What does the Montreal Canadiens’ succession look like between the two posts? According to popular belief, it boils down to Jakub Dobes, who shines with Ohio State University.
More experienced pundits will suggest the name of Sweden’s Frederik Dichöw despite his setbacks with Frölunda this season. Some will still believe in Cayden Primeau’s potential.
But in general, almost no one will mention Emmett Croteau. However, the CH sees it in its soup. Croteau is the first and so far only goaltender to be drafted in the Gorton Hughes era. The Habs claimed this Albertan, holder of Métis status thanks to his mother’s roots, in the sixth round last summer (162nd overall). According to Nick Bobrov, co-director of amateur scouting, goalkeeping experts within the organization rate the hopeful “very highly”.
And without fanfare, Croteau dominated the USHL that season with the Waterloo Black Hawks. He has similar stats to Dobes of the same age in his senior year on the US Junior Tour.
“I’m a big guy [de 6 pi et 3 po, nous confirme le principal intéressé] He has a specialty of moving well for his size, Croteau said when asked by TVASports.ca to describe himself. It’s the foundation of my game; I can follow the puck well. For me, every goalkeeper is unique. Goalkeeping is an art and you have to paint your own masterpiece.”
Croteau is second in the USHL in save percentage (.915) and fourth in goals-against average (2.50). These numbers are all the more impressive given that the USHL is a league that tests goaltenders due to the disheveled and fast-paced nature of junior hockey.
It was certainly a factor that prompted Croteau to play one more season there before joining the NCAA: The volume of work, both in terms of games played and shots received, would help his growth. However, on the day of the draft, Bobrov had hinted that Croteau would be reporting to Clarkson University that year.
“I thought an extra year at youth level would help my development,” explained the imposing goalkeeper over the phone. I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before I went to college. It was a personal decision and the Canadian accepted it.
Now that he’s on the way, having recovered from an injury that sidelined him for more than a month from December 28 to February 10 – an injury he prefers to keep secret as he has the right to – feels Croteau ready for the next level.
“If I continue this momentum, I should be right,” he launched as an understatement.
Vincent Riendeau’s project
For the vast majority of Habs prospects, most of the communication with the organization is through development lead Rob Ramage.
However, Guardians are a different species that requires a different approach. While he occasionally argues with Ramage, Croteau is mostly associated with Vincent Riendeau.
Little known to the public, Riendeau occupies an extremely important position in the shadows for the Canadiens, that of director of goaltender development. The collaboration between Riendeau and Croteau began last August at the team’s development camp.
“At Vinny we try to play to my strengths [mon gabarit, notamment], remarked young Cerberus. Last summer one aspect we worked on was my weight shifting when I’m doing a save. Vinny wants me to swing my body to absorb the puck instead of just moving my arms.”
Croteau is also the type to challenge the shooter instead of staying deep in his semi-circle. He takes a lot of inspiration from Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy as they have a similar physique to his.
Price, you guessed it, was his favorite player growing up.
It was Price’s eventual and seemingly inevitable retirement that confronted both fans and Canadians about the importance of building a solid succession in goalkeeping. A position that has long been a matter of course in Montreal.
But before we point out that this succession is down to just one man, Jakub Dobes, all the contenders still need to be analyzed. And Emmett Croteau as a project is one.