Tyler Brennan #30
Prince George Cougars WHL
DOB: Sept 27th 2003 Birth Place: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Height: 6’4 Weight: 195 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date: GP: 9 Record: 4-5-0 GAA: 2.64 Sv %: 919 SO: 2
Brennan, coming off a U18 WJC Gold Medal with Canada last season, is considered one of the top goaltending prospects going into the 2022 NHL Draft. A 6’4 goaltender who maximizes coverage with his huge frame and is positionally strong. Good stance mechanics, with active hands. Brennan has a strong glove hand, who controls rebounds within his frame. Brennan demonstrates strong post work, integrating/exiting posts quickly with efficient edgework, balance & weight transfer.
For a big goaltender, Brennan moves laterally decently well, and covers the bottom of the net effectively. He beats plays on his feet, and that is because he has strong situational awareness through scanning for threats within the zone. He especially reads plays well during below goal line situations…as he identifies threats quickly, and has an active stick for any puck through the blue paint. Brennan competes for rebound opportunities and is not afraid of “doing whatever it takes” to stop pucks…shows flashes of creativity and athleticism. Brennan doesn’t show poor body language after goals, which demonstrates maturity and mental toughness. Average puck handler…could make stronger decisions when playing the puck.
Struggles effectively tracking pucks (especially blocker side) as Brennan doesn’t get his head to hands/nose to puck consistently. 91.3% from the blocker side of the ice, compared to 96.9% on the glove side according to InStat. This inconsistent tracking has led to poor rebound control when shots are to his hands or to his pads, giving up secondary or even third opportunities in front after an initial save.
Has a tendency to end up on his backside on these rebound opportunities in front, leading to majority of his goals against to be from in-tight plays around the crease. Struggles with proper save selection at times by over anticipating…cheats on plays and has been burned a few times this season as a result (not completely respecting the puck carrier). Also needs to gain a little more depth on shots from the point in order to compete for sightlines around traffic and screen plays.
NHL Comparison: Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
Topias Leinonen #34
JYP Jyvaskyla U20, Team Finland
DOB: July 19th 2004 Birth Place: Jyväskylä, FIN
Height: 6’5 Weight: 216 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date (with JYP U20): GP: 12 Record: N/A GAA: 2.17 Sv %: 921 SO: N/A
Topias Leinonen is young, but a goalie with raw talent and loads of potential long-term. Leinonen’s size immediately stands out, standing at 6’5. He possesses strong edge work, and moves laterally pretty well for his size. Leinonen takes away open net quickly, as he maximizes coverage with his frame and efficiently seals the bottom of the net.
He communicates with teammates often, and demonstrates strong ice awareness through scanning for threats at appropriate opportunities. Leninonen shows good depth control, as he works to get to the top of the crease, while understanding when to play a little deeper during specific situations presented in front of him. He shows flashes of athleticism, but plays more of a positional, blocking style.
Leinonen does however, need to compete more for loose pucks in-tight (69% around the crease according to InStat). He often lets out multiple rebounds in front, which have resulted in a few goals against. He also struggles to find sightlines/visual attachment when there is traffic or congestion in front. As well, he tends to have “busy feet” as Leinonen doesn’t consistently set his feet when the puck is released. As a result, he is slow to beat plays on his feet, and is caught playing behind on lateral plays (especially passes east to west, or through the Royal Road).
Leinonen also struggles with keeping active hands…as he gets exposed on shots to his hands, especially on lateral plays towards the slot and pucks in-tight around the crease (isn’t static, caught reaching and creating holes). As a result, he struggles with rebound control immensely…giving up multiple quality secondary or third scoring opportunities. Leinonen needs to continue to work on his puck handling.
NHL Comparison: Mikko Koskinen, Edmonton Oilers
Dylan Silverstein #29
USNTDP Juniors / USHL
DOB: February 7th, 2004 Birth Place: Calabasas, CA, USA
Height: 6’0 Weight: 180 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date (USNTDP & USHL): GP: 13 Record: 6-4-0 GAA: 2.55 Sv %: 920 SO: 1
Silverstein is an intriguing prospect for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. It is easily noticeable he possesses a high level of intensity and compete while in the net. Standing at 6 foot, he has a composed technical package, while being explosive in his movements…especially laterally. He demonstrates strong positional mechanics, while showing impressive rebound control. Solid depth control on various situations presented in front of him. Silverstein is very athletic and can be creative when needed. He doesn’t give up on any puck, and plays with the same “swagger” Binnington does.
Considered an elite skater, with good edgework and effortless post play. Silverstein strongly recovers to his spots and efficiently gathers information, while identifying scoring threats through scanning. He also communicates well with teammates. He tracks effectively while visually attaching to pucks…it is evident his hands are an asset to his overall game.
Even though Silverstein possesses a high level of compete and passion, he sometimes lacks good body language after allowing a goal. He also tends to get really wide in his stance when pucks get closer to him…prohibiting proper tracking, making small adjustments, or timely recovery. Even though he seals the bottom of the net quickly on lateral plays, he often resorts to going into the splits out of desperation.
Silverstein could maximize his net coverage a bit better, especially on those in-tight lateral plays (as anything elevated in-tight has a good chance of beating him). Even as a composed goaltender, his lateral explosiveness can sometimes cause him to over commit on plays and get out of position. Despite this, his edgework and skating capabilities help him re-adjust quickly back into position. Silverstein can handle the puck, and is not afraid of making mistakes.
