This article is part of our Crashing the Crease series.
Just over a week ago, I had the pleasure of watching in person as Linus Ullmark helped the AHL's Rochester Americans pull out a 3-1 victory in a road game they had no business winning against the Binghamton Senators. Ullmark is just 23 years of age but is currently settling for AHL duties despite showing flashes of excellence en route to a .913 save percentage in 20 appearances for the Sabres last season. It's likely only a matter of time until the young Swede is up in the big leagues for good, though, especially given Robin Lehner's injury history.
The AHL is filled with raw youngsters in need of professional experience, and many of them end up making a serious impact in the NHL. Notable recent AHL call-ups include Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray and Ottawa's Andrew Hammond, who carried the Senators to an improbable 2014-15 playoff berth and earned free McDonald's for life thanks to a 20-1-2 record. Knowing who the most promising youngsters are could give you a leg up as soon as this season, and will almost certainly pay off eventually.
Thirty-one AHL netminders have posted a GAA of 2.50 or better over the last two seasons. Some have since become established NHLers such as John Gibson, while others are veterans who couldn't quite make the transition to the top like Mike McKenna. Still, a substantial portion of that group falls into neither category. Ten players on that list are born in 1992
Just over a week ago, I had the pleasure of watching in person as Linus Ullmark helped the AHL's Rochester Americans pull out a 3-1 victory in a road game they had no business winning against the Binghamton Senators. Ullmark is just 23 years of age but is currently settling for AHL duties despite showing flashes of excellence en route to a .913 save percentage in 20 appearances for the Sabres last season. It's likely only a matter of time until the young Swede is up in the big leagues for good, though, especially given Robin Lehner's injury history.
The AHL is filled with raw youngsters in need of professional experience, and many of them end up making a serious impact in the NHL. Notable recent AHL call-ups include Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray and Ottawa's Andrew Hammond, who carried the Senators to an improbable 2014-15 playoff berth and earned free McDonald's for life thanks to a 20-1-2 record. Knowing who the most promising youngsters are could give you a leg up as soon as this season, and will almost certainly pay off eventually.
Thirty-one AHL netminders have posted a GAA of 2.50 or better over the last two seasons. Some have since become established NHLers such as John Gibson, while others are veterans who couldn't quite make the transition to the top like Mike McKenna. Still, a substantial portion of that group falls into neither category. Ten players on that list are born in 1992 or later, giving them a combination of youth and ability that could turn them into stars at the next level. You don't need me to tell you who Gibson, Murray or Andrei Vasilevskiy are, so that leaves seven players: Mac Carruth, Garret Sparks, Anton Forsberg, Juuse Saros, Scott Wedgewood, Malcolm Subban, and Joonas Korpisalo.
Korpisalo and Forsberg both play for the defending AHL champion Cleveland Monsters, with Korpisalo being the more likely candidate to get the call up should Columbus require help in net. The Blue Jackets would prefer either over career backup Curtis McElhinney should Sergei Bobrovsky get hurt or struggle, but the Russian veteran is off to a strong start. Korpisalo's .920 save percentage in 31 games with Bobrovsky injured last season shows that he's ready to contribute at the NHL level if the chance arises.
Carruth has been solid for the Rockford IceHogs, but it doesn't seem like the Blackhawks are in any hurry to call up a 24-year-old rookie goaltender. While Wedgewood posted an impressive .957 save percentage in four appearances for the Devils last season, it's tough to imagine him having much impact in New Jersey with starter Cory Schneider signed long-term and working on his seventh straight season with a sub-2.30 GAA. P.K. Subban's little brother hasn't been able to replicate his NHL success thus far, giving up six goals on 22 shots in two career appearances for the Bruins. Sparks' path to the big leagues got tougher when the Maple Leafs brought in Frederik Andersen this offseason, but he didn't do himself any favors by posting a 3.02 GAA and .893 save percentage in 17 games last year. The 23-year-old Illinois native would also have his upside capped by playing for a poor defensive team even if he does get called up to Toronto.
Arguably the most promising member of the group is Saros. The 21-year-old Finn is only 5-foot-11, but he hasn't let his small stature stop him from posting a 2.24 GAA and .920 save percentage in 38 games with the Milwaukee Admirals. He also stopped 34 of 35 Penguins shots in his season debut for the Predators and now has two NHL appearances under his belt. Pekka Rinne isn't ready to pass the torch yet, but it may not be long until his young countryman takes it anyway.
That's enough about future NHL goaltenders. Here's the breakdown of the guys making an impact now:
Top Performers:
Devan Dubnyk, MIN - You can't get any better than Dubnyk has been over the past week, as he went from struggling to surging in a flash with three consecutive shutouts. Boston, Buffalo and Dallas made him work for it with 94 shots, but none were good enough to beat the Wild netminder. While the Sabres got him back with a pair of tallies Tuesday night, two goals allowed in four starts is still enough for Dubnyk to claim the top spot.
Carey Price, MTL - Price has been nothing short of spectacular this season, winning each of his first five starts. He has actually been even better of late, holding opponents to exactly one goal in each of his last three outings. Those who paid up for Price on draft day are getting a strong return on investment despite his missed time early on.
Craig Anderson, OTT - Anderson has six wins in seven starts, but he has been getting them in much more impressive fashion recently. Carolina finally broke his shutout streak Tuesday night, but he's still 3-0-0 with just one goal allowed on 92 shots over the past week.
Three Rising:
Corey Crawford, CHI - Crawford won only one of his first five appearances but turned things around with three consecutive victories over the past week. He topped the 30-save mark in each of those three games, and allowed just three total goals after giving up 15 in his first five. It looks safe to say his slow start is officially over.
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG - Hellebuyck is still tough to trust given Winnipeg's defensive struggles, but he has certainly picked it up of late. He has allowed just four goals on 79 shots in his last three appearances (two starts), giving him a .949 save percentage over that span. While the 23-year-old netminder has only one win during that time, they'll start piling up in a hurry if he can keep up this recent form.
Robin Lehner, BUF - Lehner didn't miss a beat after sitting three consecutive games, delivering road wins at Winnipeg and Minnesota while allowing just two goals on 66 shots over his last two starts. Health has always been a bugaboo for the Swede, but he has proven capable of delivering when not injured.
Three Falling:
Kari Lehtonen, DAL - Lehtonen has only started one of the last four games, and with good reason. The veteran sports an ugly 1-3-1 record thus far, and looks to only be getting worse after allowing four Wild goals on just 15 shots in his last outing. Antti Niemi has also struggled, leaving Dallas in a bind in net.
Roberto Luongo, FLA - Luongo has had a rough week, with zero wins and eight goals allowed in three starts. While it's possible that age is finally catching up to the 37-year-old veteran, his .919 save percentage in that span suggests this is nothing more than a minor speed bump. Expect Luongo to bounce back soon as the skaters in front of him pick it up.
Pekka Rinne, NSH - Rinne finally bounced back against the Avalanche on Tuesday, but that effort wasn't enough to keep him out of this section. Prior to that win, he had gone five consecutive starts without a victory while allowing at least three goals in four straight. His pedigree suggests Rinne will be fine long term, but owners can't be feeling comfortable after such a slow start.
