Detroit Red Wings: 3 future goalies to watch within the organization
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings will need a lockdown star goalie in the future, and the answer might lie within the organization.
As the Detroit Red Wings continue to work through the rebuild and General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman keeps building something special, take a look into the future. The Red Wings are not a competitive team quite yet, and when they do resume competitiveness, they will need a goalie.
Currently, 2019-20 Red Wings MVP Jonathan Bernier and offseason signee Thomas Greiss are holding down the tandem. They are serving as a 1A and 1B type tandem and are a stopgap for the future of goaltending.
However, the answer to the future goaltender of this organization is not yet known. Yzerman will need to find himself an Andrei Vasilevskiy for this organization. The two big questions: who and where?
There is a decent chance that the future of Red Wings’ goaltending comes from within the organization. While Ken Holland may not have left the organization in the greatest of shape or with a plethora of prospects, with Yzerman’s recent drafts and current prospects, there are a few that stand out.
Jan Bednar, Carter Gylander, and Keith Petruzzelli are three options for goalies within the organization that could prove to be a future netminder for the Red Wings and solution to the issue. Take a look at each of these three goaltenders and why they might blossom into a future star.
Jan Bednar: Currently listed to play for Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL in 2020-21
In the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on day two, the Detroit Red Wings selected Jan Bednar with the 107th overall draft choice. Bednar is a goaltender from the Czech Republic who is coming over to North America to play for the first time in the upcoming 2020-21 season.
Bednar is a 6-foot-4, 196-pound netminder who catches with the left-hand and somebody who seems to be pretty sound in between the pipes. He has played in the Czech leagues in recent years, also spending time at the international level.
In 2019-20, Bednar played for HC Energie Karlovy Vary, logging 13 games where he posted a 4.39 goals-against average (GAA) and a .884 save percentage (SV%), which is not the most ideal. He would be loaned to HC Banik Sokolov, where he played more games, 24 to be exact.
In those 24 contests, Bednar posted a 3.26 GAA and .873 SV%. He also logged 12 games at the international level, where he had a 3.21 GAA and .892 SV% for the U18 Czech National team. He may not have breathtaking stats that are super-thrilling, but the talent is there.
Bednar is a raw talent that will take some time to develop, he has the ability to square pucks up well, and if he does get caught, he has exceptional reach. That being said, if Bednar can boost his development immensely over in North America, he could be a goalie to keep an eye on.