Are Short Goalies Underrated?

[NVious]

Quick is listed at 6'1. If you want him to be sub 6', you're going to have to subtract a couple of inches from every goalie out there.

The vast majority of men are shorter than 6'. If there were no impediment to being short, why aren't most NHL goalies through history shorter than 6'?

No, that doesn't prove there is a misunderstanding in the role of height. It means that being shorter doesn't necessarily disqualify you from being a good goalie. But it sure seems like being shorter is a negative, given that only one goalie listed at shorter than 6'1, which puts you in the top 7% of American men, has managed to finish top 3 in Vezina voting.

I also don't know why you think Johnny Quick has one of the highest peaks in NHL history. He doesn't.

Tofolli at 6' next to 6'1 Quick lmao.

Because height is seen as a great advantage and nobody wants to draft a dud 5'7, 5'8, 5'9, 5'10 goalie, it's better if we get the new crop of 850, 860, 870, 880 save percentage 6'3+ sieves every year which again begs the question as to how they fail if a 5'9, 5'10 Saros can not only survive, but thrive?

It really does though because if even one goalie that is clearly under 6' (like Saros) can thrive (since we will ignore Thomas/Quick) and goalies over 6'3 can be worse than 5'5 Darren Pang, why not more shorter goalies? Again because there is massive bias against them and the conventional wisdom states height matters. Teams and scouts would rather be wrong about 6'7 876 sv% Fedotov than a bad shorter goalie, despite the result being the same.

In terms of goalies he literally does, for 20+ games played in the playoffs he is tied with Giggy in terms of NHL record when it comes to save percentage:

Goaltender Records - Playoffs | NHL Records

Discover comprehensive NHL goaltender records from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including achievements by career, year, series and game.

records.nhl.com

Guys like saros and wolf are the exception. Short Goalies in today's game definitely at a disadvantage. Maybe 30 years ago it wasn't as big of a deal but players too good now and games moves too fast. Alot less margin for error if you're small

To the same extent that taller goalies will be more injury prone, slower, not have as big of a heart except height is always seen as a positive and the quicker nature of shorter goalies, closeness to the ice, being able to beat odds is seen as meaningless.

 

[Romang67]

That's fair but also important to mention few if any all-timers were over 6'3".

While people in the general population over 6'3 are few and far between, they are frequently selected and pushed along in the athlete pool in a wide array of sports, from track and field to American football, basketball, volleyball, et al.

In other words, it's not uncommon to see people of tall height in sports; but knowing that, even though hockey is a large team sport with good professional level pay but niche audience/talent pool... where are the GOAT skyscraper goalies? I'd think that there would be evidence of a handful by now in the NHL. Anecdotally, I don't even think I've heard of skyscraper goalies dominating lower leagues for the ones who fall out of the NHL.

There are optimal height/weights in all sports, it's why we don't see 6'7" sprinters or 5'8" shooting guards at the highest levels. My take on it is the general optimal goalie size is roughly 6'1-6'2", where if all other mental attributes are realistically equal, it allows the best combination of athleticism, reaction speed and gap control.

TL;DR big isn't always better.

The position has changed a lot with equipment though. The reason why the all-timers didn't play more similarly to how they play now isn't because angles and blocking the net didn't matter. It's because you couldn't do it when your pads weighed 20lbs because they had soaked all the water off the ice 5 minutes into the game.

There is definitely a sweet spot. Few goalies over 6'1 are fast enough to actually be good (which i suspect is the OP's actual quandary -- that teams are placing 6'8 behemoths out there because of the perception that being big is good enough), and near enough no goalies over 6'4 is going to be anything more than placed correctly on the ice.

But given that, among the elite goalies in the NHL since the rule changes and equipment changes, almost all of them are in the 6'1-6'4 range, I don't know how anyone can say that height isn't anything advantage when that is so much taller than the average male person.

Here's a tale for the kiddos out there about never giving up on your dreams.

When I played ACHA hockey in grad school, I was listed at 6'2" and 200 pounds. No one ever asked me about it. I was probably 6'2" in skates.

However...

After many years of perseverance and dedication, I can proudly tell you all that I am now 200 pounds.

I'm also the only guy who brings his two-pad stacks to beer league hockey.

