Sloppy Seconds of Dustin Tokarski
Just watching the Memorial Cup this week, and one guy has really stood out: Spokane netminder Dustin Tokarski. The guy has been on a tear since the WHL playoffs started, and hasn't dropped off in this tournament.
"Dusty" or "Toks," or whatever highly imaginative nickname his teammates have given him, had a great regular season. He ranked 5th in the WHL in wins (30), 3rd in GAA (2.05), 2nd in shutouts (6), and first in save percentage (.922). But he was even better in the WHL playoffs, going 16-2, posting a 1.38, with a .944 save percentage and 3 shutouts. Those are pretty gaudy numbers. He reads the play well, his positioning is great, and he seems to make that timely big save.
I can't get my head around the fact that this kid is ranked 9th by Central Scouting among North American goalies for this years' draft. ISS has him ranked 5th among ALL goalies, which seems a tad more accurate, but if there are a handful better than him in this draft, then it must be a very strong crop. Want proof? Here is Central Scouting's #1 ranked goalie Thomas McCollum:
Just watching the Memorial Cup this week, and one guy has really stood out: Spokane netminder Dustin Tokarski. The guy has been on a tear since the WHL playoffs started, and hasn't dropped off in this tournament.
"Dusty" or "Toks," or whatever highly imaginative nickname his teammates have given him, had a great regular season. He ranked 5th in the WHL in wins (30), 3rd in GAA (2.05), 2nd in shutouts (6), and first in save percentage (.922). But he was even better in the WHL playoffs, going 16-2, posting a 1.38, with a .944 save percentage and 3 shutouts. Those are pretty gaudy numbers. He reads the play well, his positioning is great, and he seems to make that timely big save.
I can't get my head around the fact that this kid is ranked 9th by Central Scouting among North American goalies for this years' draft. ISS has him ranked 5th among ALL goalies, which seems a tad more accurate, but if there are a handful better than him in this draft, then it must be a very strong crop. Want proof? Here is Central Scouting's #1 ranked goalie Thomas McCollum:
Uh...well, I'm just saying. Tokarski has been climbing the charts on a lot of scouts lists, and I would expect he could crack the 2nd round by the time the Memorial Cup is in the books. He's been dynamite when it matters most. But don't take my word for it, I'm obviously not his only fan.
Good to see the Chiefs back in the Memorial Cup Final. I became something of a minor fan back in the Falloon-Whitney days. More Memorial Cup thoughts in a couple days.
Edit (7:26pm): Special thanks to Heather, who obviously used her telepathic powers to inspire this post, and is clearly a good judge of hockey talent.
