Looking at the Bruins’ Goaltending Prospects

With Boston Bruins goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak free agents following next season, there are four prospects to keep an eye on between the pipes in the minors.

When the 2020-21 NHL season ends, Boston Bruins goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak will both be free agents. Rask has hinted at retirement following next season and Halak is still one of the best goalies in the NHL backup, but he is not the long-term solution at his age.

Regardless of what happens next season between the pipes for the Bruins, this is a key winter for their prospect goalies in both the AHL and ECHL. With that said, let’s take a look at the goalie prospects for the Black and Gold.

Dan Vladar

Last season, Vladar had a good season with the Providence Bruins despite splitting time with Max Legace, who left the Bruins for the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency in October. Vladar, a third-round draft pick in 2015, won 14 of the 24 games he appeared in with the P-Bruins and had a 1.79 goals-against average (GAA) and a .936 save percentage (SV%).

He made his NHL debut in the Toronto playoff bubble in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He gave up three goals on 15 shots in 29 minutes of action in a 7-1 loss. At 23 years old, Vladar should see a chunk of the playing in Providence this year.

Jeremy Swayman

Swayman was the 111th pick of the 2017 draft and signed his entry-level contract in March after his junior season at the University of Maine. In his final year in Orono, he went 18-11-5 with a 2.07 GAA and a .929 SV%. He was named the 2020 Hockey East Player of the Year.

One of the top goaltenders in the NCAA last season, Swayman has quick hands and is aggressive in the crease. With the hype surrounding the Anchorage, Alaska native, he should be in a battle to take some minutes away from Vladar in Providence this season.

Kyle Keyser

An undrafted free agent when he signed with the Bruins in 2017, the Coral Springs, Florida native has battled injuries the last two seasons which has hampered his development. He was signed after three good seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals.

He won 67 games for Generals in three years with his best season coming during the 2017-18 campaign where he went 32-8-3 with a 2.75 GAA and a .915 SV%. Keyser could look to fight for playing time this season in the AHL, but with a log jam of Vladar and Swayman there, he would have to outplay one of them. If not, he could see time in ECHL if the Bruins can come to an agreement with the Jacksonville Icemen after Boston’s affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators opted out of this season due to COVID-19.

Callum Booth

Booth could be the wild card this season after signing a free-agent contract with the Bruins in October. Drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 draft with Vladar, Booth has bounced back and forth the last three years between the AHL and ECHL.

His best season was in 2017-18 when he went 19-6-3 in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades. He had a 2.41 GAA and a .911 SV% that season. He also spent time with Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate in Charlotte, but like Keyser, he too has been hampered by injuries. He is another candidate to get some minutes in the ECHL again this season.

While the Bruins are set for goaltending in Boston this season, the battle to be Boston’s future netminder will rage on this winter in minors. Like most teams, Boston will like to see both the AHL and ECHL both play some kind of season for what will be a key developmental season for the Bruins’ netminders. Goalies tend to take more time to develop and the Bruins need some to develop sooner rather than later.