Top goalie prospects discussed ahead of 2022 NHL Draft

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at the top-eligible North American goalies in a Q&A with Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Tyler Brennan
of Prince George in the Western Hockey League could be the first goaltender selected in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
Brennan (6-foot-4, 185 pounds), No. 1 in
NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies
, was 11-25-2 with a 3.58 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and four shutouts in 39 games, and 0-3 with a 1.86 GAA and .954 save percentage in four WHL playoff games.

The 18-year-old has good overall quickness and athleticism, can move the puck well from behind the net and is capable of making big, timely saves. He has very good pro potential, according to Central Scouting goalie evaluator Al Jensen.
"I think there's a huge upside with this kid," Jensen said. "He's very calm, very quick and athletic. He's just got that presence that you could see, down the road, he's going to have a chance to play. He's got the size like a Carey Price (6-3, 217). I'm not saying he is Carey Price by any means, but he has the potential to be a quality NHL goalie down the road, without a doubt. I really liked his consistency and there's so much to work with. He covers so much of the net and I like his presence. He's a very smart goalie."
To break down many of the top-eligible North American goalies in the 2022 draft, here are five questions with Jensen:
Brennan played on a team that struggled a bit and his stats don't jump off the page. When you have a goalie who doesn't have amazing numbers, is it harder to get a read on how he's really doing?
"Numbers aren't everything and I don't get myself wrapped up in the numbers too much. These kids are so young; you have to look beyond the numbers and see if the guy is good enough to play in the NHL because no one is even going to mention these numbers in 5-6 years. My job is to find out if he's going to have a chance to play in the NHL someday. Does he have those qualities? The numbers are great to have and some of those numbers stand out, but Brennan's team wasn't at the top of the Western Hockey League so he faced a lot of quality shots. He's young, he's playing a lot of games. I just concentrate on his potential down the road. Can this player develop into an NHL goalie someday? Because the numbers will improve."
USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team has two goalies ranked among the top four, Dylan Silverstein at No. 3 and Tyler Muszelik at No. 4. Can you talk about the differences between the two?
"Two totally different-style goaltenders. Silverstein (6-0, 179) is quick, athletic, and is very intense. He's got that compete in him, balance, strength in the net. Muszelik (6-2, 195) is more positional. He's calm in there, using his big body to cover up the holes more than Silverstein because Silverstein is a little bit smaller. There's not a whole lot of difference in potential for these guys. They each will be going different paths. It really all comes down to technique and style. Some teams might want their goalies to be one way and some like them another way. They both have good potential with good skills, but they're different-style goaltenders. You have to appreciate them for what they do."

Can you discuss the play of two goalies who were passed over in the 2021 NHL Draft? Ivan Zhigalov (No. 2) of Sherbrooke in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Cameron Whitehead (No. 7) of Lincoln in the United States Hockey League.
"Goalies sometimes take a little bit longer to develop. This is the first year I've seen the Zhigalov (6-3, 167) and he impressed me the first game I saw him play. He's just got that presence about him and he carries himself well. There's so much to work with for an NHL team and this guy has a really good chance to play in the NHL someday; I really believe that. He's got the size, the quickness and just looks like an NHL goalie in there. Whitehead (6-3, 172) showed great development from the year before playing with the Utica Jr. Comets of the National Collegiate Development Conference. He's got the presence, the skill level. I think with him showing it in the USHL, that's giving scouts a vision of him moving up even higher if he improved that much from the NCDC to the USHL. What's he going to be like in another year or two after he moves up to a higher level?"
We've seen at least one goalie chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft the past three years. Do you think that streak continues at the 2022 draft?
"I don't put too much emphasis on that, especially the goalies, since there are a lot of good players to be drafted. Goalies tend to not get drafted until maybe the second or third round. In the last three years only four goalies have been chosen in the first round so it wouldn't surprise me if no goalies get chosen in the first round. It depends on the needs of a team and how many draft picks they have. At the end of the day, just being chosen no matter what round you're in is giving them an opportunity to grow and develop."

Are there any goalies on the North American list you feel might make a fine late-round selection and turn out to surprise in 5-6 years?
I can see the back half of the list where there are number of goalies who have a chance to surprise.
Beau Lane
(No. 21; 6-2, 156) at Thayer Academy in Massachusetts impressed me. This kid is really a quality goalie and has a lot of potential.
Charlie Schenkel
(No. 17; 6-5, 193) of Rockland (Central Canada Hockey League) started the year with Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario Hockey League) and I caught him in some games there. He still needs work, but he's big, moves extremely well and he just needs a chance to play, so I see potential down the road. I've watched
Luke Pavicich
(No. 23; 6-2, 175) of the University of Massachusetts for three years and every time he plays, he gives his team a chance to win. He's so consistent.
Hobie Hedquist
(No. 27; 6-2, 182) of Alberni Valley (British Columbia Hockey League) has really good upside.
Thomas Milic
(No. 28; 5-11, 175) of Seattle (WHL) had a great playoff (14-9-2, 2.29 GAA, .925 save percentage, 25 games).
Josh Rosenzweig
(No. 22; 6-2, 185) from Niagara (OHL) showed high-end quickness, high-end athleticism. He's a little inconsistent, and gets a little bit anxious, but has a lot of high-end qualities that NHL goalie coaches can work with."
Photos: James Doyle, Prince George (WHL); Vincent L-Rousseau, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
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