I walked on to my college team when I returned to school 8 years or so after I quit hockey. My return to hockey was incredibly inconsequential, other than the fact that eliteprospects changed my official listed height from 5'11 to 5'7. I'm not sure where they got that number from, but I thought it was rude.

I've always maintained that my <6' height was among the primary reasons why I never made it to the NHL. I think that was a bigger detriment than my laziness, injuries, and slow reflexes.

 

[Romang67]

Tofolli at 6' next to 6'1 Quick lmao.

Because height is seen as a great advantage and nobody wants to draft a dud 5'7, 5'8, 5'9, 5'10 goalie, it's better if we get the new crop of 850, 860, 870, 880 save percentage 6'3+ sieves every year which again begs the question as to how they fail if a 5'9, 5'10 Saros can not only survive, but thrive?

It really does though because if even one goalie that is clearly under 6' (like Saros) can thrive (since we will ignore Thomas/Quick) and goalies over 6'3 can be worse than 5'5 Darren Pang, why not more shorter goalies? Again because there is massive bias against them and the conventional wisdom states height matters. Teams and scouts would rather be wrong about 6'7 876 sv% Fedotov than a bad shorter goalie, despite the result being the same.

In terms of goalies he literally does, for 20+ games played in the playoffs he is tied with Giggy in terms of NHL record when it comes to save percentage:

Goaltender Records - Playoffs | NHL Records

Discover comprehensive NHL goaltender records from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including achievements by career, year, series and game.

records.nhl.com

To the same extent that taller goalies will be more injury prone, slower, not have as big of a heart except height is always seen as a positive and the quicker nature of shorter goalies, closeness to the ice, being able to beat odds is seen as meaningless.

If your claim is that NHL players list their height as taller than they are, you are probably right, but then why are you complaining about <6' goalies not getting a chance when so many goalies in the NHL are listed as the same height as Quick?

Back to my original question: where are all the great undrafted short goaltenders? If the problem is that short goalies don't get drafted, that should sort itself out, where they outperform the tall goalies after being drafted.

If Saros is the best of the best of shorter goalies since Thomas, and he has one single top 3 finish in the Vezina race in his career, what does that tell you?

 

[1989]

If your claim is that NHL players list their height as taller than they are, you are probably right, but then why are you complaining about <6' goalies not getting a chance when so many goalies in the NHL are listed as the same height as Quick?

Back to my original question: where are all the great undrafted short goaltenders? If the problem is that short goalies don't get drafted, that should sort itself out, where they outperform the tall goalies after being drafted.

If Saros is the best of the best of shorter goalies since Thomas, and he has one single top 3 finish in the Vezina race in his career, what does that tell you?

It seems with my observations and your question, the answer really is just "be good at being 6'1, idiot."

 

[Romang67]

It seems with my observations and your question, the answer really is just "be good at being 6'1, idiot."

It does seem to be the secret both for becoming an all-time NHL goalie and for being moderately successful at dating apps, so I don't know why more people don't do it.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I walked on to my college team when I returned to school 8 years or so after I quit hockey. My return to hockey was incredibly inconsequential, other than the fact that eliteprospects changed my official listed height from 5'11 to 5'7. I'm not sure where they got that number from, but I thought it was rude.

I've always maintained that my <6' height was among the primary reasons why I never made it to the NHL. I think that was a bigger detriment than my laziness, injuries, and slow reflexes.

A four-inch drop seems like a capricious affront.

 

[1989]

A four-inch drop seems like a capricious affront.

 

[theVladiator]

I think it's not unreasonable to entertain the idea that lack of short goalies at the NHL level is a result of some sort of self fulfilling prophecy, based on discriminatory prejudice. Basically, imagine a situation where the developing goalies are discarded when they are perceived as short, given up on too early, and so never get a chance to develop far enough along.

But, I think it's a fantasy that would fall apart if one ever looks at the number of shorter goalies in junior/college. I haven't done the work myself, but I think I have seen way more short goalies there than the NHL, and I think it blows that conspiracy theory out of the water.

Thinking a little bit further, shorter goalies probably have a bit of an advantage at younger age. It's quite typical for people to be less coordinated after a growth spurt. Come to think of it, it could be that opposite is true. That there are more taller guys that suck eggs after a growth spurt, get discouraged or discarded, or both, than there are shorter guys that are rejected because they are somehow "too short" for their junior or college team.

