Prospect Files: Malcolm Subban

After the recent Hiatus from work and this blog, while I was away at the world Juniors for the past 2 weeks, my first week back to work was nuts. Add to that, that this week's prospect file was slated to be a goaltender and I felt unable to do this piece justice. As the saying goes, 'behind every good man is a better woman,' I decided to let my beautiful girlfriend, who is also a goaltender, to take the ropes of the article for this week. I asked her to write it in the style that I have for the past few months that you have come to love and even though she felt a little reigned in, she still went to work and wrote a great piece! Please enjoy.

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Prospect Files for Friday January 13, 2012

By: Ashley Romano

This week we take a look at another top prospect for the 2012 NHL entry draft. He now wears the same colours as his older brother PK did, who played 4 OHL seasons with the Belleville Bulls. We will be going past the Bulls’ defensive line to look at the very last line. The puck stops with Malcolm Subban...

The Line:

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 188 lbs

Shoots/Catches: Left

Position: Goaltender

Draft Eligible: 2012

Coming out of Etobicoke, Ontario Malcolm Subban learned to skate at Nathan Phillips Square with his father and gained the love for hockey while he played on a homemade backyard ice rink with his brothers, who have all turned out to be tremendous hockey players in their own respective careers. Of the Subban siblings, he is the only one to take on the goaltending position; both PK and Jordan have taken to being successful defensemen. Younger brother Jordan also plays for the Belleville Bulls.

 Already twice named CHL Player of the Week this season, Belleville Bulls goaltender, Malcolm Subban is lighting it up and putting last year to shame. He has faced 561 shots and has a GAA of 1.93. In November, he recorded 2 shutouts with a 9-1-0-0 record which gave him the title of Vaughn OHL Goaltender of the Month. On Wednesday, he was named the #1 top ranked North American Goaltender in this year’s NHL Central Scouting Services mid-season draft rankings.

Subban’s goaltending style shows that he tracks players with the puck well, with smooth movements in the crease. Malcolm is not a goalie who sinks back to play on top of the goal line. A mostly stand up to butterfly quick goalie, he uses his size to the advantage to block the angle and comes out past the edge of the crease to further intimidate the shooter. With extremely quick hand eye coordination he makes calculated moves to make glove saves - saves that only he can make look easy. That, among other reasons, proves why he is ranked #1 in North America.

Things have not always been golden for the #1 top ranked, Malcolm Subban. He had a less than stellar rookie season playing 32 games with a 10-17-0-2-5 record; he still managed to record a .900 save percentage which is currently a career best. Half way through this season he’s already won more games that he did all of last season, with the current powerful Bulls team in front of him. They are ranked 3^rd in the East Division, 1 point out of 2^nd (Peterborough Petes) and 12 points out of 1^st (Ottawa 67’s).

Malcolm Subban oozes natural athletic ability. In the goalie crease he screams talent by showing off incredible flexibility with his long padded legs being able to stretch enough to block the puck trying to get past him while the rest of his body is seemly on the other side of the crease. With all these positive results coming from his end of the ice, we aren’t surprised that he has gained the #1 spot. We expect him to be picked in the 1^st round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

NHL Player Comparison: Marc Andre Fleury