FunkyBlueFish203

The Wings won 4-1 against Minnesota tonight. RedWingsCentral will have more details later on.

From DetNews.com: Prospects schedule The game schedule for the Red Wings' prospects camp at Traverse City's Centre ICE Arena. There are two sheets of ice at the arena. Today: Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.; Minnesota vs. Columbus, 7:30 Wednesday: Tampa Bay vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.; Detroit vs. Minnesota, 7:30 Thursday: Minnesota vs. Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.; Detroit vs. Atlanta, 7:30 Friday: Columbus vs. Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.; Detroit vs. Tampa Bay, 7 Saturday: Minnesota vs. Atlanta, 2 p.m.; Detroit vs. Columbus, 2:30

Bangor News who cover the Black Bears very closely have a good article with details. It features comments from the Red Wings about Howard.

I think the realistic option will be to have Howard ready to take over in about 3 years. He's 21 now, so by the time he's 24-25, he should be ready to be a starter in the NHL. According to Jim Nill, Jimmy Howard will be competing for the 3rd spot behind Osgood and Legace at training camp this summer; that's how much they believe in this kid, and rightfully so. He is the best goalie prospect we have had in ages. I just hope he keeps doing well because if he does, he will end up being one of the best goalies in the NHL with the likes of Kari Lehtonen and company.

He's got an excellent game but it would be smart for him to take it slow. He can start as a backup and work his way into playing more games. College hockey schedule in NA is set up in such a way that majority of the games are only played on the weekends, so players are used to playing 2 days a week. This is why Howard will have to adjust to the schedule first and foremost. Secondly, the higher you go in skill level, the faster the pace is, so though Howard excelled at the college level, he will have to get used to the pace of the AHL. He can do it, he's got a great skillset. Even if he does well, the Griffins should start him off slow, and if he keeps doing well, he can slowly take over the starter's spot from MacDonald. Jimmy will play in the rookie tournament in Traverse City and later head on to training camp. No matter how well he does there, he will play the season in Grand Rapids. IMO, he should spend a minimum of 1 & 1/2 - 2 years in Grand Rapids. What this does, though, is it leaves Manny Legace as the odd man out. If Howard does well and in a season earns the starting role in Grand Rapids, MacDonald could be brought up to back up Chris Osgood and Legace could be traded to make room. Legace has some trade value and could fetch a decent winger in return if packaged with someone else.

Yeah, you're right about the starter part but I'm still sticking to what I said. Montoya needed that one more year to develop more. His game needs a lot of work. Also, I'm a big Team USA fan but there is no way Montoya "LED" that team to the gold medal. Just like the U of M teams Montoya has played on, Team USA's 2003 WJC team was stacked. From Parise to Kessler, they were a bunch of studs who practically sailed through that tournament before gutting out a win against Canada in the championship game. Montoya failed to make an impact in the 2004 WJC, often giving up weak goals. He also ran out of steam with U of M last year, and yeah, his season numbers were pretty bad. Again, he is not a bad goalie but IMO, he needed that senior year with U of M to get his playing time.

I meant Montoya. Yes, Montoya was supposed to be a senior just like Howard but the difference lies between their skill set and development. Howard has the upper hand between these two. Montoya, a starter for the first time last season put up meek numbers. Not only did he struggle with U of M, he also failed to make an impact with Team USA at the WJC. He also ran out of gas at the end of the season. Montoya's glove/stick work needs improvement, his side to side movement is not the best, and he's the kind of guy who desperately needed another year of college hockey to hone his skills. Throughout his years at Maine, Jimmy Howard has practically carried the BlackBears on his back while Montoya has had the fortune of playing on stacked teams. Heck, if it wasn't for an ankle injury that kept Howard out of the 2003 WJC, Montoya would've barely played a game for that gold-medal winning team and would not have been drafted as high. I'm not saying Montoya is a bad goalie 'cause he's not. Right now he is a bucket-load of potential with much to prove. On the other hand, on the college hockey circuit, it doesn't get much better than Jimmy Howard. Simply check out his college career numbers. If you watch this kid play, you'll know what I mean. That's why I say Howard was ready for the next step, Montoya wasn't.

