The Blue Jackets used a fifth-round pick at last weekend’s NHL Draft on Parker Snell, a goaltender out of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, and the selection fits the kind of lottery-ticket swing teams often make in the crease.
Snell was one of 32 goaltenders chosen on day two of the draft, the most in a single draft since 33 were taken in 2004. That’s the reality of drafting goalies: teams are digging deep, looking for upside, and hoping they’ve found the one who can outgrow his slot.
This past season was Snell’s rookie year in the WHL, and he split the net with 19-year-old Ethan Simcoe for most of it. The two shared the workload pretty evenly for a while, but the finish line told a different story. By the end of the season, it looked like Snell had taken over the Oil Kings’ crease.
He appeared in 33 games and went 21-9-1 with a .895 save percentage, a 2.74 goals-against average and three shutouts. Simcoe played in 38 games, though only three of those came in March, compared to six for Snell.
That same shift carried into the playoffs. The starts were still divided early, but when Edmonton was eliminated, Snell had the net. He played the team’s final two games, on consecutive nights, and finished his postseason with a 2-1-1 record, a .924 save percentage and a 2.22 goals-against average.
At 6-foot-2, Snell gives a goalie coach plenty to work with. He covers a lot of the net, moves well laterally and plays with an aggressive, athletic style built on length and reflexes. The flash is there too - the kind of saves that jump off the screen and make you think there’s real upside here.
There are rough edges, though. At times, his angle can drift, which forces him to lean on those reflexes more than he should. And when he makes the kind of dazzling stop that gets people talking, rebounds can follow.
That’s the part he’ll need to clean up before he turns pro. At the next level, shooters will find corners faster, and they won’t wait around for second chances.
Still, there’s something interesting here. Snell has a game that looks projectable, and the comparison that comes to mind is Elvis Merzlikins at the same age. If the Blue Jackets get that kind of value from a fifth-round pick, that’s a strong outcome.
Late-round goalie picks are always a gamble, but they’re the kind worth taking. Don Waddell and the Blue Jackets have already done a good job building out the goaltending pipeline, and Snell adds another name to the mix without hurting anything.
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