AUGUST 1, 2013 It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of summer, but now that August is here, prospects across North America are slowly starting to get back on the ice in preparation for camps. I have been staying busy this summer by attending a handful of elite goalie prospect camps in order to provide students with independent scouting reports. But before I head out for my final camp of the summer in Edmonton, I wanted to update the Top- 25 before we get back into the swing of things in September. New additions this month include Antti Raanta and Reto Ber- ra, two goalies that will likely start the season as #3’s, but could quickly work their way into an NHL role before too long. John Gibson, Andrey Vasilevskiy, and Petr Mrazek are also on the upswing due to their rising prominence within their teams’ depth chart. More changes are coming in preparation for the season, so e-mail me at any time: [email protected] RK GOALTENDER NHL DRAFT UPDATE LM +/- 1 JACOB MARKSTROM FLA 2008-31 Signed to a new two-year contract, Jacob’s future is laid out for him on a silver 1 0 platter. The first year of the contract is a two-way deal, but expect him to earn the starting gig over Scott Clemmensen. And remember, he’s still only 23 years old. 2 ROBIN LEHNER OTT 2009-46 The only thing keeping Lehner from the #1 spot right on this list is Craig Anderson. 2 0 So he’ll continue to push for more playing time as an NHL backup, but Robin’s role and future within the organization will only continue to grow as time goes on. 3 ANTON KHUDOBIN CAR 2004-206 With 19 total NHL starts under his belt, Khudobin begins the next chapter of his 3 0 career in a similar role -- backing up a workhorse. But Cam Ward has a lot of pun- dits to silence, so Khudobin could graduate from this list by the end of November. 4 EDDIE LACK VAN Undrafted Lack was destined to drop a few spots in the rankings due to his season-ending 4 0 hip injury, but since Vancouver traded Cory Schneider and kept Roberto Luongo, they now have the luxury of graduating Lack to being a full-time NHL backup. 5 JOHN GIBSON ANH 2011-37 After a Gold Medal in the 2013 World Juniors and a Bronze in the 2013 World 7 2 Championships, Gibson is in the running for the Winter Olympics. A true gamer in every sense of the word, he won’t have a problem winning in the AHL as a rookie. 6 PETR MRAZEK DET 2010-141 Not only is Mrazek one of the most dynamic and emotionally-charged prospects 9 3 in the world, but he is adaptable and versatile. He won all sorts of different types of games in the AHL playoffs en route to a Calder Trophy title with Grand Rapids. 7 JAKE ALLEN STL 2008-34 Allen’s new two-year deal is worth $1.6 million, but the first year is a two-way deal, 8 1 so expect him to start off in Peoria. It’s not where he wants to be after earning All-Rookie Team honors, but don’t fret -- the second year he’s on a one-way deal. 8 ANDREY VASILEVSKIY TBL 2012-19 Vasilevskiy still has a long way to go before he reaches that #3 status in Tampa 12 4 Bay’s organization, but no goalie is more promising in terms of their combination of size, athleticism, raw skills, and ability to compete. He is Russia’s John Gibson. 9 FREDERIK ANDERSEN ANH 2012-82 Andersen drops a few spots soley due to Gibson entering to the pro ranks. There’s 5 -4 no doubt that Andersen has the upside to be Hiller’s (or Fasth’s) backup in the 2014-15 season, but he better stave off the impending steps of Gibson. 10 NIKLAS SVEDBERG BOS Undrafted Niklas deserved the AHL Goalie of the Year award for his play in the regular 6 -4 season, but his performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired. With Chad Johsnon squeezing in between he and Rask, stay patient with this 23-year-old. 11 MAGNUS HELLBERG NSH 2011-32 Hellberg gets a chance to be a #3 goalie behind an NHL backup that has less than 10 -1 60 minutes of NHL experience in Carter Hutton. But expect some bumps along the way, as Magnus is also in need of more games to really thrive in this role. 12 MATT HACKETT BUF 2009-77 Hackett accepted his qualifying offer, signing a new one-year, two-way deal with 11 -1 the Sabres. He’ll begin the season as the team’s #3 since David Leggio has signed with the Capitals, so he’s in a very good situation heading into the season. 