Prospect Info: Devon Levi, G, Northeastern University (obtained in Reinhart deal) - Signed 3/17/23, Assigned 4/3/24

[Jim Bob]

InGoal Radio Episode 265with Devon Levi - InGoal Magazine

presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports

ingoalmag.com

I will be listening to this this afternoon/evening.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1820977553353724305

It looks like Levi may have had a contract with CCM that expired on 7/1.

For non-goalie gear nerds, the Lefevre family have been making goalie gear since 1967. For a long time, they worked for CCM and handmade all the gear that pros wore. A few years ago, they left CCM for True. That is why you have seen so many former CCM goalies switching to True gear.

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1823711335521378577

Or, maybe not…

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1823841539526951319

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[oldgoalie]

old school colors. love it.

 

[Jim Bob]

old school colors. love it.

My guess is that they are a trial set of the new CCM Eflex 7 line.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Interesting to see Buffalo ranked 11th -- are prospects becoming suspects on this team?

Even more interesting -- Corey has Levi ranked 10th, and projects him as a back-up due to his lack of athleticism and size.

10. Devon Levi, G​

​

Dec. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Catches left​

​

Tier: Projected to play NHL games​

​

Skating: NHL average​

Hockey sense: Above NHL average​

​

Analysis: Levi had his ups and downs in his rookie pro season. He struggled in the NHL to start the year, as one would expect from a rookie, and then was very good in the AHL in the second half of the season. Levi is a super smart goalie who moves well and can make a lot of difficult stops. He has the high-end IQ to anticipate a lot of plays and squares up pucks despite his frame. He competes well and shows a good second effort. The knock on Levi is his pure athleticism. He moves well, but he’s not very big by NHL goalie standards and doesn’t have truly elite small-guy quickness. He projects as a backup goaltender.​

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5632713/2024/08/28/buffalo-sabres-nhl-prospect-pipeline-rankings-2024/

 

[thewookie1]

Interesting to see Buffalo ranked 11th -- are prospects becoming suspects on this team?

Even more interesting -- Corey has Levi ranked 10th, and projects him as a back-up due to his lack of athleticism and size.

10. Devon Levi, G​

​

Dec. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Catches left​

​

Tier: Projected to play NHL games​

​

Skating: NHL average​

Hockey sense: Above NHL average​

​

Analysis: Levi had his ups and downs in his rookie pro season. He struggled in the NHL to start the year, as one would expect from a rookie, and then was very good in the AHL in the second half of the season. Levi is a super smart goalie who moves well and can make a lot of difficult stops. He has the high-end IQ to anticipate a lot of plays and squares up pucks despite his frame. He competes well and shows a good second effort. The knock on Levi is his pure athleticism. He moves well, but he’s not very big by NHL goalie standards and doesn’t have truly elite small-guy quickness. He projects as a backup goaltender.​

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5632713/2024/08/28/buffalo-sabres-nhl-prospect-pipeline-rankings-2024/

Frankly that feels a bit absurd, size is definitely a knock on him but I'm entirely sure how much faster he could be without losing control of his positioning.

 

[Jim Bob]

Interesting to see Buffalo ranked 11th -- are prospects becoming suspects on this team?

Even more interesting -- Corey has Levi ranked 10th, and projects him as a back-up due to his lack of athleticism and size.

10. Devon Levi, G​

​

Dec. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Catches left​

​

Tier: Projected to play NHL games​

​

Skating: NHL average​

Hockey sense: Above NHL average​

​

Analysis: Levi had his ups and downs in his rookie pro season. He struggled in the NHL to start the year, as one would expect from a rookie, and then was very good in the AHL in the second half of the season. Levi is a super smart goalie who moves well and can make a lot of difficult stops. He has the high-end IQ to anticipate a lot of plays and squares up pucks despite his frame. He competes well and shows a good second effort. The knock on Levi is his pure athleticism. He moves well, but he’s not very big by NHL goalie standards and doesn’t have truly elite small-guy quickness. He projects as a backup goaltender.​

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5632713/2024/08/28/buffalo-sabres-nhl-prospect-pipeline-rankings-2024/

I believe Corey has been lower on Levi than most people that look at prospects.

