The Journey: Masked Men
Zach Hopkins
2014-12-27
Checking in on the fantasy prospects tending goal for Canada.
As the 2015 World Junior Championship gets under way, a lot has been said about the depth of the Canadian team. Future NHL defensemen were cut and the presumptive first pick in the 2015 NHL draft is not even on the top line. Lost in the shuffle, however, are the masked men that should help propel this team to gold. This edition of The Journey will highlight how we expect them to propel our fantasy rosters for years to come.
ZACh FUCALE
Second round pick (36th overall) of the Montreal Canadians in the 2013 NHL Draft
Heading into the 2013 NHL Draft, Zach Fucale was the number one ranked North American goaltending prospect by Central Scouting after a magical season in Halifax where he was teammates with NHL stars Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin. Many teams took notice and the Montreal Canadians jumped on Fucale in the second round and made him the first goaltender selected in a defensive-heavy draft. He was initially selected by Halifax with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft and made his debut the following season where he appeared in 58 games and led the Mooseheads to the semifinals. He finished his rookie campaign with a 32-18-6 record with two shutouts, a 3.16 GAA and a .892 save percentage while being named to the QMJHL's All-Rookie Team. Following the season, he played in five games for Canada Quebec in the U17 WHC and finished with a 3.25 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The 2012-13 season would cement Fucale as the top goaltending prospect in junior hockey as he posted an incredible 45-7 record for a Halifax team that won 58 of the 68 games they played. He posted two shutouts, a 2.35 GAA and a .909 save percentage. In 17 playoff games, he posted a 2.08 GAA and .913 save percentage en route to backstopping the team to the President's Cup as champions of the QMJHL. He was unsurprisingly named as a First Team All-Star. Adding to his already booming portfolio, Fucale helped lead the Canadian team to gold at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament and solidified his NHL draft status.
ERIC COMRIE
Second round pick (59th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft
As Zach Fucale's stock was rising, so was Eric Comrie's. The Tri-City American's goaltender had solidified himself as the second best North American goaltending prospect heading into the 2013 NHL Draft and the Winnipeg Jets, hampered by consistency, took notice and drafted him in the second round. Comrie is a product of the Los Angeles Selects program (dual citizenship) and was drafted by Tri-City with the 13th overall pick of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. In 2011-12, Comrie played in 31 games while sharing goaltending duties. He finished with a 19-6-2 record with three shutouts, a 2.67 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The Americans reached the Conference Finals in the playoffs but Comrie played backup to 19-year old Ty Rimmer. Playing for Canada Pacific in the U17 WHC, he played in three games and posted a 3.03 GAA with a .889 save percentage. The following season, Comrie won 20 of 37 games played in before being shut down with a season-ending hip injury. He had recorded two shutouts to go along with a 2.62 GAA and .915 save percentage. After surgery and rehabilitation, he manned the nets for Canada along with Fucale en route to a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament. The Jets selected Comrie in the second round in hopes that he may be the long-term answer in net. Ondrej Pavelec is 27 years old and likely not a goaltender that will lead the team deep in the playoffs, thus, the Jets brass are attempting to mold Comrie into their goalie of the future sooner rather than later (although he will need to compete with Connor Hellebuyck).
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Comrie is currently playing in his fourth full season in Tri-City. After being drafted, Comrie attended Jets training camp and returned to the WHL. He signed his entry-level deal late in 2013 and played for Winnipeg's AHL affiliate in St. John's in April of 2014. He saw action in two games and recorded a 6.35 GAA and .829 save percentage. Now back in Tri-City, Comrie will have a final chance to hone his skills before likely graduating to St. John's next year as he prepares for his future career in Winnipeg.
Eric Comrie glove save against Team Russia:
Dobber Prospect Rank: fourth ranked prospect in the Winnipeg Jets system
Fantasy Outlook: B+
Pros: size, strong, above-average athleticism, skating
Cons: rebound control, conditioning
Anticipated NHL Arrival: 3-4 years