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October
8, 2008
Recruiting Trail: Top 10 Goaltenders
Year in and year out, coming up with the list
of incoming goaltenders proves to be the most difficult undertaking
of putting together INCH's Recruiting Rankings. Why that is,
we're not sure — perhaps it's due in part to the netminder's
singular status in a team sport — but we do know that
it's a chore every fall.
Truth be told, building the 2008 goalie rankings
was a fairly smooth process. We easily whittled our prelimary
list to a collection of about a dozen prospects. After getting
the opinions of coaches and scouts, we shuffled the candidates
to come up with a top 10 list. Michigan State goalie Drew
Palmisano tops this year's rankings. He's stuck behind incumbent
Jeff Lerg, however, so don't be shocked if North Dakota's
Brad Eidsness provides more of an immediate impact.
Inside College Hockey compiled its 2008 Recruiting
Rankings with extensive input from college coaches as well
as professional scouts. Participants were asked to evaluate
recruits based on their projected impact at the college level,
not on their professional hockey prospects.
TOP
10 INCOMING GOALTENDERS
|
| |
Name |
School |
Last
Team |
| |
Drew Palmisano |
Michigan State |
Omaha (USHL) |
His
list of accomplishments: 2008 USA Hockey Goalie of
the Year, 2008 USHL Playoff MVP; 2007 and 2008 All-USHL
Second Team; and 2007 USHL Goalie of the Year.
|
| |
Brad Eidsness |
North Dakota |
Okotoks (AJHL) |
The
2008 Alberta Junior Hockey League Most Valuable Player
led the circuit in wins (29) and posted a .933 save
percentage, tying the league's single-season mark
in that category.
|
| |
Allan York |
Rensselaer |
Camrose (AJHL) |
A
Ryan Miller-ish 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, York won
top goaltending honors at Canada's Junior A championship,
the Royal Bank Cup, for the second consecutive season.
|
| |
Taylor Nelson |
Ferris State |
Humboldt (SJHL) |
Nelson
backstopped Humboldt to the 2008 Royal Bank Cup title,
capping the tournament by shutting out Joe Colborne's
Camrose Kodiaks in the championship game.
|
| |
Brady Hjelle |
Minnesota Duluth |
Cedar Rapids (USHL) |
Hjelle
earned USHL All-Rookie Team status in 2008, posting
a 22-14-4 record, a 2.50 goals against average, and
a .921 save percentage for Cedar Rapids.
|
| |
Matt DiGirolamo |
New Hampshire |
Waterloo (USHL) |
| |
Joe Cannata |
Merrimack |
U.S. NTDP |
| |
Scott Darling |
Maine |
Indiana (USHL) |
| |
Grant Rollheiser |
Boston University |
Trail (BCHL) |
| |
Paul Karpowich |
Clarkson |
Wellington (OPJHL) |
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