I think it is a blend of size bias and draft slot bias involved.

Scott Wheeler has Levi as the 5th best goalie prospect in the game,so...

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I believe Corey has been lower on Levi than most people that look at prospects.

I think it is a blend of size bias and draft slot bias involved.

Good thing we have no bias here for Buffalo prospects, and can't possibly be overrating him.

Frankly that feels a bit absurd, size is definitely a knock on him but I'm entirely sure how much faster he could be without losing control of his positioning.

Anyone who doesn't love all Buffalo prospects is absurd and wrong and biased.

 

[Jim Bob]

Good thing we have no bias here for Buffalo prospects, and can't possibly be overrating him.

I was just giving context to one person's opinion.

Pronman and Wheeler, who both write about prospects for The Athletic, have very different views on Levi as a prospect.

Only time will tell which one of them will be correct.

And size bias when projecting goalies is a thing that NHL teams and prospect writers fall into. There are NHL teams that will not draft a goalie that is under 6'2" for instance.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

And size bias when projecting goalies is a thing that NHL teams and prospect writers fall into. There are NHL teams that will not draft a goalie that is under 6'2" for instance.

They're basing that projection on data, it's not just a blind "bias" like you're making it out to be. The data shows that smaller goaltenders have a significantly greater chance of failing to make it.

Completely ignoring that data and assuming he'll overcome it because Buffalo is so good at developing is the real bias.

 

[sabremike]

Pronman's take on Levi topping out as a backup is Skip Bayless level awful to the point it almost feels like an attempt at trolling (yes I know he actually believes what he is saying which is actually even more disturbing). His undervaluing Benson is another really shit take but that's another topic.

 

[Jim Bob]

They're basing that projection on data, it's not just a blind "bias" like you're making it out to be. The data shows that smaller goaltenders have a significantly greater chance of failing to make it.

Completely ignoring that data and assuming he'll overcome it because Buffalo is so good at developing is the real bias.

They actually aren't. The data says that the sweet spot for height of NHL goalies is 6'2" to 6'4". Yet, you see a lot more goalies over 6'4" get chances than guys under 6'2".

A lot of it goes back to when Mitch Korn had the theory that you wanted the biggest, most athletic goalie possible prior to the shift in the NHL game to attack with more passes across the slot line which puts a premium on goalies beating plays with their heads and their feet more than just being big and taking up a lot of space.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Good thing we have no bias here for Buffalo prospects, and can't possibly be overrating him.


Anyone who doesn't love all Buffalo prospects is absurd and wrong and biased.

They're basing that projection on data, it's not just a blind "bias" like you're making it out to be. The data shows that smaller goaltenders have a significantly greater chance of failing to make it.

Completely ignoring that data and assuming he'll overcome it because Buffalo is so good at developing is the real bias.

My dude, you are literally arguing against a straw man argument literally no one is putting forth. Wild

 

[Zman5778]

Interesting to see Buffalo ranked 11th -- are prospects becoming suspects on this team?

Even more interesting -- Corey has Levi ranked 10th, and projects him as a back-up due to his lack of athleticism and size.

10. Devon Levi, G​

​

Dec. 27, 2001 | 6 feet | 192 pounds | Catches left​

​

Tier: Projected to play NHL games​

​

Skating: NHL average​

Hockey sense: Above NHL average​

​

Analysis: Levi had his ups and downs in his rookie pro season. He struggled in the NHL to start the year, as one would expect from a rookie, and then was very good in the AHL in the second half of the season. Levi is a super smart goalie who moves well and can make a lot of difficult stops. He has the high-end IQ to anticipate a lot of plays and squares up pucks despite his frame. He competes well and shows a good second effort. The knock on Levi is his pure athleticism. He moves well, but he’s not very big by NHL goalie standards and doesn’t have truly elite small-guy quickness. He projects as a backup goaltender.​

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5632713/2024/08/28/buffalo-sabres-nhl-prospect-pipeline-rankings-2024/

I don't see how someone can say that a goalie "moves well" and "lacks athleticism" at the same time......and I'm not even saying that as Levi-specific. If a goalie moves well, he has to be at the very least athletic enough. Generally most criticism as regards moving well is focused on bigger goalies that DON'T move well.

