Who is the best Goalie Prospect in Hockey?

[feichter33]

Raw talent and upside? Askarov...but...I feel he also has the highest chance of busting out. He can, and will do things other goalies cant or won't.

Wallstedt is a very close second without the bust chance imo. His technical game is rock solid and so damn polished. Prob the closest to a sure thing.

I love Levi's game, but haven't seen any play of his this year.

 

[Yepthatsme]

At this point they all have a small sample size but other goalies just have higher upside. You wanna hype Wolf based on consistency but nobody wanted to hype Wallstedt based on consistency or track record. At least not that I read it.

The second part of your post doesn't make any sense unless you can provide background regarding usage of those goalies. If you only get back end of back to back's or only away games vs strong opponents then of course you're numbers are gonna suffer. It's also possible some of those goalies just simply suck. How many of them have NHL upside? I can't think of one. Maybe that's why.

Wallstedt’s consistency:
2020-21 •Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage
2021-22 •Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage
2022-23 • …Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage

Wolf’s consistency
2019-20 •WHL, CHL goalie of the year
2020-21 •WHL goalie of the year
2021-22 •AHL goalie of the year
2022-23 • Soon to be AHL goalie of the year

It doesn’t take rocket appliances to realize why Wolfs consistency is slightly more hyped at this point.

So your path of logic is Wolf isn’t actually the better goalie than Wallstedt at any point, he’s just on the better team. If other goalies don’t receive the same boost he does, they probably just get the harder usage. If they don’t get harder usage, it’s
probably because they just suck and have no upside. If Wallstedt isn’t currently outplaying his tandem partner with no NHL upside, it’s because he’s in a tougher situation on a worse team than Wolf? Those mental gymnastics sound exhausting.

Occam’s razor: Wolf’s playing much better because at this exact point in time he’s the much better goalie. Wallstedt could have the higher potential and may be better one day, but currently he is not.



I don’t like repeating myself as much as you don’t like me hearing me repeat myself, but here you go. A literal chart that’s supposed to show who’s doing better compared to their own situation/quality of chances faced. Once again, Wallstedt’s doing incredible for his age. Wolf is doing things historic for any age.

 

[Craig Ludwig]

I think it's Levi, but the problem is that he will have to suffer in Buffalo for a couple of years which may make him look bad...A good team makes a hige difference.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Its the Wolfman.

 

[ZEBROA]

Wolf has played on small ice all his life. Wallstedt has not. He should feel at home next year.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I love Hofer and I'm happy to seem him get some deserved recognition.

But holy hell, Wolf has cheat code level numbers for his career. Doesn't matter what league as well and that's what's truly terrifying.

 

[S.S. Giggy]

I was going to ask if Dostal was still considered a prospect!

 

[aqsw]

I'm a Walsted, wolf, Levi, dostal, guy. Sorry but askarov ain't the guy

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Cossa... book it

 

[Colt.45Orr]

Askarov has the highest ceiling, like a (prime) tall, Russian, Tim Thomas

 

[feichter33]

Askarov has the highest ceiling, like a (prime) tall, Russian, Tim Thomas

Personally, I believe young M-A Fleury to be a better comparison, does some wacky stuff, gambles alot, but quick as hell and aggressive as they come. Needs technical refinement and to perhaps calm down a bit.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Askarov has 4 assists this season, so far.

It's the skill that sets him apart. PMDs goalies help the transition so much.

 

[staveNsteel]

I'm a Walsted, wolf, Levi, dostal, guy. Sorry but askarov ain't the guy

Nah.. I don't see why Askarov isn't the guy. All 4 of those goalies are fantastic prospects.. Askarov is arguably right there, or has more upside than any of them.

Personally, I believe young M-A Fleury to be a better comparison, does some wacky stuff, gambles alot, but quick as hell and aggressive as they come. Needs technical refinement and to perhaps calm down a bit.

I like the MAF comparison.. Fleury is aggressive and will do anything he needs to to stop a puck.. as well as help out offensively. Askarov is very much in the same boat.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

It’s crazy to think 2 goalies being talked about in Levi and Wolf are 7th round picks. Size really seems to be the main factor in drafting goalies. If Wolf was two inches taller he might’ve gone 2nd round his draft year.

It’s crazy to think that Calgary didn’t find a way to give him a shot in the NHL this year when both of their goalies have sub .900 sv%.

I voted for Askarov because I think he’ll be the best goalie in time. But, Wolf is clearly the best goalie right now.

 

[Hinterland]

It’s crazy to think 2 goalies being talked about in Levi and Wolf are 7th round picks. Size really seems to be the main factor in drafting goalies. If Wolf was two inches taller he might’ve gone 2nd round his draft year.

It’s crazy to think that Calgary didn’t find a way to give him a shot in the NHL this year when both of their goalies have sub .900 sv%.

