Up until the draft I will be putting out 20 NHL Draft Prospects in 20 days. I will be certain to cover all the top guys but also some players that can be had in later rounds. I will end up with a mock draft the day before the draft. Hope you enjoy.
To the average hockey fan, they may think that the netminder is a guy in net that isn't very athletic and just has to get in the way of the puck. There can't be anything further from the truth when it comes to a successful goalie. It is true that the trend in the NHL is to go for giant goalies but I will take athleticism over size any day. Enter Malcolm Subban who is one of the most athletic goaltenders to enter the draft in a very long time.
He demonstated it at the NHL combine where Subban scored in the top 10 in nine different tests, seven of which he was in the top five. Throw in he had one of the widest wingspans of all the combine invites and he has all the physical skills to be an elite goalie.
“Subban combines exceptional reflexes with slick lateral movement within his
crease to cover the net well,” is the scouting report from HockeyProspect.com's NHL Draft Black Book. “He also has a quick glove hand, and has an ideal size for a goaltender. The impressively athletic Subban has the ability to single handedly steal games for his team.”
"I see Malcolm as Carey Price,” Al Jensen from Central Scouting stated. “He's calm and poised. I find Fleury as more of an acrobatic goalie and getting out there, but Malcolm is very good with his positioning with outstanding lateral ability and quickness. He can make the big save to turn a game around, but he covers post-to-post so well with his butterfly. His leg extension is incredible and he has a very quick glove hand."
I also see Pascal Leclaire in Subban both in stature and how they play the position. I still say that Leclaire had one of the fastest set of legs I have ever seen. Just like Subban, Leclaire relied on his athletic ability to recover and make spectacular saves. The problem with Leclaire is that he could never stay healthy and those same concerns may be surrounding Subban. He had to fight through an ankle injury and also a groin injury. The ankle is no big deal but a groin injury will derail any goalie. If it would become a chronic problem, Subban's career could go the same as Leclaire's.
Some corrections to his game that will be corrected with a good goaltending coach is his rebound control. He has an issue with deflecting low shots off his leg pads out into the slot. He has been able to get away with it a lot, at this level, due to his athletic ability and making great saves but on the NHL stage those mistakes will end up in the back of the net. This is not a huge issue and with more experience and the right coach, it should be rectified.
Malcolm has no doubt seen shots blasted at him by his older brother P.K. Subban from the Montreal Canadiens. Seeing NHL quality shots for him will be old hat but will his nagging groin injuries get to be old hat for an NHL team? Time will tell. Without the injury concerns, Subban is a franchise goaltender that will steal you games and could be between the pipes for your team for a decade.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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