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G Zach Fucale (2013, 36th, MTL)

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montreal said:
Some really seem to hate this kid. I can understand not thinking too highly of him since his rebound control can be a hot mess, his glove needs work. I don't know what happened in the final game, I thought he was a big part of the Remparts success. Maybe he was wearing down physically as he's not the biggest guy. I know I didn't hear much about him during the playoffs when he went on a run that saw him go 13-0-1. It just seems like when he wins it's from being on a good team and when he loses it's cause he's terrible.

It's going to be interesting to see where he ends up playing next season, I don't see him going back to the Q as an overager (though it would be funny if he did since he would add to his already impressive win totals of 183 wins in regulation and playoffs). Most likely he'll be in the AHL but there's already a good goalie in front of him in Mike Condon who is coming off a really solid rookie year on a bad Hamilton team. So they could send him to the ECHL if they want him to play a lot. I am interested to see how he does after working with the Habs AHL goalie coach Vincent Riendeau who has had 2 of the better AHL goalies in the last 2 years with Condon and Tokarski while playing in front of teams that have the worst PP in the league and struggle to score goals.

I think that article by Gare Joyce was total bull **** and highly unprofessional.
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I agree, and I will add that is is not because his team was scoring lots of goals that they were a powerhouse defensively, which wasn't the case for either Halifax and Quebec.
 
He's 4-0 to start his pro career, thought he had his best game of the season last night. Right now they are splitting the games between him and Tokarski but if he keeps this up he will start getting the bulk of games.
 
Habs went from being thin in nets to having to send Fucale to the ECHL. I like the college signings that MB has been doing with goalies.
 
UsernameWasTaken said:
After having spent a year in the AHL? To be re-assigned the next season to the ECHL? It's not common.
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Not really considering Price missed the whole year last year which bumped everyone up a level. Condon shouldn't have spent the whole year as the starter in the NHL but he did.

In reality we should have had Price/Condon in the NHL, Tokarski/Pasquale in the AHL and Fucale in the ECHL.
 
UsernameWasTaken said:
After having spent a year in the AHL? To be re-assigned the next season to the ECHL? It's not common.
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This year wasn't so common, though. Bergevin landed Lindgren, who played well enough to earn backup duties, only Price missing time meant picking up Montoya as well. They've invested in both now, and both have earned their opportunities, so if they want Fucale playing the kind of minutes he needs to either develop or show what he's capable of, then ECHL is about the only option (beyond trading, which seems premature). That's how Yann Danis becomes an AHL backup "ahead of him", instead of filling the starter position down in the ECHL. At the end of the day they're all development positions within the organization, and right now we need 'em all, it seems - which was an unfortunate way to have to start the season (no Price), but isn't a bad problem to have now.
 
UsernameWasTaken said:
After having spent a year in the AHL? To be re-assigned the next season to the ECHL? It's not common.
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Well it happens, but it's not typical for a guy that goes on to a successful NHL career.

Typically, the guys who end up in the NHL, spent their first year as a pro in the ECHL and quickly move up the ranks. Fucale, on the other hand, didn't have a very good AHL season last year and after a slow start this year, he's being sent down.

It's difficult to see this as a positive but I've long been a detractor of Fucales so what do I know?
 
Doctor No said:
Kid's 21 years old at a position where it takes years to mature.

You can call him a bust all you'd like, if you enjoy being premature.
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Is it really premature when there's been a steady decline for 3+ years?

After all these years and overhyped junior goalies, so many of us still haven't learned to judge a goalie based on their ability rather than their team success/win total.
 
Being in the ECHL in only your 2nd pro season isn't a bad thing. Charlie Lindgren is currently owning the AHL so there is no way Fucale is getting any sort of ice time at the moment.
 
Kid's 21 years old at a position where it takes years to mature.

You can call him a bust all you'd like, if you enjoy being premature.
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Can't use the age excuse for every failing prospect.

His stats have been awful post draft.
 
Mad Brills said:
Can't use the age excuse for every failing prospect.
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You can when it's a 21-year-old goaltender.

Lindgren looks amazing at the AHL, and Fucale needs to play games, so it's going to happen in the ECHL.

Every goaltender faces a level of adversity at some point in their career, and how they react is what's going to ultimately tell whether or not they succeed at the NHL level.

I'm not saying that he won't fail out. I'm saying that it's way too soon to determine that.
 
He had good numbers when he was playing for great teams dominating a league. But as a single player, he's not really good. Can't say he's a bust because he is still young as a goaltender, but I can say he's not good. I was pissed when Montreal picked him that early.
 
That's fair, but I don't see him as anything more than a decent backup.
 
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