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G Mason McDonald (2014, 34th, CGY)

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I have Parsons ranked higher than any other Flames goalie (and though I like Gillies, I don't really 'love' him). I really like Schneider as well as he has that compete in him like Parsons does.

Where does McDonald fit in? You have to rank him dead last at this point because of his inconsistency. He reminds me of McElhinney during his time with the Flames - sensational attributes, but inconsistent. Goalies that are inconsistent generally don't make it very far.

However, he is still a very legitimate prospect. Maybe he just needs some time, experience and a strong goalie coach. You never know with goalies. At least he has the size and athleticism that will allow the Flames to be a bit more patient with him.

It is getting to be a very crowded crease in Calgary, however. Parsons will end up returning to Junior I think. Schneider will move to the ECHL. McDonald to the AHL to backup Gillies. Leaves Rittich as the odd-man out, though I argue he probably deserves a look.

I do think at this point, McDonald has fallen to the bottom of the heap, but he is still a viable prospect and goalies are so difficult to predict at the best of times. Most fans were shocked when Montreal traded Halak and kept Price, and IIRC, Price was very inconsistent early on.
 
As a Flames fan that didn't like the McDonald pick when it was made, I am incredibly happy to continue onward with the evidence that Mcdonald is not doing well. His technique is incredibly poor and he is a goalie that basically gets in the way of the puck and hope it hits him, rather than one that makes the save or the play. I don't think he has very good puck vision at all, he struggles when players are in front of him.

Still he is a tall guy and he is quite quick on his feet. So he could serve as a backup at the AHL level I think or even a stint or two in the NHL at best if even makes it up there.

I'm incredibly optimistic for Parsons though but I really want Gillies to get it together again.
 
A reason to be extremely careful when drafting a Q goalie early... Not everyone is gonna end up like a Marc-Andre Fluery. Pretty sure Evan Fitzpatrick and Olivier Rodrique will be disappointments too. Best of luck to him in the future though love my Nova Scotian players!
 
Coolmcneil said:
A reason to be extremely careful when drafting a Q goalie early... Not everyone is gonna end up like a Marc-Andre Fluery. Pretty sure Evan Fitzpatrick and Olivier Rodrique will be disappointments too. Best of luck to him in the future though love my Nova Scotian players!
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yeah seems like all those big time q goalie prospects the last few years fall off quick after the Q

callum booth, fucale, mcdonald, desrosiers, chris gibson

though sam montembault looks to have an nhl future
 
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izzy said:
yeah seems like all those big time q goalie prospects the last few years fall off quick after the Q

callum booth, fucale, mcdonald, desrosiers, chris gibson

though sam montembault looks to have an nhl future
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It's the entire position as a whole in this country.

Too much over coaching happening at the lower levels now so goalies aren't seeing enough pucks at 13/14/15 on their way to Major Junior.

The end result is scouts looking for things like size and quickness and hoping pro coaches can develop the player into something at the pro level.

I've felt goaltending in this country was at an epidemic level for a decade or so. Eliminating European goalies in the CHL only further hurt our kids by watering down the product even more vs bringing in elite talent to challenge our own top guys.

To compare what a Roy, Brodeur, Luongo, or Fleury faced growing up as teenagers in Quebec where offense reigned supreme in Midget and Espoir vs now is night and day. Now kids have goalie coaches at 13. And face 15 shots some nights in midget playing behind dominant teams. Wins are fun but they mean very little at that age if it's not furthering your talents. And I think that's exactly what's happened to the goaltending in Quebec and Canada as a whole. Because we really should be turning out more dominant goalies then ever right now vs the complete opposite.
 
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izzy said:
yeah seems like all those big time q goalie prospects the last few years fall off quick after the Q

callum booth, fucale, mcdonald, desrosiers, chris gibson

though sam montembault looks to have an nhl future
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Don't get me wrong there is still very well goaltenders out there that have great futures coming out of the QMJHL that were also drafted late like Antoine Bibeau, Louis Domingue, and the one surprising me most in the Q right now is Alexis Gravel, still way too early to judge him just yet and no bias here he's got potential. As for Mason McDonald, he's still only 23 and goaltenders really don't hit their peaks usually until their later 20's to early 30's but still has a long road ahead if he wants to get back in the right path. Same goes for Booth, Fucale, and others.

What's also surprisingly me right now is the fact that their is 4/5 QMJHL goalies competing for a spot on Canada's world junior team at the Summer Showcase. Meaning there'll be guaranteed one of them being a starter or backup. Those goalies being Olivier Rodrigue, Alexis Gravel, Colten Ellis, and Zachary Emond, with the other goaltender being Hunter Jones of Peterborough. Should be interesting...
 
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Coolmcneil said:
Don't get me wrong there is still very well goaltenders out there that have great futures coming out of the QMJHL that were also drafted late like Antoine Bibeau, Louis Domingue, and the one surprising me most in the Q right now is Alexis Gravel, still way too early to judge him just yet and no bias here he's got potential. As for Mason McDonald, he's still only 23 and goaltenders really don't hit their peaks usually until their later 20's to early 30's but still has a long road ahead if he wants to get back in the right path. Same goes for Booth, Fucale, and others.

What's also surprisingly me right now is the fact that their is 4/5 QMJHL goalies competing for a spot on Canada's world junior team at the Summer Showcase. Meaning there'll be guaranteed one of them being a starter or backup. Those goalies being Olivier Rodrigue, Alexis Gravel, Colten Ellis, and Zachary Emond, with the other goaltender being Hunter Jones of Peterborough. Should be interesting...
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They’re not guaranteed anything. Just because they’re at the Summer Camp doesn’t mean they have to be selected for the WJC.
 
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