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COLUMN: Has the goalie market risen like the Raiders hope it will?

Jul 3, 2015 | 12:27 PM

Since the CHL banned European goalies after the 2013 CHL Import Draft, the Prince Albert Raiders didn’t see a problem—they saw an opportunity.

They figured since the numbers of the most important position in hockey would decrease, domestic goaltenders would become more valuable.

The Raiders put that theory on full display 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, when they picked Ian Scott ninth overall. That made him the highest goaltender to be draft in the WHL since Carey Price was picked seventh overall in 2002.

The pick shocked the hockey world, not necessarily for how high Scott went, but because he joined an already-crowded crease with Nick McBride and Rylan Parenteau.

The Raiders also listed Curtis Meger before the season, who went on to have an outstanding year in the SMAAAHL with the Regina Pat Canadians. Then-general manager Bruno Campese cited the CHL ruling as one of the reasons making the draft pick despite not having a need in goal.

By owning four puck stoppers all eligible and/or possibly ready to take on WHL duties next season, Campese’s theory of goaltending value increasing is more important than ever.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to have happened yet.

The 2013 CHL Import Draft was the last one in which teams were allowed to draft goaltenders.

In the following 2013-2014 season, there were 17 goaltenders traded in 15 total trades. Last year, that number went down to 11 goalies dealt in 10 deals. In 2012-2013, eight deals involving nine goalies were made. Only a select few of those deals were significant and many didn’t work out.

2014-2015 goalie transactions

POR trades G Brendan Burke to CAL for G Evan Johnson and 4th rounder in 2016, then CAL trades Johnson to MH for conditional 6th round pick in 2017

SSK trades G Trevor Martin to RD for D Kolton Dixon

SPO trades Thatcher Demko to CAL for conditional pick (Demko has never played in the WHL, plays for Boston College in NCAA)

SSK trades G Alex Moodie to BRN for 8th round pick in 2015

KTN trades G Jayden Sittler to VIC for 6th round pick in 2015

KAM trades G Bolton Pouliot to POR for future considerations

SSK trades F Nikita Scherbak to EVE for G Nik Amundrud, 1st in 2015 and 2nd in 2016

VIC trades G Michael Herringer to SSK for conditional pick *Blades released Herringer before he played a game, Rockets added him to their list, they also released G Troy Trombley soon after*

MH trades G Zac Robidoux to LTH for 3rd rounder in 2015 and cond. 4th in 2017

The goaltending market didn’t actually boom last season. A lot of these deals really just boil down to the fact the Saskatoon Blades were looking for goaltending help.

The Blades finally found it in possibly the biggest trade of the year involving a tendy, acquiring Melfort’s own Nik Amundrud and two high picks after giving up super Euro Nikita Scherbak to Everett.

The only other deal that didn’t involve late draft picks was the Zac Robidoux deal. Although the Hurricanes gave up a third and a conditional fourth to get him, Robidoux lasted only 19 games before he was reassigned to ‘Junior A’ in January.

2013-2014 goalie transactions

VAN trades G Jared Rathjen to MH for cond. 5th round pick in 2015

PG trades G Collin Olson to SSK for Joel Lakusta and 6th rounder in 2016 *Neither Olson nor Lakusta have appeared in a WHL game.*

KAM trades G Justin Myles to LTH for 4th round pick in 2015

SPO trades G Trevor Martin to SSK for cond. 7th round pick

SSK trades G Alex Moodie to SPO for 4th round pick

KAM trades G Taran Kozun to SEA for G Justin Myles, F Austin Douglas and a 4th round pick in 2015

MH trades G Daniel Wapple and F Logan McVeigh to REG for G Nick Schneider and 3rd rounder in 2016

POR trades G Jarrod Schamerhorn to LETH for 7th rounder in 2014 *played just four games with LETH after trade, 10 with POR before trade)

LETH trades G Corbin Boes to POR for Shane McColgan, Steven Alldridge, and 2nd round pick

LETH trades G Christopher Tai to BRN for cond. 8th round pick, then BRN trades Tai to MH for conditional pick in 2015 two weeks later

REG trades G Teagan Sacher to LETH for 5th round pick in 2015

MJ trades G Daniel Wapple to MH for two conditional picks

TC trades G Troy Trombley to SSK for 5th round pick in 2015

RD trades G Bolton Pouliot to KAM for 6th round pick in 2016

15 trades involving 17 goaltenders

The flashiest goaltending trade was the Corbin Boes deal, as the Hurricanes received Shane McColgan, Steven Alldridge and a second round pick from the Portland Winterhawks. Although the package looks really good, the deal didn’t work out at all for the Hurricanes. McColgan didn’t report to Lethbridge and Alldridge played just 15 pointless games on defence.

Acquiring Taran Kozun worked wonders for the Seattle Thunderbirds, as the former Prince Albert Minto went on to win the WHL Goaltender of the Year this season. As it turns out now, T-Birds didn’t give up much to get him. Myles didn’t end up playing for the Blazers and Douglas scored one goal in 22 games in 2013-2014 before playing in three different ‘Junior A’ leagues this past year.

Daniel Wapple, who the Warriors had high hopes for, was actually dealt twice and played for three teams before finally ending up with the Regina Pats.

The 2012-2013 season was much of the same. There was the one big deal, again involving Corbin Boes. The Brandon Wheat Kings picked up the first pick of the 2013 draft from the Lethbridge Hurricanes by sending Boes and their own first rounder over to the ‘Canes.

The Kelowna Rockets acquired Jackson Whistle from the Vancouver Giants for a third round pick. After that, there were just minor deals, including the Raiders getting Andy Desautels and Evan Morden from the Everett Silvertips for Cole Holowenko. It was a small deal by Campese, but a real savvy one.

Making some sense

There could be a few simple explanations for this possibly stale goaltending market.

Teams that have great goaltending do so by drafting and developing them in their system and usually hold on to them instead of trading. Great goaltenders can often be too valuable to trade away, which makes blockbuster trades involving goaltenders rare.

Also, the WHL goaltending pool itself may also have been down in the last few years. Portland’s Adin Hill (3rd round, 76th overall to the Arizona Coyotes in 2015) is the only WHL goaltender to have been selected in the last two NHL Entry Drafts. Five Dub goaltenders were picked in 2013 alone, four of those being North American.

But nevertheless, the goaltending market has not been exactly lucrative, nor has it seen an increase since the European ban. That means the Raiders likely won’t get a higher price than they would have pre-ban.

Are having a lot of talented goalies a good problem to have?

Absolutely, but it may not be as good as the Raiders had first hoped.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea