from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

A little over a year ago, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was trading up in the NHL entry draft to acquire a second first-round selection. With that pick, he was tabbing Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Cossa 15th overall. Five picks later, the Minnesota Wild selected Wallstedt. Most draft pundits rated Wallstedt as the top netminder eligible for the 2021 draft.

Did Yzerman pick the wrong goaltender? At this juncture, to suggest that is patently unfair, perhaps even bordering on foolhardy.

World Junior Success Not Always Pathway To NHL Greatness

As much as everyone likes to see their team’s prospects shining when on the game’s biggest stages, the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t always mean greatness is blooming. Judging a goaltender’s quality off of a world junior performance is akin to writing off a 19-year-old netminder because they didn’t step to the fore.

Looking back at the netminders who were earning golden moments at the World Juniors, there isn’t a track record of NHL success on most resumes. For every Juuse Saros (Finland, 2014), John Gibson (USA, 2013) and Carey Price (Canada, 2007), there are countless guys like Dmitri Shikin, Jeff Glass, Tomas Duba and Tyler Parsons.

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