Prospect Info: Ville Husso (2014 Draft - 94 Overall)

[STL fan in MN]

Read or Die!

Blues have high hopes for Finnish goalie Husso.

I like how how the plan for Husso is phrased now - instead of talk of him likely starting in the ECHL, this article talked of him battling Binnington and Copley for the AHL starting job in camp...which is as it should be. May the best man win. I think Husso has an excellent shot of winning the Wolves starting job. The only thing that may trip him up, which is thankfully mentioned in the article, is that he's still adjusting to the smaller rink/different angles. It's a different style of game as there's more "net front presence" in N.A. than Europe so he'll probably need to work on looking through screen and deflected shots a bit more.

I watched 4 games of the Finnish league finals (ok, mostly to watch Laine but also Husso) and came away pretty impressed with Husso. He's very solid and efficient. He hardley ever overplay things and thus stays in position very well. He has some consistency issues though. I wouldn't really attribute that to a mental issue though (and the mental game is HUGE for goalies) but more towards still learning. I'm not in his head though so hopefully he becomes more consistent over the next 1-2 years. He's definitely a prospect to get excited about as he has all of the tools to be an above average #1 NHL goalie in time.

 

[BlueDream]

Husso better start in the AHL this season, assuming he's ready of course. I think he should be.

Dump Copley if you need to. He's turning 25 in the middle of the season and has yet to prove himself as an AHL starter. Acquiring him was a bust of a move and this guy should not be the one to block Husso.

A tandem of Husso and Binnington with the Wolves would be very nice. Binny probably won't amount to as much, but he still has the potential to be a backup or something. He turns 23 in a couple days.

 

[Ranksu]

I've already viewed that Hude will get call-ups to NHL and will make his debut games in his first season at NA.
Just pointing out how uproven duo we have in Blues Allen/Hutton. I just hope they (Allen/Hutton) could stand over 2017 winter time and not fall right away when season begins.
Husso needs transition and adjust time for smaller rink. I know Blues management don't "thrown to the wolves" him, but damn we would have so much easier time knowing Elliott/Allen duo, even them we would see Husso make his debut game(s) at his first year at NA.

Its nice to see him get some love at media and people in St Louis understand what kind of caliber goaltender prospekt they have in their system. Baby steps baby steps.

 

[Ranksu]

Ville Husso, Luke Opilka give Blues options in net

Former NHL goalie Ty Conklin, the Blues goalie development coach, likes Husso's approach and confidence

"He's got the demeanor. He's nice and calm," Conklin said. "He's got all the tools, as far as on the ice. He's been successful the last two years against men. That's a good sign for sure. He's used to playing that high level hockey and he's done very well at it. He's still only 21 years old. There's still a lot of room for him to grow."

 

[bleedblue1223]

Obviously he wouldn't start in the NHL, but I wonder if Husso goes crazy in camp and then puts up numbers in Chicago, would he get a look at any point next season. He has been playing in a legitimate pro league, and not juniors, so while the NA transition is real, there is a chance he is more ready than expected.

 

[Majorityof1]

Obviously he wouldn't start in the NHL, but I wonder if Husso goes crazy in camp and then puts up numbers in Chicago, would he get a look at any point next season. He has been playing in a legitimate pro league, and not juniors, so while the NA transition is real, there is a chance he is more ready than expected.

If Allen gets hurt for an extended time, then its possible. I don't have much faith in Hutton as a every day goalie, and Husso definitely has the most upside to take the ball and run with it. If it's a situation where we need a call-up for just a few games, I would like to see the better of Copley/Binnington get a few games to see what we have. The lack of trust we had in them this past year was telling. If neither has a future in the NHL, it would be nice to know.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Obviously he wouldn't start in the NHL, but I wonder if Husso goes crazy in camp and then puts up numbers in Chicago, would he get a look at any point next season. He has been playing in a legitimate pro league, and not juniors, so while the NA transition is real, there is a chance he is more ready than expected.

Maybe if Allen gets hurts for an extended amount of time, he goes on a Matt Murray type run.

