AHL Pocket book: Jap Convention goalies in highlight

An apprenticeship within the American Hockey League is a near-must for prime NHL goalie prospects.Here’s a take a look at 5 prime younger goalies within the Jap Convention and their progress by the primary month of the common season. A breakdown of Western Convention groups will observe subsequent week: Filip Larsson, Grand Rapids (Detroit Pink Wings)The 21-year-old (6-foot-2, 194 kilos) is trying to make the bounce to the AHL after one NCAA season on the College of Denver.Chosen by the Pink Wings within the sixth spherical (No. 167) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Larsson performed the 2017-18 season with Tri-Metropolis of the USA Hockey League, then went to Denver, the place he was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Group and took his group to the NCAA Frozen 4. He went 13-6-Three as a freshman with a 1.95 goals-against common and .932 save proportion in 22 video games. That additionally helped him to be named a finalist as the highest goaltender within the NCHC.Grand Rapids coach Ben Simon has chosen to ease Larsson into the AHL in a pairing with veteran Calvin Pickard. Larsson is 2-2-Zero with a Three.28 GAA and .879 save proportion in 4 video games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Rochester (Buffalo Sabres)Hip surgical procedure has delayed the 20-year-old’s full-time entry into the AHL, however optimism stays excessive for Luukkonen after a stellar season with Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League.Chosen by the Sabres within the second spherical (No. 54) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Luukkonen was 38-11-2-2 with a 2.50 GAA in 53 video games final season and gained the Pink Tilson Trophy as probably the most excellent participant within the OHL, in addition to prime goalie honors. His six shutouts led the league and his .920 save proportion ranked second. Internationally, he led Finland to a gold medal on the World Junior Championship, the place he had a 1.80 GAA and .932 save proportion in six video games.Luukkonen (6-Four, 220) continues his rehabilitation course of and made his season debut with Buffalo affiliate Cincinnati of the ECHL. He had 25 saves in a Four-1 loss at Brampton (Ottawa Senators).With Rochester veteran Andrew Hammond on recall to the Sabres for its journey to the 2019 NHL World Sequence in Sweden, Buffalo reassigned Luukkonen to Rochester on Sunday. He may see enjoying time when Rochester hosts Binghamton (New Jersey Devils) on Friday; Rochester (7-Three-1-Zero) is tied with Utica (Vancouver Canucks) for second within the North Division and two factors behind Toronto (Toronto Maple Leafs) for the Jap Convention lead. Cayden Primeau, Laval (Montreal Canadiens)The 20-year-old has emerged as a powerful prospect; after the Canadiens chosen him within the seventh spherical (No. 199) of the 2017 NHL Draft, he performed two NCAA seasons at Northeastern earlier than electing to show professional.Final season with Northeastern, Primeau (6-Three, 198) completed 25-10-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .933 save proportion in 36 video games on the best way to being a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as most excellent NCAA goalie for the second consecutive season. He additionally was a Hockey East First All-Star in every of his two seasons.Splitting enjoying time with the well-established Charlie Lindgren, Primeau is dealing with the AHL effectively. He’s Four-2-Zero in six video games with a 1.80 GAA and .941 save proportion, every ranked fourth within the AHL. His 38-save efficiency helped Laval to tug out a Three-2 shootout win at Windfall (Boston Bruins) on Oct. 26. Igor Shesterkin, Hartford (New York Rangers)The 23-year-old has justified the appreciable enthusiasm and hype that accompanied his transfer to North America after a standout profession within the Kontinental Hockey League.The Rangers selected Shesterkin (6-2, 182) within the fourth spherical (No. 118) of the 2014 NHL Draft. Final season with SKA St. Petersburg, he went 24-Three-1 with a 1.11 GAA, .953 save proportion and 10 shutouts in 28 regular-season video games.Shifting from a European league to the North American sport and the AHL’s scrambly model can check many younger goalies, Shesterkin has excelled with a much-improved Hartford group. He’s 5-1-1 in seven video games with a 1.83 GAA, .932 save proportion and one shutout.Hartford (Eight-1-Zero-Three) has an AHL-leading 19 factors by 12 video games.Video: NJD@NYR: Shesterkin reaches out to seize bouncing puck Veini Vehvilainen, Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets)One other unheralded potential discover, the 22-year-old was taken by the Blue Jackets within the sixth spherical (No. 173) within the 2018 NHL Draft.Columbus’ religion was rewarded when Vehvilainen (6-Zero, 181) went 25-Eight-5 with a 1.58 GAA and .930 save proportion in 38 video games with Karpat of Liiga in Finland and was named the league’s prime goalie; he was then rewarded by the Blue Jackets, who signed him to a two-year entry-level contract on June Four.Vehvilainen’s season started with a 30-save win at Laval on Oct. 5. After a 6-Three house loss in opposition to Syracuse (Tampa Bay Lightning) on Oct. 12, he has bounced again by permitting three objectives in his subsequent three video games, together with a 29-save shutout of Rockford (Chicago Blackhawks) on Oct. 26.He is Three-2-Zero with a 2.02 GAA, .932 save proportion and one shutout in 5 video games with Cleveland.