G Devon Levi - Rochester Americans, AHL (2020, 212th, FLA; traded to BUF)

cudi

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Such a quick rise for him. Crazy to see such very little talk of him. Junior A last season to being the starting WJC goalie for Canada.

So far he is showing to be a massive steal of the 2020 draft

This thread would be blowing up massively if he was drafted to a few particular teams and not FLA

He's been fantastic. As for the hype, drafted by Florida def doesnt help, but also maybe people have realized being a starter for Canada doesn't mean a whole lot towards an NHL career. Tons of Pogge's and Jeff Glass' between the pipes in that uniform.
 
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KILLger

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He's a fantastic pick for the 7th round. Massive steal and "blowing up massively" are maybe a bit uncalled for though. I think most of us realize that the ceiling for short goalies is usually not very high. :D

We could know for a fact that he'd be the next Saros and we might not be that excited about it.

Levi is already taller and bigger than Saros currently is, at only 19.
 
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ponder

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Levi is already taller and bigger than Saros currently is, at only 19.
It is a fair comment that it’s hard for 6’ goalies to succeed anymore. Last year there were 66 goalies who played 10+ games, none were shorter than 5’11”, and only 9 were 6’ or less:
  • Saros
  • Khudobin
  • Halak
  • Stalock
  • Hutton
  • Raanta
  • Dell
  • Bernier
  • Francouz
It’s a pretty big disadvantage. To make it as a 6’ goalie in the NHL, you gave to be really exceptional, and Levi is good, but I’m not sure he’s that exceptional.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich

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He's a fantastic pick for the 7th round. Massive steal and "blowing up massively" are maybe a bit uncalled for though. I think most of us realize that the ceiling for short goalies is usually not very high. :D

We could know for a fact that he'd be the next Saros and we might not be that excited about it.

I think thats too simplistic. I think your consistency in stopping shots matters a lot more than any specific attribute of a goalie's game. I'd have zero problem taking a 6'0 goalie in the first or second round, if I thought they were good enough. I also think we are seeing teams not care as much about size of a goalie anymore when drafting. Players like Levi and Wolf even getting drafted is a new development we wouldn't have seen years ago. Miftakhov is another who was drafted this year at only 6'0. And there are plenty of successful goalies who are 6'1 or 6'2.
 

TheImpatientPanther

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Such a quick rise for him. Crazy to see such very little talk of him. Junior A last season to being the starting WJC goalie for Canada.

So far he is showing to be a massive steal of the 2020 draft

This thread would be blowing up massively if he was drafted to a few particular teams and not FLA

Which particular teams should he have been drafted to for his shine to be brighter?

Scouts didn't like his height/size and him playing in a less talented junior league but FLA took a chance and its paying off.
 

Skinnyjimmy08

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Which particular teams should he have been drafted to for his shine to be brighter?

Scouts didn't like his height/size and him playing in a less talented junior league but FLA took a chance and its paying off.

I'm more less saying that some teams fans are extremely outspoken on HFboards whenever one of their prospects come out of nowhere and excel on a huge stage.
 

TheBeastCoast

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I think thats too simplistic. I think your consistency in stopping shots matters a lot more than any specific attribute of a goalie's game. I'd have zero problem taking a 6'0 goalie in the first or second round, if I thought they were good enough. I also think we are seeing teams not care as much about size of a goalie anymore when drafting. Players like Levi and Wolf even getting drafted is a new development we wouldn't have seen years ago. Miftakhov is another who was drafted this year at only 6'0. And there are plenty of successful goalies who are 6'1 or 6'2.
I think it is a combination of being on the smaller side and playing in Jr A. If he was the same size and putting up elite numbers in the CHL last season I am sure he would have been drafted much higher. If he was 6'4 putting up the kind of numbers he did in Jr A last year maybe someone takes a flyer on him a round or two earlier. I tend to think that playing Jr. A was most likely a bigger hit to his draft stock then his height but both contribute.
 
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TheImpatientPanther

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I'm more less saying that some teams fans are extremely outspoken on HFboards whenever one of their prospects come out of nowhere and excel on a huge stage.

That I can agree with but in this thread here, no FLA fan has been extremely outspoken.
We know he's a longshot but seems to be defying the odds right now and stepping up to any challenge put in front him
 

Skinnyjimmy08

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That I can agree with but in this thread here, no FLA fan has been extremely outspoken.
We know he's a longshot but seems to be defying the odds right now and stepping up to any challenge put in front him

Ya it is always a breath of fresh air seeing threads not turn insane... I kinda figured this thread would have a tiny bit of hype though, but there is nothing!

Anyways, couldnt have asked for a better thing to see for a 7th rounder. Always love seeing good stories like this. Also cool for you FLA fans to have the USA goalie and CAN goalie as prospects for your team
 
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violaswallet

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Ya it is always a breath of fresh air seeing threads not turn insane... I kinda figured this thread would have a tiny bit of hype though, but there is nothing!