No, going fast is what the Rangers did with Montoya. We drafted Jimmy in 2003 after his freshman year and he's played 2 years of college hockey since that summer. He set all sorts of crazy records in 2003-2004 and carried Maine to the NCAA championship game winning 13-straight 1-goal games along the way. They lost the final 1-0 to CC, a pure heartbreaker. He battled with injuries last season but came back to full speed and took Maine to the NCAA playoffs again. They lost another heartbreaker, this time to Minnesota. Another year of college hockey wouldn't have hurt but he's gone as far as needed to go there. He's an excellent athlete, his side-to-side movement is incredible, he's quick with the glove and his anticipation is tremendous. He needed to take this step and move onto the next level. He needs to play in GR and use the next couple of years to get used to the schedule and grind of pro-hockey. We have been very smart with him, very much like the Thrashers were with Kari Lehtonen. This is the right time. Howard is 21 years old right now and has franchise goalie written all over him. All he's got to do is continue to work hard and keep improving his game and he'll be playing with the big boys soon enough.

OMG THANK YOU JESUS! I've been waiting for this news the ENTIRE off-season. He will play in Grand Rapids. Turning pro is great news for him because while another year of college hockey wouldn't have hurt, this kid is ready to go pro. He's got the game. I hope he continues to do well and gets ready to assume full time duties in a couple of years. Yes!

Uumm no. But let's think about all the things I would blow up if that happens.

Why isn't Howard in the group? Geez. Can't we just sign this kid already? One more year in college wouldn't hurt but going pro and playing in the AHL would also help his development.

From DetNews.com:

I thought Bergfors was the only one. Okay I guess Hanzal did, too. And damn, that's a boy holding up the jersey? Looks like he has blonde ponytail.

She's probably the daughter of someone in that picture. Besides one, and his name eludes me now, no European players showed up for the draft, which is why the teams just went to the stage and held up the jersey.

A small piece on Howard from today's Detroit News:

I was looking forward to seeing Howard take the next step and play with the Griffins. Bah, another year of college won't hurt. Good job signing Quincey and Oulahen.

From DetNews.com:

I don't think I'm exagerrating, I'm only going by what the management has expressed. In a recent article in Red Wings Central, Asst. GM Jim Nill adressed the goaltending prospects in the system. The Red Wings are very high on Jimmy Howard and would like to sign him and have him play with the Griffins this upcoming season. Joey McDonald has earned the right to at least fight for the backup job in the NHL. On the other hand, Stefan Liv has been vastly inconsistent. He will be 25 years old this year, if not now, then when? Mr. Nill said the following about Liv: For someone who was drafted 5 years ago, his progress hasn't been enough. I am not saying he is a bad goaltender or that we should give up all hope when it comes to him. He does have some excellent talent but he needs some serious work. His anticipation is not the best, puckhandling and rebounds need a lot of work, so do his play-reading abilities. He is expected to stay in Sweden for 1 more year but a year in GR as the backup could help him. I do think, though that at this point Howard is better than Liv and given a choice, the management will pick Howard over Liv.

Howard > Liv. Frankly, I don't think we can pin our hopes on Liv. Liv should've fared better and progressed a bit more but he has been vastly inconsistent, which has resulted in him still playing overseas. Management has not been impressed. Save a miracle, at this point, the best we can hope from Liv is him at least playing well enough to manage backup duties.

Jimmy Howard is a very good goalie with lots of potential. He was definitely a steal in the 2003 draft. He has played on the US-18 team, leading them to the gold in the U-18 championships and he set records playing with the USNTDP. He was injured and couldn't go to the 2003 World Junior Championships, the tournament that made Montoya a well known name in the hockey circuits, else it's safe to say Montoya wouldn't have been drafted as high as he was. He has been tremendous with Maine. He set several records in 2003-2004, leading Maine to the 2004 NCAA championship finals, and those records include a 1.19 GAA and .956 SV% At one point Maine won 12-straight one goal games. The best I've ever seen Jimmy play was in the Hockey East Final when Maine beat Massachusetts in triple OT; Howard has 63 saves, 19 of which came in 1st OT, and the only goal he gave up was a PP one. It is possibly one of the best college games I have ever seen. He missed some time last season due to mono but came back strong and helped Maine make the NCAA playoffs. Howard is a sharp goalie. He has good size, quick reflexes and good movement. His anticipation is excellent as well. He is very calm in pressure situations and a solid presence in net. What he needs to work on is consistency and getting used to the grinding schedule. A year or two with the Griffins will help him in those aspects. He is the kind of goalie who could be the cornerstone of a franchise. For our sake, I hope he turns out that way. He certainly has all the tools. So best wishes to him and to us.

