Member's Blog

I have had to do a fair bit of learning about goalies and goaltending because my 10-yr old son has taken up goaltending (much to my dismay...why do some people take pleasure in stopping frozen pieces of rubber with their body parts? Especially their head?)

A year ago, after watching pre-season games where both Elliot and Price were in, the one thing I can say is that both are very mobile, and both move exceptionally well. I have heard a lot of people say that Elliot has the potential to be like Price; I don't doubt it.

His speed across the net, his vision of the play, his anticipation were all excellent. I didn't see a significant drop-off (there was a slight difference, but it was small) when you compared Elliot to Price - keep in mind that when I saw Price up close, it was just as he was breaking in to the NHL, though. What I found interesting was that Elliot actually seemed a bit more confident when he was handling the puck. He did have a few miscues with misplaying angles and such, but nothing major. I didn't see anything acrobatic however - it was all very technical, very precise, very "by the book" (my son has done camps with Eli Wilson, and it was exactly the way Wilson teaches - almost no improvisation at all; kind of freaky actually, like watching a "how-to" video.)

For those who play goalie, or who have studied the position, you will understand. You only have to watch the butterfly and the half-butterfly, the T-glide and shuffle from post to post and simple body movements. Emery's style is one born of athleticism, one which Wilson was trying to mold to a more technical style. Gerber's is more technical, but somehow less precise, although it's hard to describe how or why.

When I saw Price and Elliot, it was like watching one goalie in a mirror - the technical precision was amazing. There were segments of the game where my son and I would lose track of the rest of the play, and would just watch the video screen replay to marvel at the consistency, precision, and machine-like efficiency of each movement.

All in all, to my inexperienced eye, I'd have to say that, much like Price, Elliot does look like he has the potential, although it is much more raw. It comes down to how much Eli can mold that raw talent.

We may already have our Franchise Goalie.