And I'd like him to be a little more specific as regards his "truly elite small-guy quickness" remark.

Just seems like a bit of a logically inconsistent assessment

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

They actually aren't. The data says that the sweet spot for height of NHL goalies is 6'2" to 6'4". Yet, you see a lot more goalies over 6'4" get chances than guys under 6'2".

A lot of it goes back to when Mitch Korn had the theory that you wanted the biggest, most athletic goalie possible prior to the shift in the NHL game to attack with more passes across the slot line which puts a premium on goalies beating plays with their heads and their feet more than just being big and taking up a lot of space.

The guy gave his reasons for why he thinks Levi will top out as a back-up. They make sense to me. The responses here have been a criticism of his thoughts instead of giving reasons for why Levi will make it, which tells me a lot.

Also, yeah, the sweet spot for goalies is about 3" larger than Levi, which makes a difference to literally every goalie scout. If you look deeper into the data, you'll see even less success for smaller goalies in the playoffs.

I don't know how to scout or project goalies myself, but Pronman's logic makes a lot more sense to me than people on HF, who (besides Jer Daegar) can't even give reasons why they think he'll be a star besides pointing at his college save %, which is weak proof to me.

 

[Jim Bob]

The guy gave his reasons for why he thinks Levi will top out as a back-up. They make sense to me. The responses here have been a criticism of his thoughts instead of giving reasons for why Levi will make it, which tells me a lot.

Also, yeah, the sweet spot for goalies is about 3" larger than Levi, which makes a difference to literally every goalie scout. If you look deeper into the data, you'll see even less success for smaller goalies in the playoffs.

I don't know how to scout or project goalies myself, but Pronman's logic makes a lot more sense to me than people on HF, who (besides Jer Daegar) can't even give reasons why they think he'll be a star besides pointing at his college save %, which is weak proof to me.

Sorry, but Pronman's logic doesn't hold water with me from what we have seen from Levi both in college and as a pro.

"The knock on Levi is his pure athleticism. He moves well, but he’s not very big by NHL goalie standards and doesn’t have truly elite small-guy quickness."

Levi and Wolf both have plus "small-guy quickness." They also think the game at a really high level. As an InGoal Magazine subscriber, I have watched video of a wide variety of NHL goalies breaking down saves. Levi thinks the game at a really high level and he seems to have taken advantage of being able to pick the brain of Craig Anderson who was widely regarded as one of the absolute best goalies in the game when it came to reading plays and defeating opposing offenses with his head.

Pronman was down on Levi prior to turning pro. Pronman focusing on Levi's tough start in the NHL last season and ignoring the high level that Levi played at in Rochester last season is telling to me.

Nobody can say that Levi absolutely will be a star NHL goalie. But, I would absolutely bet on Levi being an NHL starter if Pronman is the one setting the odds.

 

[Dirty Dog]

The guy gave his reasons for why he thinks Levi will top out as a back-up. They make sense to me. The responses here have been a criticism of his thoughts instead of giving reasons for why Levi will make it, which tells me a lot.

Also, yeah, the sweet spot for goalies is about 3" larger than Levi, which makes a difference to literally every goalie scout. If you look deeper into the data, you'll see even less success for smaller goalies in the playoffs.

I don't know how to scout or project goalies myself, but Pronman's logic makes a lot more sense to me than people on HF, who (besides Jer Daegar) can't even give reasons why they think he'll be a star besides pointing at his college save %, which is weak proof to me.

