Being an NHL goaltending prospect can be a daunting task for any young goaltender. There's not much space on the NHL roster, and you have to be at your best even to get a chance of making it into the NHL. There's just so much pressure on all the young goaltending prospects that I can't even imagine what they go through on and off the ice. Now you might be wondering why I'm talking about goaltending prospects on a Sunday night.
The Dallas Stars announced that they sent Ben Kraws to the Idaho Steelheads and, in exchange, promoted Arno Tiefenesee to the Texas Stars. The only reason the Stars would send Kraws to Idaho is if he needed to improve on his overall game, and that's why he got sent there. Having a .840 save percentage is something that you don't want on your goaltending resume. I know Kraws isn't thrilled with how his season has started in the minors.
Kraws will get plenty of playing time with the Idaho Steelheads, while he gets back to how he played in Cedar Park last season. I know he's got the overall game to be a great goaltender for the Stars in the future. He might be having one of those rough starts to the season since most of his defense is with the Dallas Stars right now due to the injuries up there. The Stars might be recalling another player from Cedar Park after what happened to Lian Bichsel tonight.
I know it's not the most glamorous thing to be playing in the ECHL, but it will make him a better goaltender. Some of the Stars' goalie prospects have begun in Idaho and have trickled their way down to Cedar Park. I hope he doesn't see it as a negative for his career. I've streamed some of his games this season, and he's been doing really well. I hope he doesn't think the Stars have given up on him with the demotion to Idaho.
As for Tiefenesee, I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity to play in the AHL. There aren't a lot of chances like this to make a big impression. He's got the build and frame to be a goaltender like Jake Oettinger in the future. It will be interesting to see how he does against players at a higher level than the ECHL. The Dallas Stars have a great goaltending prospect pool, and I hope Tiefenesee and Kraws remain part of it for a while.