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Ben Scrivens, G |
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Catches: L |
Height: 6-2 |
Weight: 192 |
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Born: 1986-09-11 |
Hometown: Spruce Grove, AB |
Drafted: Undrafted – Signed as Free Agent |
Observations:
January 2014 – We could sing ‘On the Road Again’ but Scrivens is actually now back at home. The Oilers are searching for whatever they can find in the crease and his familiarity with coach Dallas Eakins makes him a comfortable option to call upon. His numbers are great in the NHL through 50+ games, yet his style still is very uncomfortable to watch but gets the job done so far, much like ‘The Dominator’ or Tim Thomas. As long as Eakins is in Edmonton, Scrivens should have some job security, but they will try and find a much stronger and proven starter to play in front of him. Seems like I have to bite my words on my expectations that his play would not support fantasy considerations, fresh off strong postings on a strong team, he has continued ticking for the Oilers despite their lowly struggles. Jason Banks
August 2013 – Scrivens was dealt to LA as part of the package for Jon Bernier, and now inherits pretty much the best job on paper in the NHL, temporarily. He will now sit behind Jon Quick playing once every three weeks, enjoy the California lifestyle in the lights of LA, and will once again be a favorite in the West. The Kings are big on up and comer Martin Jones, but feel one final tour of duty in Manchester is needed before he is given an NHL opportunity, Scrivens gives the Kings a competent bridge for a year. His numbers should remain decent, but barring an injury to Quick, I wouldn’t expect 20 games that he seen last season and he has no opportunity to move up in this organization only backwards. Jason Banks
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March 2013 – Those that are taking a chance on owning Scrivens at the moment are gaining some rewarding stretches and pulling their hair out at other times. Scrivens has not been terrible for the Leafs, but many nights he struggles with positioning, poor decision making and general consistency. His last 5 games have been very questionable as he lost 3 decisions with a 3.97 GAA and .878 SV%. If Toronto goes out and acquires another goalie, Scrivens will be back in the AHL. The only reason you should be holding him is because there is nothing else available in your league. He has always engaged fore-checkers around his crease with body positioning and holding up his stick, but lately he has taken it up another level by kicking his feet out at players close by or pulling their skates out from below them with his stick. A couple of these extra-curricular activities have led to goals against due to poor positioning after he commits the acts and a couple minor penalties. This shows a lack of game maturity and composure in his play. A couple of years ago I was very much on the ‘Scrivens wagon’ but his play in the AHL playoffs and overall this season has really pushed me away from liking this goaltender. Instead of flaws in his game, they seem to have grown into issues. Jason Banks
December 2012 – Inconsistency and poor game handling has been a major problem in Scrivens’ game this season. He has not looked anywhere close to the robotic, large goalie he showed in the previous two years. Instead he is staying well back in the blue ice, which has allowed shooters to find holes to shoot at. The book also seems to be out on him – shoot high on him. His catching style has its flaws and he drops to his knees too soon. His compete level is also not there, personally I would say that due to his strength early in his pro career, he has either thought that it would continue with less work or that he feels entitled to the role he currently occupies. Due to the strength of the Marlies defense that includes, Jake Gardiner, Korbinian Holzer, Mark Fraser and Paul Ranger, Scrivens’ numbers do not look overly poor with a 2.39 GAA with a .910 SV%, but he is only seeing 24.3 shots per game. Jason Banks
October 2012 – Due to the NHL lockout, many goaltenders are losing out on opportunities to become regulars at the top level of professional hockey; Scrivens represents potentially the largest opportunity lost. With Toronto’s murky situation on the back end, he was poised to see a fair amount of NHL action and compete for a large role on the Leafs. James Reimer and Scrivens would be the league’s youngest and most inexperienced tandem. Now he will continue to work his game and compete on the Marlies until another opportunity arises. Scrivens is a large goalkeeper, who plays a very technically sound game. He is not a goaltender with good talent, but rather stays square and blocks pucks. He has been very suited to the Marlies’ strong, mobile defense they have had the past couple years and was a perfect student to the game Francois Allaire taught. He is not quick in the crease, but positioning has been the key to posting impressive numbers in minor pro. He also has an unfortunate tendency to chase ill-advised dump-ins and shoot-a-rounds, which result in regular emergency situations within the crease area, one such situation led to an overtime game losing goal in the AHL championship finals. Scrivens will not steal games for his teams, nor does he control games strongly, rather he rolls with the game flow and gives the team opportunity to succeed. Currently at the age of 26, his potential for growth is rather stunted and is rather close to its peak.
Fantasy Outlook: C-
Has shown he can hang with the big boys in the NHL, looks like he will be a journyman backup option going forward.
Footage:
Compilation of Scrivens’ work at the NHL level, and some of his NCAA career.
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