NHL Comparison: Jonathan Bernier, New Jersey Devils
Thomas Milic #35
Seattle Thunderbirds WHL
DOB: April 14th, 2004 Birth Place: New Westminster, BC, Canada Height: 6’0 Weight: 170 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date: GP: 11 Record: 7-3-1 GAA: 2.64 Sv %: 912 SO: 1
Coming off an impressive tournament with Team Canada at the U18 WJC in 2021 and a training camp invite with the Seattle Kraken, Thomas Milic is already making some serious noise in the CHL. Milic is considered one of the top goaltending prospects heading into the 2022 draft, after being passed over in 2021. Milic plays calmly in high pressure situations, and just finds ways to win hockey games. Patient on his feet, Milic is an exceptional skater, with awesome edgework. His post play is decent, but could work on more consistency when integrating into his posts.
He communicates well with his teammates, and definitely reads the game at an elite level. Milic is positionally sound, while doing a great job maximizing net coverage through box control and strong stance mechanics. He is very athletic, and will do whatever it takes to stop the puck. He demonstrates the importance of active hands, as he visually attaches to pucks consistently, and tracks effectively in and away from his body. Milic recovers quickly and efficiently while gathering information for second or third waves.
It is quite obvious Milic’s weakness is his ability to handle the puck. He struggles with playing the puck, which has proven costly so far this season on a few goals. He has a tendency to be overly active with his stick, as he is caught over-reaching on below goal line plays. Even though his hands are one of his strongest attributes, he could continue to work on his approach on in-tight situations around the crease. Especially how he has trouble controlling rebounds down low.
He has another tendency to go paddle down the closer the puck carrier gets. Milic can sometimes be caught playing odd-man rushes too aggressively, as he can be inconsistent with having proper depth during certain situations. I believe Milic has a lot of intangibles about his game that NHL organizations are looking for.
NHL Comparison: Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers
Sergei Ivanov #1
SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova MHL
DOB: April 3rd, 2004 Birth Place: Chernushka, RUS Height: 5”11 Weight: 165 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date: GP: 11 Record: 6-4-1 GAA: 2.91 Sv %: 916 SO: 2
After winning gold medals in 2020 at the Youth Olympic Games and in 2021 at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Ivanov continues to catch the eye of many scouts heading into the 2022 NHL Draft. Slightly undersized at 5’11, Ivanov makes up for it with his lateral quickness, and decent tracking capabilities. He competes for every puck, while relying on his edges and athleticism to make timely & routine saves.
Ivanov plays his angles well, and shows good stance mechanics. His post play is great, efficiently integrating and exiting his posts to be in proper position. He can change direction with ease, while recovering to his spots quickly. He is an average puck handler, making pretty consistent smart decisions to break the zone. Rarely see Ivanov get beat cleanly on a shot, usually takes a rebound or a smart play from the opposition to beat him.
Ivanov does however, need better ice awareness as he fails to scan for threats consistently. As a result, he tends to resort to sliding a lot… instead of beating more plays on his feet. Ivanov’s major downfall is his struggles with rebound control, especially on low shots. He has difficulties visually attaching to pucks through traffic/congestion in front.
He tends to play situations overly aggressive with his depth, and puts himself in poor positions to recover effectively for rebound opportunities. Ivanov also evidently struggles with in-tight lateral plays, as he seems to be a step behind the majority of the time. This has to do with not recognizing the threat earlier, and moving out of reaction.
NHL Comparison: Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
Braden Holt #40
Everett Silvertips WHL
DOB: July 30th, 2003 Birth Place: Bozeman, MT, USA
Height: 6’1 Weight: 166 lbs Shoots/Catches: L
Stats to date: GP: 7 Record: 6-0-1 GAA: 1.68 Sv %: 930 SO: 2
Coming off a rookie camp invite with the Toronto Maple Leafs after being passed over in the 2021 Entry Draft, Holt continues to gain the attention from many scouts so far this season. With exceptional numbers through a hand-full of games in the WHL, Holt is determined to hear his name called in 2022 by an NHL organization. Standing at 6’1 in the crease, relies on his positioning and athleticism to make routine & difficult saves for the Silvertips. Holt competes for loose pucks around the net, and won’t give up on any situation. He has very good ice awareness, frequently scanning for threats at appropriate moments in the zone.
Holt shows calmness and composure under adversity, even though he hasn’t faced much of that so far this season. With strong edgework and post play, Holt demonstrates decently smooth movements around the crease while quickly being able to make re-adjustments. He tracks pucks well, and shows consistent stability and balance with his stance mechanics. The closer the puck gets to the net, Holt gets more on top of pucks…showing a strong understanding of how to utilize box control and giving him the ability to cut down the angle. Holt does a pretty good job maximizing coverage in all situations, but could be more effective on in-tight lateral plays. He has a tendency to end up on his stomach and only cover the bottom of the net. He does, however, need to work on controlling pucks down low, as it has burned him a few times so far this season on secondary and third rebound opportunities around the crease.
Holt needs to continue to work on being quicker with his footwork, as he is an average skater. He needs to consistently be more patient on his edges and beat more plays on his feet, as he sometimes resorts to sliding and it has cost him a few times so far this season. It is quite evident that Holt really struggles with traffic, as he has a hard time gaining visual attachment with any sort of congestion in front of his eyes.
He needs to continue to work on his puck handling, as he tends to make poor decisions handling the puck with any sort of forecheck pressure. Holt also struggles with quick releases, as that is something that will prove costly at the next level. He tends to lose focus, while freezing and going into a blocking style when shots come unexpectedly from uncommon scoring locations. Holt will continue to be on the radar as he is consistently finding ways to win games in Everett.
NHL Comparison: Seymon Varlamov, New York Islanders