I voted for Askarov because I think he’ll be the best goalie in time. But, Wolf is clearly the best goalie right now.

I mean giving him a game or two wouldn't have been a mistake but you gotta be careful with young goaltenders. Not every goalie prospect is as NHL ready as Spencer Knight when he stood on his head playing Stanley Cup Playoffs as a teenager. Also, even Knight exploded this season after the taking over for Bob as a starter. Gotta be really careful with goalie prospects because confidence is everything for them and pressure/expectations are on a different level in the NHL compared to minors/juniors. Also, having them bounce back and forth between the leagues is usually a bad idea as well.

Askarov got an NHL game and I don't think it helped his confidence. He was completely lost out there. That was painful to watch.

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

Wallstedt’s consistency:
2020-21 •Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage
2021-22 •Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage
2022-23 • …Didn’t lead goalies on his own team in win percentage

Wolf’s consistency
2019-20 •WHL, CHL goalie of the year
2020-21 •WHL goalie of the year
2021-22 •AHL goalie of the year
2022-23 • Soon to be AHL goalie of the year

It doesn’t take rocket appliances to realize why Wolfs consistency is slightly more hyped at this point.

So your path of logic is Wolf isn’t actually the better goalie than Wallstedt at any point, he’s just on the better team. If other goalies don’t receive the same boost he does, they probably just get the harder usage. If they don’t get harder usage, it’s
probably because they just suck and have no upside. If Wallstedt isn’t currently outplaying his tandem partner with no NHL upside, it’s because he’s in a tougher situation on a worse team than Wolf? Those mental gymnastics sound exhausting.

Occam’s razor: Wolf’s playing much better because at this exact point in time he’s the much better goalie. Wallstedt could have the higher potential and may be better one day, but currently he is not.



I don’t like repeating myself as much as you don’t like me hearing me repeat myself, but here you go. A literal chart that’s supposed to show who’s doing better compared to their own situation/quality of chances faced. Once again, Wallstedt’s doing incredible for his age. Wolf is doing things historic for any age.

what an extremely disingenuous post. your agenda is rather obvious here

 

[CowbellConray]

Levi impressed the hell out of me yesterday, speed, ability to see the puck through traffic. His mental game is unmatched as well.

Homer vote for him

 

[stl76]

Askarov has 4 assists this season, so far.

Hofer also has 4 assists this season, so far. Has better SV%, GAA, and GSAA as well.

Hofer also lead all AHL goalies in scoring last playoffs (with 1 goal lol). More importantly, was second in SV% for goalies who played more than 6 games with a .934.

Hofer doesn't have the pedigree of the top guys in this poll, so I get why Askarov/Walstedt/Wolf/Levi/etc are being ranked higher. Just wanted to spread a little Hofer recognition cause he is on an impressive trajectory!

Shoutout to Vadim Zherenko as well, very interesting prospect.

 

[Yepthatsme]

what an extremely disingenuous post. your agenda is rather obvious here

Could I have handled that with more tact? Probably. But the poster was trying to claim Wallstedt doesn’t get as much credit as Wolf for consistency and I didn’t feel like bothering to do a deep dive into it to point out “for obvious reasons, right?” I can now if you’d like. Wallstedt going into his draft put up a remarkable for his age 12-10 record with a .907 save percentage in the SHL, a mens league. Next year his team vastly improved, finishing second in league standings and making a run to the finals. Wallstedt counting stats climbed to .917, but his record remained at 12-10 (his counter part Lassinantti rose to 20-10 record that year). Then his first year in the AHL, his numbers dropped again to .911 as of writing this, with more losses than wins.

For comparison’s sake Wolfs consistency is: .936, .935, .940, .924. .932 and a win-loss of 41-17, 34-12, 18-3, 33-13, 39-11. The last two number for each section is Wolf’s AHL years. So .930 to .940 in 4 of 5 years, and roughly a 3 to 1 win/loss ration in every year except his last year in junior (5-1) and his first year in AHL (7-2, or 2.5 wins for every loss).

Didn’t think I would have to type out why Wolf should be more lauded for consistency than Wallstedt but here we are.

 

[nergish]

Personally, I believe young M-A Fleury to be a better comparison, does some wacky stuff, gambles alot, but quick as hell and aggressive as they come. Needs technical refinement and to perhaps calm down a bit.

I came to that same conclusion a little while back watching Askarov play.