 

[DeuceNine]

I see it like this: Husso's numbers were ridiculous in the league he was recently in. Even if we add a half-goal per game increase (a reasonable expectation), that sill makes him a viable NHLer. I fully expect him to excel in the AHL, if not dominate. He has that vibe, has the ethic and this might be the first time in a long time I've been excited about a Blues goaltending prospect. Allen needs to perform. He has someone on his heels already IMO.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I really like what Husso has shown so far and think that he absolutely has #1 goalie potential but I think we should see how he performs some of this season first before we start anointing him the goalie of the future or putting a timeline on when he'll steal Allen's job.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

There was a swell of enthusiasm for Allen. Then there was a swell of enthusiasm for Binnington. Now there is a swell of enthusiasm for Husso.

I just can't really get excited about any of the goalies any more until someone starts getting some Vezina rumblings. I think Allen has turned out pretty well so far, but he's getting lambasted in favor of the future young hope. But I'm sure in 2-3 years Husso will be getting bumped out by some other young goalie prospect as the savior of the future.

I hope Husso becomes a HOF level goaltender and becomes a real difference-maker for the Blues. But I'm not going to pile more expectations on him. (I will be surprised if he can't win an AHL spot out of camp, though.)

 

[Colt 55]

There was a swell of enthusiasm for Allen. Then there was a swell of enthusiasm for Binnington. Now there is a swell of enthusiasm for Husso.

I just can't really get excited about any of the goalies any more until someone starts getting some Vezina rumblings. I think Allen has turned out pretty well so far, but he's getting lambasted in favor of the future young hope. But I'm sure in 2-3 years Husso will be getting bumped out by some other young goalie prospect as the savior of the future.

I hope Husso becomes a HOF level goaltender and becomes a real difference-maker for the Blues. But I'm not going to pile more expectations on him. (I will be surprised if he can't win an AHL spot out of camp, though.)

Something something Finnish goalies.

 

[Ranksu]

Ranksu won't be too happy about that. (can't say I am either though)

Yey I'm bit speechless. I don't know does this mean Chicago Wolves see him as worse them Binnington/Copley and he doesn't have future or is this just giving him all the icetime NA beer League, throwed to the 'wolves' and give him icetime so he can develope.

Rampage win at highlights announcers give some love to Husso how he played when they won them.






Maybe Army wanted to hold on Copley chip, he was in first place in Oshie trade one Army's wanted piece. Still its strange how much love Husso got in training camp from Ty Conklin + how well he performed in Traverse City tournament. Idk, mixed feelings about this.

 

[SirPaste]

Disappointing, he probably should have just stayed in Europe

 

[David Dennison]

Disappointing, he probably should have just stayed in Europe

You could certainly make that argument. But I would certainly rather have him play most of the starts in the ECHL than split duty 3 ways in Chicago. Chicago is a competitive AHL team and it would have been difficult for them to justify starting a guy who needs to adjust to NA ice ahead of two veteran goalies.

In the short term, he can get acclimated with NA ice in the ECHL. And goalies get injured all the time and there are 4 guys in front of him, I doubt all of them stay completely healthy all season. Long term, one of Binnington or Copley need to separate themselves from the other.

 

[SirPaste]

Does the difference in ice really affect a goalie all that much?

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Does the difference in ice really affect a goalie all that much?

In my experience, absolutely. The extra width really throws off your peripheral vision, which is really important in staying on your angles. May not seem like much but at this level even the smallest bit off will kill you.

 

[Celtic Note]

Does the difference in ice really affect a goalie all that much?

Irregardless of the goalie, if we remove him from isolation, the game is a ton different.

As a defenseman when we played on Olympic sized rinks, the game was very different. That was just NA players. Watching Euro games, it is even bigger a difference.

The back of the net is used more. There is more east /west play, especially through the middle of the offensive zone. Screens are less prevelant, as players don't clog up the center of the ice. Defenses are more passive. The play is also slower. There are more cleanly played pucks, with less tips and deflections. Etc...

It is a lot to adjust to. Personally I have no problem with Husso spending a season there. Some top flight NHLers have spent a season or less there. As long as he is in the AHL next year, we are good IMO. Copley needs to be gone by then.

