Dallas Stars Draft Profile: Boston University Goalie Jake Oettinger
By Tom Dorsa
Up until the NHL Draft on June 23rd, the team at Blackout Dallas will be rolling out previews of the potential Dallas Stars selections. Today, we look at Jake Oettinger.
Name: Jake Oettinger
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Left-handed
Hometown: Lakeville, Minnesota
Birthdate: December 18th, 1998
Size: 6-foot-4, 205 lbs
Team: Boston University Terriors (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
Stats: 21-11-3 record, .927 save percentage, 2.11 goals against average.
NHL Ceiling: Starting goaltender
The National Hockey League’s Entry Draft is never a bad time to refresh yourself on the systemic flaws a franchise’s core possesses. For the Dallas Stars, the deepest abyss is the development of a starting goaltender.
The Stars have taken action regarding this in the hiring of long-time Detroit Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard, who will solidify the crease down in Cedar Park, where the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League play. The move is to prevent a repeat of Jack Campbell’s demise in the AHL system, after the former first-rounder never showed NHL potential.
For Philippe Desrosiers and Landon Bow, this is good news; there is a purpose-built, goaltender-specific coach to help groom the system’s biggest and brightest stars. On account of this new-found importance in goalie development, the Dallas Stars could very well land yet another fresh face in the crease during the Draft on June 23rd and 24th.
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
Jake Oettinger is an extremely impressive young goaltender playing for Boston University at just 17 and 18 years of age. His maturity and unmatched athleticism means Oettinger is the premier netminder in the 2017 Draft class.
A native of Lakeville, Minnesota, Oettinger has the NHL-ready size at 6’4″ and 205 lbs that the traditional hockey crowd loves. Not only that, but his fundamentally beautiful technical game inside the crease gives scouts of today the hopes of Oettinger one day becoming an NHL superstar.
Oettinger reads offensive plays and acts accordingly remarkably well. He gets to his feet quickly and doesn’t flail around too much in the crease, giving him time to use the correct piece of equipment to stop the shooting attempt (whether that’s pads, blocker, glove, or chest).
His efficiency means he doesn’t necessarily have to be overly acrobatic or reactive to anything. His position, which is the biggest reason as to why he’s having the success he has, is something 18-year-old goalies normally learn later on in their careers; Oettinger’s smarts give him an edge.
Dallas Stars
Stylistically, Jake Oettinger is very similar to Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Both of them rely more on elite positioning rather than selling out for a riskier play with potentially catastrophic results. In addition, Oettinger is as stellar of a puck-handling goalie as you’re going to find anywhere.
What impresses me most is that Oettinger is performing well against stout competition, which should be noted. At Boston and with the United States National Development Team, Oettinger has gone toe-to-toe with future NHL scorers like Clayton Keller and Kieffer Bellows.
Oettinger will remain the starter of Boston University’s illustrious program for the upcoming years. A goaltender’s development is often time centered mostly around playing time and learning from mistakes in the game time you see; Oettinger will have no issue getting enough time to evaluate his methods.
Oettinger’s game features very few flaws, but a couple of such could be cataclysmic in the National Hockey League. Sometimes he relies on positioning too much and doesn’t refine the skating skills he has, something the goalie will have to improve upon.
It’s extraordinarily difficult to assess a goaltender’s NHL potential prior to the Draft, which is why you see such highly talented players like Oettinger hypothetically fall to Dallas at #29. Oettinger is unequaled in skill by fellow goalies in the Draft field, but could make a splash in Dallas shortly.
Next: Owen Tippett Is A Worthy Selection If Stars Trade Down
If the Dallas Stars are content with their selection at #3 overall, then drafting Oettinger is the smartest choice possible. Bolstering their goaltender depth in the system is important, and Jake Oettinger is the best netminder in the Draft.