Colorado Avalanche: 6 Selections for the Second Round
Evan Fitzpatrick
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 203 pounds
Current Team: Sherbrooke Phoenix, QMJHL
Probability for Success: 3-5 years development, possible eventual starter
The Colorado Avalanche have lost a couple goalies from their system recently — Roman Will most notably. While the team is still pretty stacked, Colorado may be looking to add a little more depth.
Evan Fitzpatrick is the top-rated goalie in the 2016 NHL draft. He’s been an All Star goalie in the QMJHL. He’s even been called a “young Roberto Luongo.” For the Colorado Avalanche, he’d be a Semyon Varlamov style of goalie — someone who displays flashes of brilliance but occasional inconsistency. He’s a goalie who can put his team on his back.
He’s also a hybrid goalie. I prefer the butterfly style, and I think the Colorado Avalanche do as well. However, Fitzpatrick shows quickness and strong technical skills. Even better — and here’s where he bests Varlamov — he’s very comfortable with big-game situations. He keeps a cool head, which is critical for a goalie.
As I learned from Ben Scrivens on The Player’s Tribune, size and athleticism aren’t necessarily how you scout goalies. That’s too bad, because Fitzpatrick has both. More importantly, according to Scrivens, Evan moves well laterally and is a good skater.
Here’s Evan doing his thing:
Goalies typically take longer to develop than skaters. That’s ok, because the Colorado Avalanche are stacked at the position at the NHL level. I’m really interested to see if the team would be willing to select Evan Fitzpatrick.
Next: Tage Thompson