 

[Spear]

With Husso playing so close now, perhaps it's what the Blues wanted so Conklin / Corsi could assist more often?... just a thought.

 

[nicholas89alex]

With Husso playing so close now, perhaps it's what the Blues wanted so Conklin / Corsi could assist more often?... just a thought.

The difference between Chicago and kc is probably negligible at best, maybe worse as I think there are more flights from Stl to Chicago than Kc.

As far as the difference in ice size I would say it's a huge difference. I play keeper in an indoor soccer league and when we move from one buying to another it throws my game off for a little while as I adjust. Even something as simple as repainting the field can throw a goalie off their angles.

 

[stl76]

Does the difference in ice really affect a goalie all that much?

I can only speak about playing goalie on a NA rink and trying to transition to the larger Olympic size for a couple games here and there.

However, from my limited experience, the difference in ice size has an enormous effect on the goalie. All the angles are different. Everything you use as a reference point for positioning (hash marks, face off dot, where the blueline meets the boards, ect) is now in a different place. This on top of the differences in overall play style Celtic Note mentioned means that the adjustment is a pretty big one for most goalies. Some transition more quickly than others, but the differences are very real.

 

[Brian39]

Does the difference in ice really affect a goalie all that much?

It is a gigantic adjustment. Goaltending is all about angles and the different ice surface makes a huge difference. Probably the largest factor is that the sight lines are completely different. Goalies can't constantly look over the shoulder and check to make sure they are on the right angle. Instead, you have visual markers in front of you to keep track of where you are. Hash marks, faceoff dots, boards, etc. When the depth of the boards changes, it throws off all of these sight lines. At the pro level, positioning/depth/angle accounts for the vast majority of every save, so being just slightly off is the difference between a great night and a garbage one.

Another big factor is the type of play. On international ice, goalies can relax a little bit when the puck is along the boards. The puck is largely harmless from there and has little chance to beat a goalie clean. Additionally, the bigger surface means that it takes longer for the puck to get to a dangerous area. When pucks are in low danger areas, goalies aren't in a full/low crouch. They are in a half crouch that allows them to have a better view of the full ice and passing lanes. A big adjustment when going from international ice to NHL ice is that the puck gets from low danger areas to high danger areas much more quickly. It takes several strides on international ice to get from the boards to a danger area. It takes 2 strides fewer on NHL ice and that is a huge difference at the pro level.

I'm completely fine with this move. I think Husso is the goalie of the future and I don't think this is at all an indication that the Blues organization is down on him. It is an incredibly small sample size, but he has the worst numbers of the 3 goalies in Chicago. He is also the youngest and the only one who has never played a significant amount of time on NHL sized ice. Carrying 3 goalies in Chicago would be bad for everyone's development and Husso is still a baby in terms of goaltender development. I'll be annoyed if he is still in the ECHL by February, but for now there is absolutely no harm in letting him get used to North America in a league he should dominate.

Edit: Does anyone know what his English is like? I've never heard him speak and have no idea how well he knows the language.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I will say this though, I think the adjustment from Olympic ice to NA ice is a little bit easier than the adjustment from NA ice to Olympic ice. Regardless, there definitely is an adjustment period.

 

[STL fan in MN]

While on the surface I'm not thrilled with the Husso to ECHL news, I'll give it a while before coming to any conclusions. He *should* get more starts for the Mavs than he would for the Wolves but the Mavs now have 3 goalies so we'll see how the coaches there handle things. I would think that the Blues have a good plan here - it's just that we as fans aren't privy to that plan...thus why I'm not going to jump to conclusions on this move.

 

[Brian39]

I will say this though, I think the adjustment from Olympic ice to NA ice is a little bit easier than the adjustment from NA ice to Olympic ice. Regardless, there definitely is an adjustment period.

In terms of angles and positioning, I think that is true.

However, for reading plays off the boards, I think it is harder to go from wide to narrow. It is easier to adjust to things happening more slowly than more quickly and things happen more quickly on NA ice. If he was having any difficulty adjusting to a faster league, the smaller ice is just going to make that worse.

 

[BluesTraveller]

Getting Pheonix in the Oshie deal looks more and more like the Caps unloaded a boat anchor on us.