washington Capitals' organization).
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SCARY MOMENT FOR MORIN; CANADA DOWNS RUSSIA AGAIN
The Flyers brass must have breathed a sigh of relief yesterday. Samuel Morin, the team's 2013 first-round Draft pick and a key part of its future plan on defense, dangerously careened into the end wall while making an offensive forray in Canada's 6-3 win over Russia at the National Junior Team evaluation camp in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Thankfully, the player was not seriously hurt and remained in the game.
Curtis Lazar led the way for the Canadians with a hat trick and an assist. Travis Sanheim, the Flyers' 2014 first-round Draft pick, did not dress in this game after dressing for Wednesday's game against the Russians. Radel Fazleev, the Flyers' 2014 sixth-round pick, registered an assist in this game on Vladislav Gavrikov's third-period goal that briefly brought the Russians back within two goals. Lazar completed his hat trick just 28 seconds later to restore a three-goal cushion.
Last night's game can be
watched in its entirety for free at the official Hockey Canada website. At noon today, Canada takes on the Czech Republic. The game will be streamed live on the site.
Over in Lake Placid, NY, Team Sweden takes on Finland today at 4 p.m. EDT. The Swedish team, which features Flyers prospects Robert Hägg and Oskar Lindblom, will look to bounce back from a 7-1 trouncing at the hands of Team USA on Wednesday. After today's game, the Swedes head to Canada to play the Russians in Sherbrooke.
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GOING BIG IN GOAL
It is no secret that goaltenders around the NHL and the entire professional hockey world have gotten physically bigger and bigger over the last two decades. It is staggering to think back to the size of the goaltenders in the league even the mid-1990s and compare it to today.
Back then, the ranks of top NHL goaltenders included many players who would be considered undersized goaltender today: Mike Richter, Dominik Hasek, John Vanbiesbrouck, Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, Chris Osgood, Mike Vernon and even 5-foot-8 Arturs Irbe were among the standout goalies of the time. Patrick Roy was listed at an even six feet tall, which today would be considered on the smaller end of an "averaged-size goaltender."
Nowadays, standout netminders such Henrik Lundqvist (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) or Jonathan Quick (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) are not particularly noted for their size. The league is filled with more and more goaltenders who stand 6-foot-4 to as much as 6-foot-7.
In an upcoming article for the International Ice Hockey Federation's official web site, I will be looking at how the trend has moved toward bigger and bigger goalies. I talked to a host of current and former NHL and European league goaltenders, goaltending coaches, scouts and NHL general managers to get there take on on how and why this happened.
Robert Esche, now the club president for the AHL's Utica Comets and formerly an NHL and KHL goaltender, says its simply a matter of how the game has evolved.
Said Esche, "Years ago they threw you in the net for a couple different reasons; one because you couldn't skate and two because you didn't have the same build as others. The second changed over time as the goalie position morphed into a more hybrid style requiring goalies to look big even when they were down. Over the last 4 decades goaltending has went through more change then probably and position in sports and will most likely continue to do so."
He continued, "As soon as the goalie position starts to perfect itself they will change the rules much like what they did back in '05. Which I believe they should have. I wouldn't be too worried about it, however, if you stop the puck there will always be a spot for you in the NHL. The bigger goalies today, simply put, are better then the smaller ones with the way the game is played. I'm not sure when that trend will change. One more thing to remember, generally speaking, we all are bigger in hockey than four decades ago."
Flyers scout Neil Little, himself a former AHL and NHL goaltender, had a similar take.
"I am traveling the hockey globe all year looking for draft eligible goalies and size really does affect my decision making and overall feeling about a prospects future chances in pro hockey. I rarely stamp my approval on anyone 6-foot and under simply because you can find a bigger kid with the same skill set who is 6'2 and above," said Little.
"With that said, there's no question that some of the best goalies to play -- and some who are still playing -- are smaller goalies. There ARE exceptions to the current trend of bigger is better, but for the most part i would say that the trend is headed away from the small' goalie If you are under or around six feet, you MUST be able to move like Jonathan Quick, and consistently be the best player on the ice."
In the long-term future, will things ever reach a point where a sub six-foot goalie, regardless of his physical gifts, is in danger of being written off as "too small" before he ever gets a chance at the NHL?
Said former Vezina Trophy winner Vanbiesbrouck, "Your question is intriguing and most likely true. I believe we have entered into the era of the blocking goalie, not the saving goalie. Not that it's a bad thing, but I think it makes your point about size. Possibly we have started to enter into a time equal to that of centers in basketball, where one has to be close to 7 feet to compete? I will point this out too. Size has always been the most valuable asset to a prospect, no matter what position they play. There are only 60 goalies in the NHL, which is very small window of opportunity when you hold there to over seven billion people in the world."
Former NHL goaltender Brian Boucher sees it somewhat differently that his former teammate Vanbiesbrouck.
"You can't tell me that someone like [six-foot-five Pekka] Rinne is just a blocker," said Boucher. "He is an incredible athlete. So are a lot of the other big goalies out there these days, like [6-foot-7 Ben] Bishop. If there's a really good big guy and a good small guy, I am going to take the big guy. Goaltending has evolved to such a high point in the last few decades, that I don't know how much more it can be perfected."
Of course, as Little pointed out, there are recent exceptions to the size trend around the game. Ttwo-time Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas has a very thick body on a 5-foot-11 frame. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier is a former first-round Draft pick and one of the rising stars at his position despite being listed between 5-foot-11 to 6-feet tall. Former Stars backup Richard Bachman is an undersized goalie by today's standards but made it to the NHL through his competitiveness and fast reflexes.
There also figured to be a cutoff point for how big of athletes can be recruited to play goaltender. In some ways, the bigger the goalie, the more moving parts (and potential holes) there are. Right now, there are no 6-foot-9 or bigger goaltenders on the horizon. While it is possible there may someday be an exceptional goaltender with that sort of size, such a player would probably be an anomaly. Additionally, there may be a "market correction" of sorts in upcoming years.
Maxime Ouellet, a former Flyers first-round draft pick who is currently a goaltending instructor for Eisbären Berlin in Germany's DEL and the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, says that there is a danger in going overboard in prioritizing size in goalie but the other physical and mental qualities teams seek will not change.
"I believe the trend will slow down a bit if the bigger goalies don't meet the expectations. A great small goalie will have more obstacles on his road and his character will be tested much more to see if he can get at the top than before. But it is up to them to meet the challenges," said Ouellet.
The full article will run on IIHF.com later this month. I will post a link to the piece when it is published. Other hockey industry participants in the article include Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill, two current NHL scouting directors, longtime European league and former collegiate goaltender Bernd Bruckler (a former Flyers draftee) and pro scouts from five NHL organizations.
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