View from the Crease

In this installment of "View from the Crease," McKeen's correspondent Kevin Hopson highlights Niagara IceDogs goalie Mark Visentin. Niagara goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok, who is also assistant goaltending coach for the Nashville Predators, shares his thoughts on the OHL netminder.

If you look at Mark Visentin's numbers this season, you might wonder why he is such a highly-touted prospect heading into next spring's NHL Entry Draft. The fact of the matter is that statistics do not always tell the whole story. No disrespect to the Niagara IceDogs, but when a team has one of the most anemic offenses in the league, a goalie like Visentin - even at his best - is not going to win many games. Also, when your defensive corps is giving up an obscene amount of shots just about every night, a netminder's goals-against-average is going to inevitably suffer.

This is why you have to analyze Visentin's game from a different perspective - how it adapts to the NHL. At six-foot-one and 185 pounds, Visentin already possesses an adequate frame. However, it is his patient - yet assertive - style of play that really stands out. For example, Visentin is a highly-technical goaltender with a very strong positional game. He will wait out shooters and aggressively cut down angles by situating himself outside the crease. Visentin also enjoys quality mobility, quick reflexes and effective recovery skills.

"Mark's poise and determination are very good," Niagara goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok said. "He always tries to execute the proper technique at the right time to give him the best odds at stopping the puck. Mark is very mobile, too, which allows him to get into position quickly. Mark's recovery is very quick and efficient, whether he is required to stay down or needs to get back to his feet. Mark spends a lot of time working on his mobility and recovery, and we often use Marc-Andre Fleury as a model."

Visentin's most valuable asset, though, may be invisible to the common spectator.

"Mark's best asset is what people may not see through his game performance every night, and that is his work ethic," Vanderklok noted. "He is a bulldog during practice. He spends a great deal of time on video work, one-on-one goalie work, and his off-ice training is excellent."

As good as Visentin's game is, he always sees room for improvement.

"Mark is a student of the game," Vanderklok commented. "He works on his game every day. Although speed, quickness and technique are areas that they (goaltenders) always work on, we recently began spending more time on his ability to read plays. Mark does a lot of work trying to recognize what the puckcarrier is trying to accomplish - all the pass options that the puckcarrier may have, which hand the puckcarrier shoots with, along with the shooting hands of the pass options."

Much like Ryan Miller and Pascal Leclaire, Visentin aggressively challenges shooters by regularly positioning himself outside of the crease. When I asked Vanderklok which NHL goalies he would compare Visentin to, and what he thought of Visentin's NHL potential, he emphasized Mark's economical game and determination.

"Comparing someone to a current NHL player is always difficult. However, Mark's technical game is very similar to Carey Price. Also, Mark has a very good 'battle' in him, which is comparable to many NHLers such as Kipper (Miikka Kiprusoff) or (Marc-Andre) Fleury. I feel with Mark's continued work ethic, passion and commitment, he has a very bright future in this game," Vanderklok concluded.

Scouting Report

Mark Visentin (2010), G, Niagara IceDogs

Generously built (6-1, 185), hybrid goalie who utilizes both the stand-up and butterfly styles .. very aggressive in challenging shooters, as he frequently situates himself outside the crease .. technically sound and plays a very strong positional game .. will load the short side and also use the paddle-down technique to take away sharp-angled shots .. effective with his stick, as he does a quality job of poke checking the puck in close and clearing it out of harm's way .. successful at directing off-center shots into the corners using both his stick and pads .. displays great patience and will hold his ground in traffic, as well as in situations where players are cutting to the net .. lets the puckhandler make the first move, which works to his advantage, particularly during breakaways and odd-man rushes .. can quickly descend to his knees when needed .. in fact, his leg reflexes are so good that he can drop into a full butterfly and adequately close the five-hole when the shot is in close .. communicates with his defensemen and lets them know where to be on the ice .. can stop the puck behind the net and either ring it away from the forechecking pressure or provide a useful outlet pass .. unfortunately, he is inconsistent and can lose focus at times .. though his numbers are not spectacular, he faces an obscene amount of shots almost every time he is in net .. this is due to a frail defensive corps in front of him, coupled with one of the most anemic offenses in the OHL .. possesses the ability to steal games and has the potential to flourish at a higher level, where his teammates will likely do a better job of supporting him.