Jake Oettinger

January 2023 – This is Oettinger’s first year as the clear-cut number-one goalie for the Dallas Stars. Not only has he done well, but he has surpassed all expectations that one would have of a 24-year-old goalie. He has been in the top five of all the NHL in save percentage, goals-against average, and shutouts for a majority of the season. His tracking ability and anticipation of the opponent’s next move, always have him one step ahead of the attacking player. He uses his big body to his advantage and makes sure to have the correct positioning. His mental game at such a young age is what puts him on another level compared to other goalies his age. Barring injuries, he will only go up from here. Oettinger has already started breaking records in his short career. Taylor Newby

June 2022 – In a wild seven-game series against the Calgary Flames, Oettinger was absolutely fantastic. A .954 save percentage with a 1.81 GAA, Oettinger’s numbers are beyond compare for any other goaltender his age. A regular season dynamo as well, Oettinger will surely take on a bigger role Dallas’ bona-fide starter next year. Aaron Itovitch

March 2021 – Oettinger is poised to steal the Dallas net. Oettinger has three wins, a 2.12 GAA, a .916 sv% and one shutout in his eight starts this season. It is worth noting Anton Khudobin did take the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in the bubble, and former Vezina candidate Ben Bishop is looming on the IR, but with both goalies in their mid 30’s it it Oettingers crease down the road. However, the way that Oettinger has been playing that road might not be that long. Oettinger has the makings of a number one goalie and Dallas’ defensive core might be the deepest in the league which bodes well for good fantasy stats. Mike Kosciesza

August 2020 – Oettinger has been named as Dallas’ number three goalie for the NHL restart. Considering he is still yet to turn 22 years old, this is a very promising step for the young goaltender. Oettinger finished the AHL season on a very strong note with 121 saves in his last three games (while only allowing six goals) and sporting a 0.953 SV% in the process. This was a great test for the young goalie as he proved that he could be relied upon for a heavy workload in the professional ranks. I expect him to fight for the backup position next year but ultimately spend the bulk of the 2020-21 in the AHL. Jordan Lambe  

February 2020 – Oettinger has not allowed over three goals in a game in nearly a month, and in that span he has a 0.923 save percentage and a 2.32 goals against average. It seems as if the rookie goaltender is growing more and more comfortable at the pro levels as both these numbers are a fair bit better than his yearly average of 0.912 SV% and 2.63 GAA. With progress like this, one has to think that Jim Nill will at least consider using him as a backup option next year with Anton Khudobin’s contract concluding at year’s end. Jordan Lambe

February 2020 – Oettinger has had a good rookie campaign for Texas. He currently ranks third in both SV% and GAA amongst rookie goalies on a below-average team. It was expected that he would likely have to battle for playing time, but he has seemingly succeeded as he has played the majority of games for the Stars. His numbers this season have been considerably better than Landon Bow’s, which is impressive in itself for the rookie. However, the Stars have a bit of a log jam in the net. If you are willing to wait out and let Oettinger develop, he has the potential to be a very good goalie at the NHL level, especially after his promising rookie campaign thus far. Brandon Floyd

April 2019 – After signing an entry level contract with the Stars, Oettinger played in his first professional game with the Texas Stars. He stopped 23/24 shots in their victory over the Iowa Wild and looked excellent. This should be extremely reassuring for Stars’ fans as Oettinger had a somewhat difficult three years at Boston University. He posted a solid 58-39-11 record in that timeframe; however, he was 16-16-4 this season with a 2.45 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. Although it was a down year for BU, Oettinger was somewhat inconsistent. He has also represented the United States twice at the World Juniors and wasn’t particularly impressive there either. Oettinger still plays a very similar style as in his draft year. He is extremely athletic and relies heavily on his size. Despite him being so large, he moves well in the net and is able to control his rebounds sufficiently. For many goalies, the transition to professional hockey can be a challenging one; however, for Oettinger this may not be the case. He has a very strong mental game and has great composure which may allow for him to adapt well. It is very hard to rattle him, and he has an extremely calm demeanor. As he comes into the Stars prospect pool, he immediately becomes one of Dallas’ strongest prospects and their best goaltending prospect. Oettinger cannot play in the NHL this season as he is on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the year and his entry level deal will not kick in until next season. That being said, Stars fans should watch out for him in the near future. Although goalies tend to take more time to develop, Oettinger is more suited to make an impact sooner than others. Brandon Floyd

October 2018 – Oettinger has had a troubling start to the NCAA campaign, dropping his first four starts. Even more troubling than the four losses are his 0.878 save percentage and 4.77 goals against average. After an up-and-down season as a sophomore in 2017-2018, he will need to find some consistency in his junior year. Dallas has had a bad history of inconsistent goaltending, something they do not want to see in their top prospect at the position. It is important to note that his sophomore season also started out slow, so it will be interesting to see if this is a coincidence or if this starts a trend for his career. Nate Duffett

May 2018 – Overall, 2017-2018 was a good season for Jake Oettinger. A season in which his play gradually got better as the season went on. After starting the campaign slowly with a 0,902 save percentage in his first 17 games, Oettinger’s play got better after the WJC where he won bronze. He came back to the NCAA with a record of 6-1-0 in January and was named Hockey East goalie of the month. In March, the Terriers won the Hockey East Tournament and he was selected as the tournament MVP. He then finished the season very strongly by posting a 7-1-1 record and a 0,945 save percentage in the last nines games of the season. It will be interesting to watch him next season since the Terriers should be even better. Brady Tkachuk already announced that he’ll be back and they’ll have some interesting new faces in Joel Farabee, Jack Wise, and Tyler Weiss. JPMac

January 2017 – Oettinger made the World Junior team for the United States making the start in the win versus Canada, but probably wished he could have had a better performance on the big stage. It’s been that kind of year for him, ups and downs. While playing the net for Boston University he has posted a 2.91 GAA and .902 save percentage through 17 games in his sophomore year. Oettinger is likely one of the better goalie prospects, and look for him to have a more consistent second half of his collegiate season. With his size and athleticism, the tools are there. Matt Kowalski

July 2017 – Likely the best goalie in the 2017 draft, Jake Oettinger has found early success everywhere he has played. As a high school Freshman, he led Lakeville North to the ultra-competitive Minnesota High School State tournament. Then as a Freshman at Boston University he won the crease over two older classmen, and never relented. He posted a 2.11 GAA and .927 save percentage in 35 games, and tallied one of his best games during the NCAA tournament against the stacked University of North Dakota. Oettinger had 56 saves and stole the game from UND.

Jake uses his large frame to cut down on angles, plays quick with smooth lateral movement, and has a great glove. Yet perhaps his best asset is his composure. Oettinger never gets rattled, always remains calm. His longtime goalie coach, David Rogalski proclaims “his mind is beyond elite.” He stays within himself well, and seems to have his best stuff when under the most pressure. Still very young, especially for a goaltender, he’ll turn 19 in December, where he’ll be back at BU. It sounds like he’ll stay for all four years at BU, something that isn’t uncommon for goalies. Usually it takes longer for goalies to make their NHL debut, but given Oettinger’s incredible maturity, it could be sooner than later. It may not be crazy to expect him to debut before the age of 24. –Matt Kowalski