Anyways, couldnt have asked for a better thing to see for a 7th rounder. Always love seeing good stories like this. Also cool for you FLA fans to have the USA goalie and CAN goalie as prospects for your team
We Florida fans let the Canadian fans overhype our prospects :laugh::laugh: Other than Lundell (#GOAT #GretzkyIsTheCanadianLundell),

I think a lot of us are super happy to see him do well and it makes us optimistic that he might be sometime in the system: I think we’d be over the top happy if he could become a back up
 
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nhlfan9191

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I hope he continues his strong play in this tournament, but unless he grows at least a couple of inches, I don’t see him making it. The number of goalies under 6’2 is continuing to shrink.
 

TheImpatientPanther

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I hope he continues his strong play in this tournament, but unless he grows at least a couple of inches, I don’t see him making it. The number of goalies under 6’2 is continuing to shrink.

I'd be more than happy if he has a couple years as a NHL backup role, Knight will likely block his path in FLA anyhow.
What he lacks in size, he makes up for in quickness and decent rebound control.
Very upbeat/positive attitude and just loves to play the game, whether in practice or the real thing.
 

nhlfan9191

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Eh, Khudobin turned out pretty well I would say. Halak has also had a pretty good career. I'm not saying he will turn into anything substantial, but nobody can tell me he won't either. Kid's got some serious skill.

Both Halak and Khudoben entered the league when there was still smaller goalies around. I would say Saros is the exception, but even he hasn’t broke out into a main role in the NHL yet if ever. The league has been shifting towards bigger goaltenders for awhile now.
 

Dread Clawz

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Both Halak and Khudoben entered the league when there was still smaller goalies around. I would say Saros is the exception, but even he hasn’t broke out into a main role in the NHL yet if ever. The league has been shifting towards bigger goaltenders for awhile now.

What does that matter? Khudobin led the Stars to the scf 4 months ago.
 

nhlfan9191

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What does that matter? Khudobin led the Stars to the scf 4 months ago.

It matters in what opportunists future teams will give him. Doesn’t matter if Khudobin went to a Stanley Cup final. Did 5’10 Tim Thomas winning the Smythe, Vezina and Cup in ‘11 pave the way for smaller goalies to stop the trend of the position getting bigger and bigger a decade ago?
 

FinlandPanther

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It matters in what opportunists future teams will give him. Doesn’t matter if Khudobin went to a Stanley Cup final. Did 5’10 Tim Thomas winning the Smythe, Vezina and Cup in ‘11 pave the way for smaller goalies to stop the trend of the position getting bigger and bigger a decade ago?
Results matter nothing else. If a 5’11 goalie has the talent, he will make it.
 
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Favster

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Coached against him in midget, he’s a monster. Don’t let his size fool you, most underrated prospect in the draft.

technically sound, calm, poised and moves so well in the crease. The more pucks he sees the better he plays.
Posts like these are the reason I still visit, and post on this site. Good on you, you called it man. Great stuff.
 
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Dread Clawz

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It matters in what opportunists future teams will give him. Doesn’t matter if Khudobin went to a Stanley Cup final. Did 5’10 Tim Thomas winning the Smythe, Vezina and Cup in ‘11 pave the way for smaller goalies to stop the trend of the position getting bigger and bigger a decade ago?

If he keeps winning games, he'll move up the ranks in the organization, up to the nhl. They're not gonna give a hoot that he's 6'0".
 
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Arhidia

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Both Halak and Khudoben entered the league when there was still smaller goalies around. I would say Saros is the exception, but even he hasn’t broke out into a main role in the NHL yet if ever. The league has been shifting towards bigger goaltenders for awhile now.
Did they make the nets bigger or something since halak or khudoben entered the league?
Looks like Levi head is above the crossbar
 

IHaveNoCreativity

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The draft is only 3 months old. This dude gets taken in the 7th round and then gets the starting job for Canada, looking damn good at it too.

How does this make any sense? All scouts were sleeping hard on him? I mean he looks so poised, he must have been good for awhile.
His size, his path, where he played etc.

it all added up.

this is a guy who would have been a 1st round jr pick at 15 but wouldn’t show, he then decided to wait to go to Jr at 18 instead of 17.

you get buried fast, he needed the slow road.
 

IHaveNoCreativity

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I’ll chime in again.

I said it above and I’ll say it again.

He’s always always always been good and known in Quebec, he literally would have been the first of one or the first goalies picked in the 2016 Q draft was it, god my memory is almost full. It’s Lafs draft... uhm 2017 Q draft. He told the league he was NOT (edit I forgot the not) showing up and Blainville took his him but he never wavered, and they tried hard.