Pretending that HF boards’ ranking of Levi is in inconsistent with the majority of scout rankings…rather than the actual truth that Pronman’s ranking is the outlier…is why this is a silly post.

Your entire point, that Sabres fans and HF boards is over-rating a player relative to objective rankings, is simply untrue. Wrong. False. Make believe

 

[Dubi Doo]

Levi has always reminded me of Quick. They're similar sized, both incredibly quick, and they make some insane desperation saves. He has a good chance of becoming a really good goalie in this league. I dont know how one can look at his stats in ROC, and not believe the ceiling is incredibly high.

 

[WiHockeyGuy]

The guy gave his reasons for why he thinks Levi will top out as a back-up. They make sense to me. The responses here have been a criticism of his thoughts instead of giving reasons for why Levi will make it, which tells me a lot.

Also, yeah, the sweet spot for goalies is about 3" larger than Levi, which makes a difference to literally every goalie scout. If you look deeper into the data, you'll see even less success for smaller goalies in the playoffs.

I don't know how to scout or project goalies myself, but Pronman's logic makes a lot more sense to me than people on HF, who (besides Jer Daegar) can't even give reasons why they think he'll be a star besides pointing at his college save %, which is weak proof to me.

Well you are already discounting his college performance as an indicator of future success so how about having the 2nd highest save percentage in the AHL, in his first professional season, as a 21/22 year old? That seems like valuable information.

Levi's body of work, at every level he has been in, seems to point to NHL starter caliber. I guess I'm just not willing to overlook that because "short goalie bad".

 

[HOOats]

I don't see how someone can say that a goalie "moves well" and "lacks athleticism" at the same time......and I'm not even saying that as Levi-specific. If a goalie moves well, he has to be at the very least athletic enough. Generally most criticism as regards moving well is focused on bigger goalies that DON'T move well.

And I'd like him to be a little more specific as regards his "truly elite small-guy quickness" remark.

Just seems like a bit of a logically inconsistent assessment

Unfortunately, Pronman has always been a crummy writer. Lots of cut-and-paste, boilerplate stuff that can lead to the logical inconsistency you correctly point out. Or maybe it's the language barrier.

It feels kind of like AI, but he's been like this long before publicly available AI.

 

[thewookie1]

The guy gave his reasons for why he thinks Levi will top out as a back-up. They make sense to me. The responses here have been a criticism of his thoughts instead of giving reasons for why Levi will make it, which tells me a lot.

Also, yeah, the sweet spot for goalies is about 3" larger than Levi, which makes a difference to literally every goalie scout. If you look deeper into the data, you'll see even less success for smaller goalies in the playoffs.

I don't know how to scout or project goalies myself, but Pronman's logic makes a lot more sense to me than people on HF, who (besides Jer Daegar) can't even give reasons why they think he'll be a star besides pointing at his college save %, which is weak proof to me.

To me it just comes down to his statement on Levi's speed; it feels forced and effectively just grasping at straws to not merely say, "Levi is small and thus I don't think he a future starter." If he wants to state that, then just come out and say it. Pronman has certainly shown a bias against smaller players as a whole so that is no surprise but why hide that behind something that most people would disagree with in Levi's quickness?

That's the crux of my issue with it. If you want to tell me his height might doom him, go ahead; but don't skirt around it by trying to cover the concern in wrapping paper.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Well you are already discounting his college performance as an indicator of future success so how about having the 2nd highest save percentage in the AHL, in his first professional season, as a 21/22 year old? That seems like valuable information.

Levi's body of work, at every level he has been in, seems to point to NHL starter caliber. I guess I'm just not willing to overlook that because "short goalie bad".

For real. I would need some confirmation on this, but I believe he had a better year than Miller did. I just assume a lot of people don't watch or pay attention to the AHL. What Levi did this year was incredibly reassuring. Nothing in his development suggests he's going to be a backup. That would be disappointing as hell, though it is possible. I'd put my wager on him becoming at least a solid starter in this league.