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The Detroit Red Wings selected Swiss goalie Joren Van Pottelberghe in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
The organization has already re-signed Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum this offseason, and Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard are battling it out in the NHL. The recent re-signing of Coreau and McCollum takes any pressure off Van Pottelberghe to be counted on in the next few seasons. Like the vast majority of Red Wings prospects, I expect Van Pottelberghe to gain more experience at the junior level before getting into the AHL rotation in two or three years. If he does well in the AHL, the team might then streamline him into an NHL backup role behind whoever the starting goaltender is at that point.
At only 18 years old, Van Pottelberghe has plenty of time to grow. I predict two years of junior league play, followed by three years of AHL experience before Van Pottelberghe gets a serious look at NHL backup minutes. In the Red Wings’ recent development camp, Van Pottelberghe stopped all four shootout attempts he faced. The other goalies to participate — Jake Peterson, Tomas Kral and Chase Perry — each allowed two goals. Obviously that doesn’t mean much at this stage, but it’s nice to see him standing out amongst his immediate peer group.
The future is bright for the Red Wings between the pipes, and Van Pottelberghe will be a name to keep an eye on as he develops.
Josh VanDyke covers the Detroit Red Wings for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter.
