Jets Nation Prospect Profiles 2016: #7 Eric Comrie
By Garret Hohl
7 years ago
We are in the dregs of summer, so we take a critical look at the Winnipeg Jets organizational cupboards and highlight who we feel are the Jets’ “Top 20 Prospects” when looking at a combination of potential and probability of positive impact for the franchise.
We continue our prospect profile turning to the first netminder on the list, Eric Comrie
Eric Comrie
| Age: 21 | Position: G |
| Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 174 lbs |
| Draft Year: 2013 | Round: Two |
When it comes to goaltending, the Winnipeg Jets have arguably the best prospect pipeline right now, and inGoal Magazine seems to agree. In fact, inGoal Magazine ranked Connor Hellebuyck as the best goaltending prospect, with the Jets other big name goaltender ranked the fourth best.
Honestly, just having the fourth best goaltending prospect would be a blessing in itself. Comrie alone is a wonderful netminder to have in the organizational cupboards and with the voodoo that is goaltending, the more shots you have at a plus-netminder, the better.
Read More: 2015 Prospect Profiles: #9 Eric Comrie
Comrie dominated the Western Hockey League, leaving the league with a 0.916 career regular season save percentage and 0.919 percentage over his final three seasons. His first season wasn’t as pretty, but Comrie ranked 9th, 2nd and 4th in league save percentage with a minimum of 20 games played over the next three years.
Comrie’s transition into the AHL was as bumpy as his transition into the WHL, with posting a 0.907 save percentage. This placed Comrie 31st in save percentage in the league, fourth for rookies. While some will fairly point out the team struggled in front of Comrie, it should also be noted that Connor Hellebuyck carried a 0.921 save percentage on the very same team.
There is no (non-proprietary) statistical model out there for netminders and pGPS does not tell you anything about Cormie’s chances of success in the NHL. What we do know though is that those who succeed in the NHL tended to succeed in levels below.
Comrie struggled in his first year in pro, but historically has been one of the strongest candidates to graduate from the WHL in quite some while.
Comrie’s history of stopping the puck is one positive signal, while another is the strength in confidence he gives to the eye-test group. Here are some notes from inGoal Magazine’s Greg Balloch:
Head Trajectory pioneer and Tri-City Americans goaltending coach Lyle Mast raves about his time spent with Comrie, who benefited from his work with the coach as much as the action he saw in games. He is not physically the biggest prospect on the list, but he is possibly the best at tracking the puck. Wherever he starts next season, he will have more structure in front of him than he had in junior – which could be a recipe for success. He possesses high-end skill, but he likes to keep the aggressive movements in his back pocket. It’s easy to tell when Comrie is really on. Rebounds are swallowed, the game slows down, and his opponents become more and more frustrated.
For these reasons we are high on Comrie despite the voodoo that is projecting goaltenders, and place Comrie #7 on our top 20 list.
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