I’m always hesitant to talk about goaltenders in general, let alone goaltenders I haven’t seen. Yuri Ivanov is one of the youngest players in the draft and posted a .928 save percentage in Russian juniors. The Bruins have done good work scouting goaltenders, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt there.
Winger Nils Bartholdsson in round three is, pound-for-pound, one of my favorite picks of this draft. Yeah, he’s 5’10 and not a good skater for his size, but I like the rest of his game. Even if his cruise speed isn’t great, his stop-starts and pivots are great, allowing him to lose defenders. He’s a really good stickhandler. Despite his size, he can persevere through contact and win some board battles. Most importantly, these skills don’t exist in a vacuum. He’s able to make diverse combinations of plays to work his way out of his physical disadvantages throughout the run of play. The physical concerns are what they are, but in round three, all players have issues. I think he has the chance to make us all look back in five years and wish he had gone a full round earlier. Third-line upside with maybe even a chance to be the third-best forward on a second line.
I don’t like most of their remaining picks, but they nailed their most valuable pick. Roberto Henriquez is also a nice find in round six. He’s an athletic goaltender who posted a robust .921 save percentage in the USHL last season but needs a hands-on goaltending coach to refine his movements. Goaltenders are always great value deep into the draft. Give me the athletic netminder with upside over the 6’5″ defenseman who needs a lot of luck to make the NHL in any capacity.