 

[Emerald Duck]

Forget the short vs tall debate ... we need a goalie who can fill up the net

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

At the NHL Level? No. At lower levels of hockey? Yes. It is starting to change though were you are seeing them look at many factors for goalies in minor hockey other then size. For years so many quality 14/15 year olds were passed over because they were deemed too short. Its why Canada hasn't been developing goalies.

I think around 2012-2016 or so, if you rolled out the usual trash suspects like Bishop, Rinne, and the million clones they had throughout the minor leagues & europe, nobody knew what to do when you had to shoot at the biggest pile of high density foam with a human inside.

The skill level of skaters picked up a lot after 2017 and those guys got exposed very quickly.

 

[NVious]

If your claim is that NHL players list their height as taller than they are, you are probably right, but then why are you complaining about <6' goalies not getting a chance when so many goalies in the NHL are listed as the same height as Quick?

Back to my original question: where are all the great undrafted short goaltenders? If the problem is that short goalies don't get drafted, that should sort itself out, where they outperform the tall goalies after being drafted.

If Saros is the best of the best of shorter goalies since Thomas, and he has one single top 3 finish in the Vezina race in his career, what does that tell you?

Part of the problem is the fake heights, do all goalies lie an inch or two? Obviously some of them do and it's in everybody's incentive to do so, the goalie who appears taller, the team who has a taller goalie and the scout/coach who wanted the goalie isn't drafting some short goalie (because not being 6'4 is a death sentence).

If there is selection bias at every stage of the way, why is anyone surprised that very very few short goalies reach the highest levels? People think height matters, taller goalies get longer leashes and short goalies are seen as non viable. Tim Thomas is a great example of this, he has one of the highest goaltending peaks ever, the all time playoff save percentage leader and the only way he even made the NHL was continuing to battle through 8 years in the minors.

If we count Thomas/Quick (forget about other questionable guys like Lundqvist/Kipper), that's 4 Vezinas/Smythes from sub 6' goalies in the past 20 years, meanwhile there is only one goalie 6'5 and over (Rinne) that has won a Vezina/Smythe, yet in that same time span over 50+ 6'5 goalies were drafted and in the past 10 years 36 6'5 goalies were taken (showing this trend expediting). So why do NHL teams keep taking a height that is an unproven height for the position? Because of the opinion that taller=better.

What Saros's performance tells me is that there are probably many more goalies in the 5'8, 5'9, 5'10 range that could be excellent goalies but don't get the shot (hence why only 4 sub 6' goalies were taken out of 200+ goalies in the last 10 years). On the flip side I can ask you about Fedotov, what does it tell you that a guy who has had a good career in the KHL is getting destroyed in the NHL at 6'7 if taller=better?

 

[NVious]

I think it's not unreasonable to entertain the idea that lack of short goalies at the NHL level is a result of some sort of self fulfilling prophecy, based on discriminatory prejudice. Basically, imagine a situation where the developing goalies are discarded when they are perceived as short, given up on too early, and so never get a chance to develop far enough along.

But, I think it's a fantasy that would fall apart if one ever looks at the number of shorter goalies in junior/college. I haven't done the work myself, but I think I have seen way more short goalies there than the NHL, and I think it blows that conspiracy theory out of the water.

Thinking a little bit further, shorter goalies probably have a bit of an advantage at younger age. It's quite typical for people to be less coordinated after a growth spurt. Come to think of it, it could be that opposite is true. That there are more taller guys that suck eggs after a growth spurt, get discouraged or discarded, or both, than there are shorter guys that are rejected because they are somehow "too short" for their junior or college team.

There's no conspiracy theory, in the last 10 years 36 goalies 6'5 and over were selected and 4 sub 6' goalies were selected, despite the fact that in the past 20 years 1 Vezina/Smythe has been won by someone over 6'5 and over and 4 Vezinas/Smythes were won by sub 6' goalies. Why would that be?

Look at it from your own perspective and forget what I just told you, if you were a coach/scout would you stick your neck out for a 5'9, 5'10, 5'11 goalie or a goalie that is 6'5, 6'6, 6'7? This is obvious despite the fact that those specific heights when compared favor the shorter goalies.

There have been probably 100s of 6'3+ goalies that have gotten totally lit up in the past 2 decades, not one 5'7 goalie, but could you imagine if one 5'7 goalie got lit up? We'd never hear the end of it how insane it was thinking it could ever work.

