With the Olympic Games going on and Damian Clara winning the hearts of hockey fans across the world, this felt like the perfect time to check in on some of the NHL drafted goaltenders currently developing in the SHL.
Goalies are weird prospects. Development isn’t linear, and production can lie to you. The SHL is an extremely difficult environment for young goaltenders. Shots are placed well, traffic is heavy, and mistakes get punished immediately. You learn very quickly who has real NHL traits and who just dominates junior shooters.
Stay tuned in to Swedish hockey and the SHL all year long — updates are coming every third Monday of the month. Enjoy.
***
Melker Thelin (G, 6-2, 176) – Färjestad BK (SHL) – UTA, 5th Rd, 134th Overall
SHL Stats: 15 GP | 2.69 GAA | .889 SV%
Thelin is a very agile goaltender and tracks the puck really well through movement and broken plays. His pushes and shuffles are strong and controlled, and he’s particularly effective down low where he stays compact and follows second chances nicely. He battles and competes better than most young goalies at this level.
The problem right now is his frame and hand positioning. Thelin isn’t a massive goalie and he keeps his hands low, which leads to him getting beaten high too often. Shooters at the pro level recognize that quickly. When pucks go upstairs he struggles to seal the top corners consistently and it shows up repeatedly over multiple viewings.
There’s definitely a foundation here. The tracking and mobility are legit — but he’s a long-term project. If everything develops properly I could see an NHL path for Thelin but realistically it profiles more like a potential backup goaltender.
*
Damian Clara (G, 6-6, 214) – Brynäs IF (SHL) – ANA, 2nd Rd, 60th Overall
SHL Stats: 30 GP | 2.49 GAA | .888 SV%
The Olympic hype is real, but he’s still very much a developing goalie.
For a 6-6 goaltender, Clara’s initial push and quickness are impressive. He tracks pucks well, stays composed, and his reactions are generally strong. He doesn’t panic and he looks comfortable facing pro shooters, which matters a lot at this stage. You can see why teams bet on him, the physical tools are obvious.
Where Clara struggles is recovery. Once he commits to the first chance he can end up completely out of range for the second play. He has difficulty resetting after lateral attacks and extended zone time can expose him right now. He hasn’t fully figured out the SHL pace yet and you see sequences where plays develop faster than he can reset his positioning. That said, in my opinion Clara has a real shot at becoming an NHL goaltender. I wouldn’t project a starter ceiling right now, but a future NHL backup, and a useful one, feels like a very realistic outcome if the technical game catches up to the physical tools.
*
Marcus Gidlöf (G, 6-7, 223) – Leksands IF (SHL) – NYI, 5th Rd, 147th Overall
SHL Stats: 21 GP | 3.06 GAA | .888 SV%
Gidlöf is a massive goaltender and he plays like he knows it. He gets out aggressively to cut angles and gives shooters almost nothing in clean 1-on-1 looks. His positioning details are above average for his age and his hand placement is solid — he forces shooters into near-perfect shots to beat him.
The issue is what happens after the first save. Gidlöf’s rebound control can be inconsistent and his reaction time isn’t elite. He also takes a long time to reset after saves, which leads to vulnerable second chances. When plays extend, the game starts to speed up on him. There’s a lot of refinement needed technically, but the size combined with his positional base gives him legitimate upside. Gidlöf is a long-term project and far away from NHL ready, but there’s a pathway if his recovery and overall technical mechanics improve over time.
*
Olof Glifford (G, 6-5, 198) – HV71 (SHL) – FLA, 5th Rd, 159th Overall
SHL Stats: 5 GP | 2.84 GAA | .878 SV%
Glifford might be the most interesting one mechanically. He’s shockingly quick for his size and battles hard around the crease. His reactions are good and he competes on broken plays, but tracking is a real issue, especially on distance shots through traffic or deflections. Glifford gets beaten from range by shots he should stop too often, and his blocker side is particularly vulnerable. Rebound control can also get messy, creating unnecessary second chances. The frustrating part is he actually looks technically sound in structure, but the reads just aren’t consistent yet.
There is upside because Glifford is large, quick, and mobile, but he’s the furthest away developmentally out of this group. His tracking, rebound management, and shot recognition need to be tightened up before a serious NHL projection can be made.
*
Måns Goos (G, 6-5, 198) – Färjestad BK (SHL) – DAL, 5th Rd, 158th Overall
SHL Stats: 1 GP | 12.24 GAA | .500 SV%
Goos is a big goaltender who relies heavily on structure and positioning rather than athleticism. He is positionally sound and understands where he needs to be to take away space from shooters. In one-on-one situations he’s excellent, cutting down the angle extremely well and giving attackers very little net to look at. When plays are clean and predictable he looks very controlled and confident.
At times, though, he can sit a little too deep in his crease. Against stronger shooters that extra space shows up quickly and forces him into reaction saves rather than controlled ones. He isn’t a particularly fast goalie either, so when he has to rely on recovery speed instead of positioning he can get exposed.
His rebound control is quietly one of his better traits. He does a good job directing pucks into safer areas and limiting second chances, which helps stabilize his game and keeps him from scrambling too often.
Overall, Goos’ foundation is solid and the 1v1 ability is very strong, but the ceiling will depend on whether he can improve his crease management and lateral quickness as the pace of play increases.
***
Thanks for reading! I’m Greysen — a Winnipeg-based scout working with the Olds Grizzlys in the AJHL.
Always analyzing, always learning. Follow my work on Twitter: @goudygreysen