With the college playoffs underway, we’re starting to see a few free agents that were eliminated early sign with NHL teams. Many more players will become available in the coming weeks and quite a few will sign shortly thereafter.
With that in mind, here is a closer look at some of the goaltenders that could be of interest to teams in the coming weeks. All of these players are undrafted (and are too old to be drafted this year making them eligible for free agency) and unless they’re in their senior season, they could opt to return to their schools for the 2018-19 campaign.
Tanner Jaillet (Denver)
The 24-year-old has had two straight stellar seasons to wrap up his college career and ranked sixth overall in goals against average (1.90) this year. However, at a time where teams are coveting bigger goalies more and more often, Jaillet’s smaller stature will work against him. His performance is certainly more than worthy enough of an entry-level deal but how many teams will be willing to take a chance on a sub-six foot goalie?
Jake Kielly (Clarkson)
Last season wasn’t a great one for Kielly but he managed to lock down the starting job as a freshman which is noteworthy in itself. This year was a much better one as he ranked fourth in GAA on a much-improved Clarkson squad. He’s one of the younger goalies on this list (21) and unlike Jaillet, has the size that teams will covet. As one of the top netminders in the NCAA this season, there’s a case to be made that there wouldn’t be much benefit to him returning for his junior campaign.
Hayden Lavigne (Michigan)
Lavigne is the lone holdover from our list last year. At that time, he was just a freshman but was already garnering NHL interest despite being in a three-player timesharing situation. He’s now the undisputed starter but his first year in that role didn’t go great with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 SV%. The fact he had interest last season gets him on this list but it seems likely that he will stick around for another year with Michigan.
Cale Morris (Notre Dame)
Morris is the top prize among goaltenders in this free agent class. He posted spectacular numbers this season (1.93 GAA, .946 SV% in 32 games) on one of the top collegiate squads. What is particularly impressive is that he accomplished this after playing just one period of one game last season in his freshman year. Despite the limited body of work over his two collegiate campaigns, the 21-year-old should have no shortage of offers if he decides to turn pro now.
Sean Romeo (Ohio State)
Romeo has taken a bit of a unique path to get where he is today. He lost the starting job at the University of Maine in his sophomore season in 2015-16 and dropped down to third on the depth chart. He decided to redshirt and transfer to Ohio State, a decision that has paid dividends as not only did he lock down the starting spot, he thrived. It will be interesting to see if that results in some NHL attention or if teams will want to see if he can repeat that success in his senior year instead.
Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth)
Shepard just completed his first year as a starter (after seeing only 93 minutes of action in his rookie season) and turned some heads along the way, posting a strong 1.92 GAA with a .927 SV%, numbers that are quite similar to Jaillet’s. He also picked up eight shutouts which ranked tied for second overall. He still has two years of eligibility remaining so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return for his junior year but it wouldn’t be surprising if a couple of NHL teams at least kicked the tires on getting him to turn pro.
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I think the B’s need to look at one of these goalies there a little thin I believe