 

[Kegs]

Guys like saros and wolf are the exception. Short Goalies in today's game definitely at a disadvantage. Maybe 30 years ago it wasn't as big of a deal but players too good now and games moves too fast. Alot less margin for error if you're small

They aren’t even that short. 5’11 and 6’


How about show me a starting goalie that’s 5’9. Then we can have a real discussion.

 

[Romang67]

Part of the problem is the fake heights, do all goalies lie an inch or two? Obviously some of them do and it's in everybody's incentive to do so, the goalie who appears taller, the team who has a taller goalie and the scout/coach who wanted the goalie isn't drafting some short goalie (because not being 6'4 is a death sentence).

If there is selection bias at every stage of the way, why is anyone surprised that very very few short goalies reach the highest levels? People think height matters, taller goalies get longer leashes and short goalies are seen as non viable. Tim Thomas is a great example of this, he has one of the highest goaltending peaks ever, the all time playoff save percentage leader and the only way he even made the NHL was continuing to battle through 8 years in the minors.

If we count Thomas/Quick (forget about other questionable guys like Lundqvist/Kipper), that's 4 Vezinas/Smythes from sub 6' goalies in the past 20 years, meanwhile there is only one goalie 6'5 and over (Rinne) that has won a Vezina/Smythe, yet in that same time span over 50+ 6'5 goalies were drafted and in the past 10 years 36 6'5 goalies were taken (showing this trend expediting). So why do NHL teams keep taking a height that is an unproven height for the position? Because of the opinion that taller=better.

What Saros's performance tells me is that there are probably many more goalies in the 5'8, 5'9, 5'10 range that could be excellent goalies but don't get the shot (hence why only 4 sub 6' goalies were taken out of 200+ goalies in the last 10 years). On the flip side I can ask you about Fedotov, what does it tell you that a guy who has had a good career in the KHL is getting destroyed in the NHL at 6'7 if taller=better?

What in Saros's performance makes you think there are other excellent goalies of his size? Saros was exceptional at every level until he reached the NHL. A goalie of his stature that plays at his level consistently reaches the NHL. Where are all the short goalies performing like Saros in lower leagues? Who is it you think is actually a great goalie who is just held back for his stature?

Where are all the great short goalies other than Saros and Wolf? They are of a much more regular height for male humans. If there were no advantage, a ton of them should be putting up extremely good numbers in lower leagues. The "taller goalies are just favored without being better" explanation doesn't work if there aren't enough playable tall goalies to fill up the lower leagues.

Why are you ignoring the large portion of goalies between 6'1 and 6'4? When Hellebuyck wins it this year, goalies named Connor Hellebuyck will have won as many Vezina trophies as goalies listed at 6'1 and shorter since Thomas's last Vezina. Your 20 year span paints a picture than isn't accurate. In the last 12 years, short goalies have barely finished in the top 3 voting for Vezina trophies, not to mention actually winning it.

 

[StrangeVision]

Can we see an actual statistical analysis of short vs tall goalies? It's easy to point to stand-outs like Thomas and Quick, but surely the belief isn't that short goalies would dominate the league at a higher rate than tall goalie if only given the chance. There likely is some bias, but maybe it's not unfounded.

 

[Romang67]

Can we see an actual statistical analysis of short vs tall goalies? It's easy to point to stand-outs like Thomas and Quick, but surely the belief isn't that short goalies would dominate the league at a higher rate than tall goalie if only given the chance. There likely is some bias, but maybe it's not unfounded.

I mean, the idea seems to be that short goalies WOULD be great in the NHL, and perform equally as well as the goalies in the 6'2-6'4 range, and better than taller goalies, but they just aren't given a chance. It's an unfalsifiable claim.

 

[NVious]

What in Saros's performance makes you think there are other excellent goalies of his size? Saros was exceptional at every level until he reached the NHL. A goalie of his stature that plays at his level consistently reaches the NHL. Where are all the short goalies performing like Saros in lower leagues? Who is it you think is actually a great goalie who is just held back for his stature?

Where are all the great short goalies other than Saros and Wolf? They are of a much more regular height for male humans. If there were no advantage, a ton of them should be putting up extremely good numbers in lower leagues. The "taller goalies are just favored without being better" explanation doesn't work if there aren't enough playable tall goalies to fill up the lower leagues.