13 CHAD JOHNSON BOS 2006-125 Johnson struck gold in early-July when the Bruins opted to sign him as Tuukka 18 5 Rask’s new backup. There were a number of options out there, but his 2-0-2 record with the Coyotes last season was enough to earn the staff’s confidence. 14 KEVIN POULIN NYI 2008-126 Poulin signed a new one-year, two-way contract, and currently has the inside 15 1 track to be a full-time NHL backup. That’s the role he held to close out last sea- son, but it’s not a foregone conclusion just yet. He has to earn it in training camp. 15 ALEX STALOCK SJS 2005-112 Stalock is being given a chance to back up Antti Niemi this season, but his new 13 -2 deal is a one-year, two-way setup. He has the athleticism, puck-handling, and the skills to thrive as an NHL backup, but how many starts will he earn behind Niemi? 16 DARCY KUEMPER MIN 2009-161 Kuemper is Minnesota’s clear-cut #3, and it’s a crucial role for the club since the 17 1 health status of Josh Harding is pretty fragile. Kuemper handled himself fairly well in some tough situations last season, including the playoffs against Chicago. 17 MARTIN JONES LAK Undrafted Jones’ future was looking good when LA finally traded Jonathan Bernier to To- 14 -3 ronto. But with Ben Scrivens coming back in return, it could stall his NHL opportu- nity for another two years. Furthermore, he’s still an RFA negotiating a new deal. 18 ANDERS NILSSON NYI 2009-62 Nilsson’s odds of beating out Poulin for the backup role to Nabokov are, as of 16 -2 now, fairly slim. He missed a major portion of last season due to an undisclosed injury, so he lost some key development time. But nothing is set in stone yet. 19 RETO BERRA CGY 2006-106 After a spectacular showing in the 2013 World Championships for Switzerland, 28 9 Berra signed a deal with Calgary and then had a solid showing in their develop- ment camp. He’s slated for the #3 role, but his NHL debut is not far off. 20 MALCOLM SUBBAN BOS 2012-24 Subban is likely to turn pro this upcoming season, which is enough of a boost to 22 2 push him to the #4 spot in the depth chart behind Svedberg. He’ll have his ups and downs as a rookie, but there’s no denying his long-term upside. 21 MARK VISENTIN PHX 2010-27 Mark was one of only five 1992-born goalies that played in the AHL this season, 21 0 so as a rookie, his development and political outlook was very strong. Alongside goalie coach Sean Burke, he is firmly entrenched in the Top-25 all summer long. 22 JEFF ZATKOFF PIT 2006-74 Zatkoff is stuck behind Tomas Vokoun in Pittsburgh, will be an UFA after this 20 -2 season, and may hear the oncoming footsteps of the bigger and younger Eric Hartzell, who is the new kid on the block after signing a new two-year ELC. 23 ANTTI RAANTA CHI Undrafted After winning just about every award a goalie could possibly win in the SM-li- X X iga last season, Raanta is suddenly one groin pull or back flare up from Nikolai Khabibulin away from making his NHL debut. 24 JACK CAMPBELL DAL 2010-11 Campbell will continue his slow and steady progression in Texas this season. 24 0 Playing with Nilstorp will allow him to continue learning from a veteran presence, but more will be expected of his performances in his sophomore AHL campaign. 25 PHILIPP GRUBAUER WSH 2010-112 Grubauer will be pushed for playing time in Hershey now that David Leggio has 23 -2 arrived on the scene. Nevertheless, he’s still a highly-respected prospect by the coaching staff, and he’ll continue to develop his skills as a full-time AHL goalie..