The Edmonton Oilers made a shocking trade back in November with their rivals to the south, sending off an established NHL defender and a goaltending prospect for a forward with an NHL prayer and a goalie who once lit up Rexall Place as a star at the junior level. That goalie’s name? Rookie pro Laurent Brossoit, and he became the hottest prospect in net for Edmonton in a few short months.
The Means Of Entry:
The Oilers made a shocking trade with Calgary back in early November after the team struggled big time out of the gate. Edmonton shifted veteran defender Ladislav Smid and prospect Olivier Roy to hated Calgary in exchange for former Oil Kings’ goalie and rookie Laurent Brossoit, and prospect forward Roman Horak.
Brossoit had played in three full seasons with the Oil Kings prior to his pro debut this year, which was split between the ECHL and the AHL. LB played in the BCHL during the 2009-10 season while also appearing in a handful of games for the Oil Kings.
The Boxcars:
Laurent Brossoit’s career path is a typical one for late round goalies. LB played his first full season in Edmonton for the Oil Kings in 2010-11, getting backup duty and appearing in 34 games, posting a 13-12-2 record with a .887 SV% and a 3.32 GAA. LB took over the starter’s role in 2011-12, playing in 61 games and going 42-13-5 with a .914 SV% and a 2.47 GAA.
LB back-stopped the Oil Kings to a WHL Championship that season, and made an appearance in the Memorial Cup. The following year, LB dominated again, improving his numbers in 49 games to 33-8-6 with a very good .917 SV% and 2.25 GAA. LB would appear in 22 WHL playoff games that year as Edmonton lost in the league championship to Portland.
LB turned pro this past season, starting in the ECHL with the Alaska Aces, playing in three games and posting a perfect 1.000 SV%. That’s when Edmonton bit, and LB was moved to the Bakersfield Condors as part of the trade from the Flame organization.
In 35 games with the Condors, LB was sensational, coming out with a record of 24-9-2 for a team that was sub-.500 without him, and posting a sparkling .923 SV% and a 2.14 GAA. Not to mention, LB posted eight total shut-outs all season, and was great in 16 ECHL playoff contests.
He was a bit off in the AHL, getting into action in eight games with the Barons and posting a .888 SV%, well below his ECHL totals. He also backed up in Edmonton for a short stretch, but did not see any game time.
The Player:
Laurent Brossoit is currently 21 years old and is one year into what is a promising pro career. He’s decently sized at 6’3” and 202 pounds, and is a guy that has handled the pressure of playing in Edmonton before, although not at the level that he will face if he makes it in the NHL with the Oil.
LB, as mentioned, has a lot of size for a goalie of his age, and that’s an advantage. Bigger goalies take up more of the net, which is a solid plus. The Hockey News calls him a competitive guy that protects his crease area, which reminds this Oiler fan a bit of Dwayne Roloson and his antics of protecting his house when he was in town.
The Hockey News also credits Brossoit with not quitting on plays and displaying tremendous resiliency when he is under pressure in the crease. Those are key qualities to have, and again they remind me of what we saw from Roli the Goalie.
Brossoit is a guy that stops a lot of pucks, and seemingly does well when the spot light is on him, evident by his lights out performances in the WHL playoffs during his final two junior campaigns. LB’s rebound control is decent, and he has a high ceiling in terms of his ability.
When this guy is on his game, he’s tough to beat. He proved that in the WHL, and last season he proved that in the ECHL. Breaking down goalies is tough, but Laurent Brossoit seems like an old-school guy that simply stops pucks, and will punish you if you go into his crease.
Reading his scouting reports and seeing some game action, he does remind me of Dwayne Roloson a little bit. That’s not to say he’ll ever reach Roloson’s heights, but he’s got that in him.
The 2014-15 Outlook:
Laurent Brossoit cemented himself as a high level ECHL goalie this past season, and now has a chance to move himself further up the ladder. Currently, he’s fourth on the depth-chart behind Ben Scrivens, Viktor Fasth and Richard Bachman. That means he is slotted for AHL work this winter.
The expectation for LB is that he adapts to the AHL game better than in his eight game stint in OKC this past season, and clearly proves he can handle that role at the AHL level. It’s also a fair expectation that we see Brossoit push Bachman a little bit for the starters role with the Barons, something LB should be eyeing for 2015-16.
Laurent Brossoit needs at least two more years in the minors, but this season could go a long way towards cementing him as the go-to goaltending prospect in the system.
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