Why are you ignoring the large portion of goalies between 6'1 and 6'4? When Hellebuyck wins it this year, goalies named Connor Hellebuyck will have won as many Vezina trophies as goalies listed at 6'1 and shorter since Thomas's last Vezina. Your 20 year span paints a picture than isn't accurate. In the last 12 years, short goalies have barely finished in the top 3 voting for Vezina trophies, not to mention actually winning it.

Dustin Wolf has had a fantastic 2 year period of production in the WHL and he barely got drafted. This is what it takes for a shorter goalie to make it to the NHL, near perfection or do you expect me to know every single goalie in every minor league around the world?

You mean like Quick and Thomas? OR their good-great numbers are not enough, here are some goalies drafted before Dustin Wolf:
13th overall 6'3 Spencer Knight who was a USNDP 900 save percentage until he had 918 in his draft year
37th overall 6'7 Mads Soogard who was 909 in the NAHL and 920 in the WHL
59th overall 6'4 Hunter Jones who was 866 in the O and 902 in his draft year
67th overall 6'6 Erik Portilo who had one year in Swedish juniors at 930
71st overall 6'2 Hugo Alnefelt who had one year in Swedish juniors at 905
87th overall 6'4 Lukas Parik who had year in the WHL at 917
93rd overall 6'1 Colten Ellis who had 2 years in the Q 910
127th overall 6'5 Cole Brady who had one year NAHL 912
138th overall 6'4 Frederik Dichow (can't find draft year stats)
144th overall 6'4 Logan Neaton one year 915 in the BCHL
148th overall 6'4 Ethan Haidar one year 926 in the NAHL
156th overall 6'4 Arturs Silovs who had 7 games in Russian Jrs at 920
167th overall 6'7 Dominic Basse AAA goalie (not even in juniors)
169th overall 6'3 Roddy Ross one year 920 WHL
191st overall 6'5 Carter Gylander one year 915 Junior A
202nd overall 6'1 Trent Miner one year 925 WHL
208th overall 6'4 Vadim Zherenko one year 936 Russian Juniors

214th Overall "5'11" (probably 5'10 or 9) Dustin Wolf 2 years 930 WHL

So he and Thomas are great examples of the uphill battle shorter goalies face or do you deny that? Like scouts see 6 goalies, 3 who are 5'9, 5'10, 5'11 and 3 who are 6'5, 6'6, 6'7 and look at them the same with no bias at all?

And my point was never that being sub 6' is better, just that it's not some massive disadvantage. Wolf's draft illustrates the attitude towards shorter goalies though.

 

[NVious]

I mean, the idea seems to be that short goalies WOULD be great in the NHL, and perform equally as well as the goalies in the 6'2-6'4 range, and better than taller goalies, but they just aren't given a chance. It's an unfalsifiable claim.

It's literally provable, you can look at Wolf's draft year and look at all the insanely awful tall goalies who got drafted over him, this is and has been the attitude for a long time at all levels. Tryouts at lower levels, drafts in all leagues and even in the NHL.

The bottom line is that Quick/Thomas have two of the highest peaks of ANY goalie in the NHL and both are sub 6'. Neither of them were bluechip prospects and despite their performances being around 5'10, 5'11 NHL drafts STILL think taller=better.

 

[Romang67]

Dustin Wolf has had a fantastic 2 year period of production in the WHL and he barely got drafted. This is what it takes for a shorter goalie to make it to the NHL, near perfection or do you expect me to know every single goalie in every minor league around the world?

