Ivan Prosvetov 2017 NHL Draft Profile

Player: Ivan Prosvetov

Position: Goalie

Height: 6’5” Weight: 185 lbs.

Catches: Left

Team: Minnesota Magicians(NAHL)

Final NHL Central Scouting rank: 31st among North American goalies

What I Like

Pro size

Prosvetov hit a relatively late growth spurt, going from sub-six feet tall to a a listed 6’5”(probably closer to 6’4”) over the past two years. When he’s in position, he takes away a lot of the net. He’s got the requisite size to be a modern NHL goalie.

Quick into the butterfly

For being a 6’5” goalie, Prosvetov is remarkably quick and agile. It’s tough to beat him low because he is really quick down into his butterfly. When he gets those long legs down on the ice, there just isn’t much to shoot at along the ice. His technique isn’t always perfect, but he’s got raw athleticism that could be refined with coaching and experience.

Effective

All that really matters for goalies is that they stop the puck, and Prosvetov stopped a lot of them this year. He was tied for third in the NAHL—a league that has produced a lot of nice goalies—with a .928 save percentage this past season. Prosvetov was on a good team with a veteran blue line this year, which always helps, and the NAHL is generally a bit friendlier to goalie stat lines than the USHL or CHL. But still, Prosvetov’s numbers are impressive regardless of context. The fact that he could do that while showing so much room for improvement with some of his technique suggests he has a really high ceiling.

What I Don’t Like

Wonky glove

The biggest area for improvement with Prosvetov is with his glove. Too often, he tries to make glove saves with an awkward stabbing motion and he doesn’t catch and control the puck. Maybe that’s residual awkwardness from the growth spurt, but it will take some time to correct and improve that.

Not strong in the crease

Prosvetov is listed at 185 lbs., but is probably closer to 170. He has a tendency to overslide or get pushed out of position in scramble situations or when there is heavy traffic in front of the net. He’s pretty good at facing down the first shot when he has time to set up with his big frame, but could stand to improve on stopping second and third opportunities.

Draft Projection

Prosvetov is a complete from-the-heels home run swing. There will be probably 10-20 goalies taken in this draft. If we were ranking the best 10-20 goalies as of today, I don’t think Prosvetov comes anywhere close to making that list. But with his combination of size and athleticism, there aren’t many goalies that have as much potential upside as him. He’s worth a late round draft pick with the hopes that it all comes together in the next few years.

Pro Projection

Nobody drafts a goalie believing he has the upside of a career back-up. Prosvetov is definitely a project pick; he’s years away from the NHL. But it’s easy to see the potential that with the right coaching and development, he could turn into a really good goalie some day. He’s got the raw tools to be a starter in the NHL some day.

Prosvetov was the sixth overall selection in the 2016 KHL Draft, and appears headed back over there at some point. But he has shown the ability to come over to North America once before. It’s worth the risk if you think he’s got the potential to be an NHL goalie.