Wallstedt - Markstrom
Askarov - MAF (maybe a pinch of Bobrovsky)
Levi - Mini-Carey
Knight - Carey-lite
Wolf - Quick
Cossa - Dubnyk

 

[ZEBROA]

Could I have handled that with more tact? Probably. But the poster was trying to claim Wallstedt doesn’t get as much credit as Wolf for consistency and I didn’t feel like bothering to do a deep dive into it to point out “for obvious reasons, right?” I can now if you’d like. Wallstedt going into his draft put up a remarkable for his age 12-10 record with a .907 save percentage in the SHL, a mens league. Next year his team vastly improved, finishing second in league standings and making a run to the finals. Wallstedt counting stats climbed to .917, but his record remained at 12-10 (his counter part Lassinantti rose to 20-10 record that year). Then his first year in the AHL, his numbers dropped again to .911 as of writing this, with more losses than wins.

For comparison’s sake Wolfs consistency is: .936, .935, .940, .924. .932 and a win-loss of 41-17, 34-12, 18-3, 33-13, 39-11. The last two number for each section is Wolf’s AHL years. So .930 to .940 in 4 of 5 years, and roughly a 3 to 1 win/loss ration in every year except his last year in junior (5-1) and his first year in AHL (7-2, or 2.5 wins for every loss).

Didn’t think I would have to type out why Wolf should be more lauded for consistency than Wallstedt but here we are.

Not to take anything away from Wolf but it is a lot harder to go from big ice to small ice for a goalie, then competing on the same small ice for all your life. Wallstedt is experimenting a lot this year he has said and dont focus on results as much, they will come with time. The important thing is to train right and get a habbit to do the right things in a new system in the elong run. Wallstedt need to change his way of playing in many ways . Wolf can pretty much play the same way. And Lassinantti is a good goalie. Dont know about Wolfs copilots, they might be as good.

I think Wolf seem to be better but we just need to at least wailt to next year to se how Wallstedt pan out.

 

[Hinterland]

Not to take anything away from Wolf but it is a lot harder to go from big ice to small ice for a goalie, then competing on the same small ice for all your life. Wallstedt is experimenting a lot this year he has said and dont focus on results as much, they will come with time. The important thing is to train right and get a habbit to do the right things in a new system in the elong run. Wallstedt need to change his way of playing in many ways . Wolf can pretty much play the same way. And Lassinantti is a good goalie. Dont know about Wolfs copilots, they might be as good.

I think Wolf seem to be better but we just need to at least wailt to next year to se how Wallstedt pan out.

Don't waste your time. It's pointless. He'll just continue to compare stats as if they're apples and oranges in order to come up with the conclusion that his beloved Flames prospect is the best goalie prospect in hockey and he'll ignore all other arguments stating his stats. I tried myself but it's pointless. He's not gonna stop so it's best to just leave it. This discussion isn't gonna go anywhere. He's gonna repeat his stats over and over again while completely ignoring background information or whatever else is said in this thread.

 

[Yepthatsme]

Not to take anything away from Wolf but it is a lot harder to go from big ice to small ice for a goalie, then competing on the same small ice for all your life. Wallstedt is experimenting a lot this year he has said and dont focus on results as much, they will come with time. The important thing is to train right and get a habbit to do the right things in a new system in the elong run. Wallstedt need to change his way of playing in many ways . Wolf can pretty much play the same way. And Lassinantti is a good goalie. Dont know about Wolfs copilots, they might be as good.

I think Wolf seem to be better but we just need to at least wailt to next year to se how Wallstedt pan out.

Oh yea I fully realize going from big ice to small ice is affecting Wallstedt this year and like you said the player has said as much, a lot of the angles he has to play are different. I have no doubt a goalie of Wallstedt’s caliber will adjust and begin to thrive as he gets used to it. Was more or less just pointing out how you can’t really say he’s had similar consistency to Wolf while he’s had two very different seasons in the SHL and now working on adapting to AHL style.

 

[PostFriend]

Oh yea I fully realize going from big ice to small ice is affecting Wallstedt this year and like you said the player has said as much, a lot of the angles he has to play are different. I have no doubt a goalie of Wallstedt’s caliber will adjust and begin to thrive as he gets used to it. Was more or less just pointing out how you can’t really say he’s had similar consistency to Wolf while he’s had two very different seasons in the SHL and now working on adapting to AHL style.

Since December 15th (22 games) Jesper has GAA 2,23 and .922 SV%
Last 7 games, GAA 2,12 and .920 SV%
Impressively fast transformation from Olympic size of ice to this smaller ice surfaces. Can we also see some certain consistency already...

 

[Kielbasa]

Since December 15th (22 games) Jesper has GAA 2,23 and .922 SV%
Last 7 games, GAA 2,12 and .920 SV%
Impressively fast transformation from Olympic size of ice to this smaller ice surfaces. Can we also see some certain consistency already...

Thank you for actually supplying some evidence/stats and anylsis regarding Wallstedt. It will be interesting to watch him continue to adapt to the smaller ice. What do. What kinds of changes do you see in his game as he adapts to the AHL?