Its not uncommon for a top Q prospect to play 2 years midget and then move on, but Levi killed his draft stock when he chose to play a 3rd year Midget AAA.

He was dominant for 3 years in the league but at a point you need to move on, and be challenged.

he had his sights on Havard so I do understand but I’m not sure what happened there, he’s also always been smart.

At 17 his midget team was stacked, I mean man they were good we got torched. That year he put on probably the best goalie performance ever seen in Quebec, I’m not kidding either he beat the best team the Midget league has ever seen, they went 41-1 and shattered records. It was incredible, I’m not sure how they were that dominant and they might only produce 1 nhler.

Anyways, this kid... over 7 games faces like 500 shots or close, you can look this up by the way. He literally faced 50 shots 7 games in a row, had some double ot in there, you can imagine there was a ton of grade A chances, and they win the series in 7.

oh and 50 shots was the minimum btw.. there were 60 save outings in that series....

they were gassed in the finals and Felix Potvin’s teams are always good so they lost but man it was insane. That extra year buried him, then he goes to a stacked CP Canadians teams and kills it and they were insane and likely would have won the Nationals. He also lost vs Askarov at the World Junior A so this buries him, HC knows him but he’s a guy who played on good teams at levels that aren’t monitored. You add his size and well he’s a product of his teams right ? Lol so so so so wrong.

He’s a lot cleaner in the crease and much better with rebounds now, positioning has improved aswell, put it all together and now it looks like NHL, personally if he was as tall as Spencer Knight I think the debates would get f***ing heated. Also Devon’s got a baby face I don’t see why he doesn’t find an extra inch or 2.

Incredible rise forsure, but one team did its homework, there were others but they weren’t so serious from I know. His goalie coach is great too, they do good work. He has the tools, he will start someday in the NHL, might be a 25 guy, but he will be a guy.

At 15 he could steal and win games, at 19 he can dominate them and you’ll see it. He’s clutch when called.

also Craig Button got this wrong, all 3 of the goals that have beat Levi have been off his own D’s sticks, Levi had all 3 shots that he would have smothered.
 
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TheImpatientPanther

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I’ll chime in again.

I said it above and I’ll say it again.

He’s always always always been good and known in Quebec, he literally would have been the first of one or the first goalies picked in the 2016 Q draft was it, god my memory is almost full. It’s Lafs draft... uhm 2017 Q draft. He told the league he was showing up and Blainville took his him but he never wavered, and they tried hard.

Its not uncommon for a top Q prospect to play 2 years midget and then move on, but Levi killed his draft stock when he chose to play a 3rd year Midget AAA.

He was dominant for 3 years in the league but at a point you need to move on, and be challenged.

he had his sights on Havard so I do understand but I’m not sure what happened there, he’s also always been smart.

At 17 his midget team was stacked, I mean man they were good we got torched. That year he put on probably the best goalie performance ever seen in Quebec, I’m not kidding either he beat the best team the Midget league has ever seen, they went 41-1 and shattered records. It was incredible, I’m not sure how they were that dominant and they might only produce 1 nhler.

Anyways, this kid... over 7 games faces like 500 shots or close, you can look this up by the way. He literally faced 50 shots 7 games in a row, had some double ot in there, you can imagine there was a ton of grade A chances, and they win the series in 7.

oh and 50 shots was the minimum btw.. there were 60 save outings in that series....

they were gassed in the finals and Felix Potvin’s teams are always good so they lost but man it was insane. That extra year buried him, then he goes to a stacked CP Canadians teams and kills it and they were insane and likely would have won the Nationals. He also lost vs Askarov at the World Junior A so this buries him, HC knows him but he’s a guy who played on good teams at levels that aren’t monitored. You add his size and well he’s a product of his teams right ? Lol so so so so wrong.

He’s a lot cleaner in the crease and much better with rebounds now, positioning has improved aswell, put it all together and now it looks like NHL, personally if he was as tall as Spencer Knight I think the debates would get f***ing heated. Also Devon’s got a baby face I don’t see why he doesn’t find an extra inch or 2.

Incredible rise forsure, but one team did its homework, there were others but they weren’t so serious from I know. His goalie coach is great too, they do good work. He has the tools, he will start someday in the NHL, might be a 25 guy, but he will be a guy.

At 15 he could steal and win games, at 19 he can dominate them and you’ll see it. He’s clutch when called.

also Craig Button got this wrong, all 3 of the goals that have beat Levi have been off his own D’s sticks, Levi had all 3 shots that he would have smothered.

Appreciate the lengthy and detailed Levi journey.
Levi wins Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden trophies at midget AAA gala | Montreal Gazette

As for one team did their homework, it was none other than Luongo pushing hard to get him.
Luongo pushed for Panthers to draft Devon Levi - Sportsnet.ca
 
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