The Goaltending Question

With their selection of Maxime Ouellet in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, the Flyers furthur complicated the situation of their numerous goaltending prospects. Here's a rundown of their strengths and weaknesses, plus a short analysis and prediction.

Brian Boucher

(6'1, 190lbs)
1st round, 95
STATS: 36 GP, 2049 minutes, 2.61 GAA, 20W-8L-5T, 2 shutouts, 89 goals allowed, 995 saves, .991 save %, 0G-1A-1P, 2 PIM
In January, it looked like Boucher had lost his starting job as well as his top goalie prospect status to Jean Marc Pelletier. What a difference 6 months can make! After suffering through two knee injuries, Boucher came back with a vengeance. Not only did he reclaim the starter's job from JMP, he also was the only starter in the Phantoms 16 playoff games, where he was 9-7. In addition, the Phantoms elimination by Rochester was more due to their sheer lack of offense than Boucher's goaltending. Boucher is expected to make the big jump to the NHL next season. Clarke wants him to get 30-35 starts backing up John Vanbiesbrouck.

Jean Marc Pelletier--G

(6'3, 184 lbs)
2nd round pick, 97
STATS: 47 GP, 2636 min, 2.78 GAA, 25W-16L-4T, 2 shutouts, 122 goals allowed, 1334 saves, .909 save %, 0G-3A-3P, 0PIM
Pelletier looked like a goalie who could go anywhere early this year. Like Boucher the year before, he was named to the AHL All-Star team (mostly due to the shortage of the American goalies) but he was also named MVP. During the Flyers' struggles, he was called up to start in a game against Ottawa. He was shelled, 5-0, mostly due to the Flyers' inept defense. But Pelletier seemed to struggle a little from that point, and Boucher began to get the bulk of the starts. He saw only mop-up action in the the AHL playoffs. Overall, he had a solid year for a rookie pro goalie. With Boucher making the big step up to the NHL, Pelletier will be the number one goalie with the Phantoms. He should not have a serious challenger for that role.

Maxime Ouellet--G

(6'0, 180lbs)
1st round, 99
STATS: 40W-12L-6T, 3 shutouts, 2.70 GAA.
Maxime Ouellet is another goalie in a long line of big, French-speaking butterfly goalies (thanks a lot Patrick Roy). He had a fabulous season in the QMJHL. He played with the Quebec Remparts (and Flyers prospect Simon Gagne) and benefited from their defense and offense. The Remparts were favorites for the Memorial Cup in the fall, and they discussed trading for Robert Luongo, arguably the best hockey prospect around! They decided to stick with Ouellet and he did not disappoint. He led the league in wins, was second in shutouts, and third in save percentage. He also played the the QMJHL All-Star game as well as the 1999 Top Prospects game. He will likely play 2 more years in juniors before turning pro.

He is a butterfly goalie who can also play standup. He challenges shooters and has good quickness and reaction time. His positioning is solid. He uses his stick to break up passes around the net. He could show more patience before going into the butterfly.

Antero Nittymaki--G

(6'1, 172 lbs)
6th round, 98
Nittymaki was a late cut from the Finnish 1999 World Jrs. team. He initially looked to be a simple safety pick, since it's always wise to have enough goaltending in the system. Some sources think this boy can be very good. Still, with three #1 picks before him, his future in the Flyers organization looks cloudy.

The Flyers have one more goalie in their system, young Cam Ondrik. He had a mediocre year with a mediocre team in the WHL. Considering the wealth of talent ahead of him, I'm not going to address his affect on the Flyers' future decisions.

The Flyers have one very elderly goalie: John Vanbiesbrouck. He has a three year contract, of which two years are remaining. Next year is another expansion year. The Flyers will have to expose one goaltender with NHL experience: Vanbiesbrouck or Boucher (who will have 30 starts under his belt). It seems clear that Vanbiesbrouck will be exposed. It is not certain if he will be chosen. Nevertheless, by the 2000-2001 season, it seems certain that one of the Flyers' goaltending prospects will be seriously challenging for the starting job.

Only Boucher and Pelletier are developmentally at a stage to challenge for the Flyers starting position in 2000-2001. Boucher has completed 2 years in the AHL, and will have had a season in the NHL. Pelletier will have completed 2 years in the AHL, one as the unopposed number 1 started. Maxime Ouellet would still be in juniors. Niitimaaki will be in Finland or beginning his stint in the AHL. Due to the nature of their job, it is difficult to imagine any goaltending prospect making an impact in the NHL without a significant apprenticeship in the AHL.

If both Boucher and Pelletier become NHL caliber starting goalies, one will be traded to fill another gap. Goaltending is always a commodity in high demand, and they would be useful trading chips. The only way that both Boucher and Pelletier will be in the Flyers organization in 2 years time will be if one falls short in his development and becomes a backup. Even then, I think it is unlikely both will remain in the system.

If Boucher/Pelletier becomes the Flyers starter and fails to dominate, Flyers management will probably begin looking carefully at Maxime Ouellet. In terms of raw potential, Ouellet is as good or even better than Boucher and Pelletier. If Boucher/Pelletier has a firm grasp on the Flyers net, Ouellet will probably also be traded for another prospect.

Niitimaaki is a dark horse in these shenanigans. If he surprises, he could challenge for attention in a couple years time -- not to be the Flyers starter but to be the next goaltender in waiting. It seems improbable...but possible.

My prediction is that Pelletier is traded within the next 18 months. If he dominates in the AHL, that prediction could be proved wrong very rapidly. Oh well...we'll see.

Here are links to some of my sources. I don't just know this stuff off the top of my head:
Bill Meltzer's "Philly's Phuture" editorials at Mike Barr's Flyers site
Hockeys Future: Hockey 2000


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