It’s hard to determine which players will be selected in the USHL Draft. They can literally come from anywhere, as we learned in our USHL Draft primer, and it can be quite the toss up when names are announced at the event. With that said, we’ve enlisted the help of Justin Schreiber from the USHL Prospects Blog to pinpoint who exactly we can expect to be selected in the Futures Draft, which takes place at 11 AM Eastern on Tuesday, May 17.
2010 USHL Futures Draft: Goaltender Prospect Profiles
We begin with goaltenders.
By Justin Schreiber, USHL Prospects Blog
Brandon Hope (Honeybaked U18) is one of the most highly touted goaltenders of the 2012 NHL Draft eligible class. The 6’1”, 190 pound goalie out of Canton, Michigan has many good things written about him, such as this profile Honeybaked wrote for him on his Pointstreak profile:
”Brandon is an athletic goaltender who believes in “Having A Purpose” when he skates. He prides himself in his physical & technical skills which provide his team with an opportunity to win every time he’s on the ice. He displays a high level of confidence, determination, & composure while competing. He is an aggressive net-minder with exceptional puck handling skills. His ability to see plays develop is outstanding & has excellent on-ice communication skills. His overall play shows he has a real understanding & passion for the game. He is a coachable young man & provides team leadership as an Alternate Captain. Brandon has won three North American Silver Stick Championships, two World Championships, one State Championship & was named MVP and MVG in three. He was honored to represent Michigan in the NTDP’s national festival in 2008. He is a freshman at Plymouth HS & maintains a 3.5 GPA. Brandon believes the number one enemy of great, is good. Thus, his future plans include specialized training on & off the ice so he can pursue his dream of playing at the highest level possible.”
This past season, Hope showed pretty good stats. In 32 appearances with Honeybaked’s midget major squad, he posted a 11-16-4 record with 2 shutouts. In 1593 minutes played, Hope allowed 96 goals, getting him a 3.25 GAA and a .878 SV%. Where Hope really shone last season was during the post-season tournament for midget majors. In 4 games of that tourney, Hope posted a 3-1 record with 1.36 GAA and .944 save percentage. I would compare Hope to Green Bay goaltender, and USHL goaltender of the year Steve Summerhays. Expect to see Hope in the USHL sooner rather than later.
Here’s a video of Hope in action:
Zach Nagelvoort (Compuware U16) is a goalie who put up some good numbers in the Tier 1 Elite League this year at the midget minor level. In 17 appearances this past season, Nagelvoort posted a 13-1-2 record which is pretty impressive. He also had a shutout, with a 2.12 GAA and a .875 save percentage on the season. The 6'1", 205 pound goalie got an invite to the USHL combine this weekend and accepted the invite. It appears as if Nagelvoort hasn't gotten much college attention at all yet. Outside of a few goalies, the goalie class coming in isn't great by any means so it will be kind of hit and miss. I would compare Nagelvoort to Sioux Falls goaltender Clay Witt, who will most likely be drafted in this summer's NHL Entry Draft. I wouldn't be surprised if Nagelvoort gets his name called on Tuesday.
Other goalies that might get their name called on Tuesday: Dalton Izyk (Syracuse Nationals) and Jake Moore (Buffalo Regals).
Visit our USHL Draft page for full coverage of the 2010 USHL Drafts, which includes live coverage of Tuesday's Futures Draft on our radio program, Rink Side Radio, at 11 AM Eastern.
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