Owen Flores

If you are an NHL team looking to draft a goaltender with relative success from the Ontario Hockey League then your chances of success are relatively diminished. While there have been some mildly successful picks, the odds are stacked against you.

There are many reasons. For parents, it is cost prohibitive to provide equipment for their kids when they are outgrowing that equipment every other year. Many European hockey federations are investing more money and time in developing goaltenders from a young age than Canada does. The CHL even banned drafting import goalies from 2014 to 2018 and all that did was dilute the product on the ice.

Even the NHL salary cap plays a role. Skaters earn more money than goaltenders so the better athletes chose not to tend the net. I admit, that thought process enters the parent’s mind long before it enters the player’s mind. 

The last OHL goaltender chosen in the first round of the NHL draft was Malcolm Subban back in 2012. Since then, there have been 7 goaltenders drafted in the first round – three Russians, two Americans, one Swede and one from the Western Hockey League.

We also know that NHL teams don’t like to use first round picks on goaltenders. From 2000-2021 the majority of goaltenders were picked in the sixth round and followed closely by the fifth round. There is a drop off to the next two busiest rounds for goaltenders which are the third round and seventh round.

Here’s a look at the goaltenders ranked by NHL Central Scouting with their mid-term rank and their final rank:

Here’s a look at their regular season stats:

Obviously, we shouldn’t put too much stock into the stats because everyone is in a different situation. Flores was on a bad team in Niagara and no one played as much or faced as much rubber as he did, yet he managed to allow a goal per game+ less then his partners in Niagara. On the flip side, Day, Robertson and Bowen played for three very good defensive teams. Flores averaged ten+ shots more against per game than that trio yet his save percentage was comparable to Robertson and Bowen.

Here are some thoughts:

Nathan Day

Day got off to a slow start this season, but because of his willingness to work hard and the support of his long-time goaltending coach, he turned things around by the mid way point of the season. Day has good size, is very athletic and has an explosiveness in his lateral movement from post to post. He tracks pucks well, gets up from the butterfly and resets quickly and is very sound positionally. In tight he takes away the lower portion of the net when there are battles in front of him. What I like best about Day is that he is willing to put in all the hard work to become the best he can be.

Charlie Robertson

Robertson didn’t get to take the net a lot as the backup in North Bay but he was given the opportunity at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects game as the lone OHL goaltender to showcase himself. He has good size but doesn’t have the athleticism Day possesses. He can be aggressive in the crease challenging players, but he is not overly aggressive to the point it costs him. His lateral movement is a work in progress as is his recovery from a save. He tracks the puck extremely well, but he needs to get quicker.

Zach Bowen

It’s hard to get any traction and playing time when you are the backup to one of the best goalies the OHL has ever had. But injuries to Brett Brochu, including in the playoffs afforded Bowen the opportunity. Bowen is one very calm goaltender. He rarely gets rattled in the crease and if he gives up a soft goal it is quickly behind him and onto the next save. He is athletic and has very good lateral movement. His glove and blocker are extremely quick. He tracks extremely well and knows where everyone is on the ice and anticipates very well. He needs to work on his rebound control and using his stick.

Charlie Schenkel

It was a tough situation for Schenkel with the Soo Greyhounds. But this kid battles and only Flores faced more shots per game than he did. He’s a huge goaltender who uses his size to take away the net extremely well. He remains tall when down on his knees and battles taking place in front of him. He moves extremely well for a big goaltender, challenges well and is technically sound. Schenkel is a draft re-entry who caught the attention of some scouts last season (Central Scouting ranked him 17^th), but a lack of ice time left more questions than answers. Are those questions answered after this season? Only time will tell, but it’s not a great OHL goaltending class, or CHL for that matter so someone might take a shot here.

Owen Flores

I spoke a bit about Flores earlier and it appears he opened some eyes going from not being ranked on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings to 27^th among North American goalies on their final list. I don’t know that it is enough to hear his name called out at the draft. Interesting enough, Flores attended the Detroit Red Wings Development Camp last summer after going undrafted, so he’s gotten some attention. He has good size with good mobility. He is technically sound, has vastly improved his rebound control and he is adept at killing plays. What is most impressive is that he never gives up on a play. Niagara was terrible this season. It is hard to imagine how much worse off they would have been without Flores.

Andrew Oke

Oke is a draft re-entry (ranked 9^th by Central Scouting in 2022) and you can read what I had to say about him last season here. Not much has changed. I mentioned some things that Oke needed to improve on and he has put in the necessary work, but still has some work to put in. Personally, I had him ranked as the third goaltender from the OHL in 2022 based on potential alone, but I wanted to see more of an improvement this season.

Corbin Votary

Votary came to the OHL with a lot of promise as a big goaltender with good athleticism, technically strong goaltender with excellent positioning who controlled rebounds like a seasoned veteran and knew how to take away much of the net with his size. I just did not see enough from Votary this season to garner a lot of attention. He is also a draft re-entry that did not make Central Scouting’s rankings a year ago, nor was he on mine. He will be on my list in a couple of weeks, but as I said earlier, it’s not a great draft class.