For the fourth straight draft and fifth time in six years, the Montreal Canadiens selected a goaltender in the NHL Draft. This time they used a sixth round pick to select Alberta native Emmett Croteau from Waterloo in the USHL.
Birthplace: Bonnyville, Alberta Date of Birth: December 7, 2003 Catch: Left Position: Goalie Height: 6’4” Weight: 194 lbs Team: Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
Croteau is committed to Clarkson University in New York State in the NCAA for next season and will continue his development there. He just finished his second season in the USHL. In the 2020–21 season, he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.
Elite prospects
His USHL numbers don’t jump off the page, but his .899 save percentage this past season was good enough for 10th in the league. He also played in six playoff games this season, posting a 3-3 record, 2.71 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. His team won the first series before falling in a best-of-three series in the second round.
His numbers at the U18 level show why the Canadians thought he might have some potential. He was ranked 10th among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting. FC Hockey ranked him #269, while Recruit Scouting ranked him #199.
“He’s a big goaltender who moves extremely well,” Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov said. “He’s going to Clarkson, so in terms of the college development curve, that gives him plenty of time to develop. Our goalie experts were pretty high on this kid. This wasn’t a draft where goaltenders went in the first or second round. We wanted to find the best goalkeeper we could find a little later and he was number one on that list and we are very happy to have found him.”
Croteau took online high school classes at his school in Alberta while playing for Waterloo in the USHL. He has played hockey outside of Alberta for three seasons. Prior to the USHL, he played high school hockey in California and U18 hockey with the Ontario Jr Reign. While there, he won the Goalkeeper of the Year title as well as a state championship and was named to the Academic All-Star Team.
As is the case with most goalies, size is an advantage. Every goaltender drafted by the team since 2017 has been 6’3” or taller.
Croteau was the first Waterloo goaltender selected since Jared Moe in 2018. His teammate Sam Rinzel was the 25th pick by the Chicago Blackhawks. Croteau’s brother Carson is a defenseman and was just selected in the 11th round (227th overall) of the WHL Bantam Draft.
There’s obviously a lot of room for improvement, but the combination of size and athleticism has the Canadiens optimistic. It must be said that they were fortunate in that regard, as Cayden Primeau, Frederik Dichow and Jakub Dobes progressed well in the organization.
The team will certainly monitor his development at Clarkson next season and beyond, and feel this is an environment that will help his development.
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