Great goaltending can save a team and in some cases win championships. Drafting goaltenders however, especially in the first and second rounds, has historically gone quite poorly for most NHL teams that attempt it. Between 2006 and 2011, 131 goaltenders have been drafted, and just 16 have played more than 100 games. 7 of these (Jonathan Bernier, Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, Jhonas Enroth, Steve Mason, James Reimer and Chad Johnson) were drafted in the 2006 draft. Notable names drafted in later years include Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner, Frederik Andersen, Petr Mrazek and John Gibson. Disregarding 2006 which appears to be a threshold for goaltenders currently playing, four goalies have been picked in the first round, and they’ve played just six games total. In the 2nd round, 15 goalies have been picked, and gone on to play 649 games total, which is 43.27 games per draft pick. Not a great showing across most of the rounds. Drafting a goaltender at all really seems to be a roulette wheel regardless of where you’re picking them. I imagine this is due to job scarcity as only 60 goaltenders are in the league at a given time, especially when ~20 new picks are entering various prospect pools every year. Most teams are getting two new goaltenders every three seasons, and NHL starters tend to stick around for a while. I should also note that most starters in the NHL today were drafted in or before 2006, but recent picks haven’t been able to earn those spots, and many don’t appear to be a real threat to do so. Between 2003-2005, 15 of 74 drafted goaltenders have broken 200 games played, but the overall spread across the rounds is remarkably even.

Why go through all that lazy data in an article about undrafted goaltenders? Drafting a goalie is something that should be done just to keep throwing darts at the dartboard and many of the best in the league were originally draft picks, however some have gone completely undrafted and have gone on to have successful careers. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing his way to a Vezina and possible Hart nomination, Aaron Dell is making a ton of noise as a rookie, Cam Talbot has stabilized a notoriously ridiculous Edmonton Oilers team, and Mike Condon and Keith Kinkaid are doing well as full-time backups for their respective teams. Undrafted goaltenders have had a much longer time to develop, have been tested against much tougher competition than potential NHL draft picks, and best of all, they cost nothing except money. Supplementing picks with undrafted free agents is a good approach and every year there are interesting options, even if their rate of success is similar to drafted goalies.

So, who are the guys I’d have a look at this summer on expiring contracts in Europe? Here are a few to keep an eye on:

Matej Machovsky – HC Plzen (Czech Extraliga) – 46GP – 2.25GAA – .925SPCT

Machovsky is a 6’2″ 23 year old goaltender who has had a string of more than solid years in the Czech Republic. An OHL alum, he is familiar with North American hockey, and earned a spot on the Czech men’s national team for the World Championship in 2016. While he didn’t play, he is one of the better goaltenders playing outside of North America for his age. A team with a lack of goaltending depth could do worse than to sign him to an ELC as an experiment on a two year deal. He has a good track record and I’d be sending scouts to see him.

Patrik Rybar – HC Hradec Kralove (Czech Extraliga) – 37GP – 2.11GAA – .922SPCT

Standing 6’3″, the 23 year old Slovak Rybar has NHL size and has progressed very well going from the Slovakian league in 15-16 to the Czech Extraliga this year. He has performed very well in the playoffs thus far with a 1.83GAA and a .927SPCT. He has seen touches with the Slovakian national team at various tournaments, and could be another young goaltender worth trying out if you have the space.

Artyom Zagidulin – Various Russian Teams.

Zagidulin is the more enigmatic choice of the trio. He seemed to bounce between three teams as a backup in the KHL and VHL, but registered save percentages of .962 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, .947 with Kunlun Red Star and a .934 in the VHL with Yuzhny Ural Orsk across 19 total games. The 21 year old would require a full three year entry level deal, but his KHL experience as a rookie, coupled with his solid 6’2″ size makes him a statistical match for further evaluation. He would be a project, but there aren’t many goaltenders his age with the history or current performance he has, regardless of sample size.

Voodoo Magic Conclusions

All in all, goaltenders are strange. Drafting them is the easiest way to develop your future in net, but it isn’t the only way. Undrafted guys come up every year for playing time, and they’re a free way to have a close look at a player with little risk. The round where you select a goalie is a weak correlation to how much they actually play, and in most cases, top ranked goaltenders are no better off than the lower ones. To me, all you need is a guy who can stop pucks, and control rebounds well. The rest is up to the guys in front of him. These three guys are young, and have shown an ability to stop pucks, and that’s all you can really ask for.