You mean like Quick and Thomas? OR their good-great numbers are not enough, here are some goalies drafted before Dustin Wolf:
13th overall 6'3 Spencer Knight who was a USNDP 900 save percentage until he had 918 in his draft year
37th overall 6'7 Mads Soogard who was 909 in the NAHL and 920 in the WHL
59th overall 6'4 Hunter Jones who was 866 in the O and 902 in his draft year
67th overall 6'6 Erik Portilo who had one year in Swedish juniors at 930
71st overall 6'2 Hugo Alnefelt who had one year in Swedish juniors at 905
87th overall 6'4 Lukas Parik who had year in the WHL at 917
93rd overall 6'1 Colten Ellis who had 2 years in the Q 910
127th overall 6'5 Cole Brady who had one year NAHL 912
138th overall 6'4 Frederik Dichow (can't find draft year stats)
144th overall 6'4 Logan Neaton one year 915 in the BCHL
148th overall 6'4 Ethan Haidar one year 926 in the NAHL
156th overall 6'4 Arturs Silovs who had 7 games in Russian Jrs at 920
167th overall 6'7 Dominic Basse AAA goalie (not even in juniors)
169th overall 6'3 Roddy Ross one year 920 WHL
191st overall 6'5 Carter Gylander one year 915 Junior A
202nd overall 6'1 Trent Miner one year 925 WHL
208th overall 6'4 Vadim Zherenko one year 936 Russian Juniors

214th Overall "5'11" (probably 5'10 or 9) Dustin Wolf 2 years 930 WHL

So he and Thomas are great examples of the uphill battle shorter goalies face or do you deny that? Like scouts see 6 goalies, 3 who are 5'9, 5'10, 5'11 and 3 who are 6'5, 6'6, 6'7 and look at them the same with no bias at all?

And my point was never that being sub 6' is better, just that it's not some massive disadvantage. Wolf's draft illustrates the attitude towards shorter goalies though.

Why do you think Thomas is a good example? Do you think the height bias stretches back to when Hasek was dominating and Rick DiPietro was drafted 1st overall?

I expect you to back up what you're saying with something more than "look at these two examples."

It's literally provable, you can look at Wolf's draft year and look at all the insanely awful tall goalies who got drafted over him, this is and has been the attitude for a long time at all levels. Tryouts at lower levels, drafts in all leagues and even in the NHL.

The bottom line is that Quick/Thomas have two of the highest peaks of ANY goalie in the NHL and both are sub 6'. Neither of them were bluechip prospects and despite their performances being around 5'10, 5'11 NHL drafts STILL think taller=better.

That's not what proof is. Wolf dominating as a short goalie and making it to the NHL does not prove that short goalies wouldn't make it to the NHL if they're good enough. If anything, Wolf shows that, if a short goalie is good enough, he will make it to the NHL. Same thing with Saros.

If Wolf isn't an exception, where are all the short goalies putting up similar numbers without getting the opportunity to play? If you think it's provable that short goalies aren't at a disadvantage, there should be LOADS of short goalies performing at almost Wolf like levels in leagues below the NHL simply because that's the height of a considerably larger portion of all human males.

You are presenting a hypothesis (there is no inherent advantage for a goalie in being taller than <6' tall), then you are just kinda treating it as fact. Your explanation for why shorter goalies have been drastically underperforming in Vezina voting since Thomas's last Vezina trophy seems to be "it's a conspiracy."

Taller goalies getting drafted ahead of shorter goalies does not prove that there isn't an advantage to being taller. Where are all the exceptional short goalies?

Why do you keep repeating this nonsense that Quick has one of the highest peaks of any goalie in the NHL? He doesn't.

And you really need to stop pretending the counter argument to your claim is "goalies >6'4 are inherently good." Now, as with historically, it's exceedingly uncommon that a goalie taller than 6'4 is very good. The best goalies since the 2013 lockout have been in the range 6'1-6'4.

 

[theVladiator]

There's no conspiracy theory, in the last 10 years 36 goalies 6'5 and over were selected and 4 sub 6' goalies were selected, despite the fact that in the past 20 years 1 Vezina/Smythe has been won by someone over 6'5 and over and 4 Vezinas/Smythes were won by sub 6' goalies. Why would that be?

Look at it from your own perspective and forget what I just told you, if you were a coach/scout would you stick your neck out for a 5'9, 5'10, 5'11 goalie or a goalie that is 6'5, 6'6, 6'7? This is obvious despite the fact that those specific heights when compared favor the shorter goalies.

There have been probably 100s of 6'3+ goalies that have gotten totally lit up in the past 2 decades, not one 5'7 goalie, but could you imagine if one 5'7 goalie got lit up? We'd never hear the end of it how insane it was thinking it could ever work.

Look, you are arguing here that the NHL coaches are afraid give a chance to shorter goalies because the shorter goalies perform better (isn't that what you evidence of the 1st paragraph presumably shows?).

If you think there is a <6' prospect that isn't getting a chance because of his height, I'd like a name.