No. 1 – G Thatcher Demko (Utica Comets, AHL)
Robbed of the number one spot last week, Thatcher Demko takes the throne this week. And speaking of robberies, Demko committed many of them during this series with the Marlies. The goaltending battle continued to build with intensity, but Demko was far busier.
In that Game three win, the young netminder came up with 35 saves and the first star of the night. Next game, Demko made 40 saves for the win. The pivotal Game five forced Demko to make 34 saves, including this 2-on-0.
Through the conclusion of the series, Demko faced 191 shots. Garret Sparks faced 123 (remember he was pulled in Game three). We could not have asked for any better than Demko. Honestly, he kept the Comets in every single game. It was just too much to face, which should be expected from the league’s best.
Positives for next year
The Canucks still have a long way to go in their rebuild. However, they can be pleased with what they have in goal. Thatcher Demko is a top five AHL goaltender and looked pretty comfortable in his NHL debut. I look forward to training camp to see if he can secure a spot on the roster over Anders Nilsson.
Elias Pettersson and Adam Gaudette could potentially join the starting roster next season. The Utica Comets look poised to receive more prospects for next year, so hopefully the team won’t have to play with the veteran rule as often.
And of course, the prospect pool will grow by six people in June. We will get to see some new faces at this year’s Young Stars tournament and could be in for a few surprises by training camp.
Next: Canucks power play in 2018-19
With that, I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s made the decision to read my ramblings on prospects. Whether you have been here since the transition to this format or recently came across these, I appreciate it. The coverage is certainly more interesting with several high end prospects to talk about. So, here is to being ever hopeful that the Canucks continue to add more of these players to the pipeline!