That blows. I guess that would be a huge factor on whether he decides to stay or leave. He's said he wanted to win a NCAA title with Maine. The team is going to lose 5 more seniors this season. Depending on what sort of team Maine can put together for next season + the CBA resolution will be the key factors. IF the CBA is resolved by this summer, we need to ink this kid. He's got some time to make a decision.

First off, Happy Birthday to Jimmy Howard. He turned 21 yesterday. He had 38 fabulous saves yesterday yet Maine lost 1-0 to Minnesota in OT. Offense, or rather the lack of it, was going to be the death of Maine as it rightfully was yesterday. This game could've been over several times before but as he has done many times, Howard kept his team in the game. He had some unbelievable saves. This guy pulls wicked stuff day in and day out from who knows where. Tremendous focus and athletic ability have helped him reach this elite status in college goaltending. I don't know how much more he can learn and grow at Maine. Perhaps it's time to sign him and have him playing within the organization now. Some praise for Jimmy Howard... From Star Tribune: From Maine Today: From St. Paul Pioneer Press: From Maine Today:

Lots of praise for Jimmy Howard on his play against BC on Friday. From MaineCampus.com: From Boston.com: From MaineToday.com: From Maine's Official website: And some pictures... Making a save on Chris Collins during the HE Semifinals Watching the NCAA seeds being announced intently

Saw the NCAA seeds announced this morning and Panger couldn't stop gushing about Jimmy Howard. Jimmy is a world-class goaltender, an elite goalie at college level. Maine has a very shaky team this season but he helped them turn their season around from January. Come playoff time, he puts his team on his back and knows how to get it done. In the Hockey East semifinals he saved so many chances, it was ridiculous. This kid doesn't have the word 'quit' in his vocabulary. If there's 1 goalie in college hockey who gives you a chance to steal a game on any given night, it's Howard. But Maine hasn't been scoring goals or playing well enough to help him. They rely heavily on Howard. He needs some support and he will take them far. He's fabulous, I can't wait until he signs and starts playing within our organization.

Howard stuff from articles about the game: ...a brilliant goaltending effort by Maine junior Jimmy Howard, who finished with 36 saves while stopping two breakaways by Chris Collins, one of them midway through the third period and the other with 35 seconds left in the first overtime. "He is awesome. I've run out of compliments for him," said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. "That game could have been over a long time ago if it weren't for Jimmy Howard." ----- X ----- "Jimmy is a terrific goalie," said Cory Schneider. "I like watching him play. He stays focused and does very well. Seeing him making great saves at the other end of the rink made me want to play harder. Seeing the crowd and the way Jimmy was playing helped me keep my eyes open better. Again, Jimmy played great." ----- X ----- Junior goalie Jimmy Howard made several clutch saves among his 36. Among them was a point-blank stop on Chris Collins, who was sent in alone by a long flip pass from Ryan Shannon, with 35 seconds remaining in the first overtime. "It's kind of like you expect it," UMaine's Josh Soares said of Howard's performance. "You can't ask for a better goaltender. He does it every night." ----- X ----- Howard's 36-save performance was perhaps his sharpest of the year. He made several phenomenal saves in the first overtime - the most memorable on a Chris Collins breakaway with just 30 seconds to play. Ryan Shannon lobbed Collins a pass that dropped over his head and onto his stick as he crossed the blue line. Howard readied, then went down on his side to make the save. "I decided to take away the whole bottom of the net," said Howard. "We did a lot of the little things out there tonight. The guys just laid their hearts on the ice. I enjoyed it out there. It was unfortunate we came out on the losing end." Howard said Albert's winning goal deflected off a teammate's stick before it beat him. "It was a broken play and the pressure was pretty thick," said Howard. "(Alberts) walked in and let the shot go and (John) Ronan tried to block it when it went in." Maine relied heavily on Howard as the game wore on. "We played a real good game. Both teams played hard," said Soares. "We definitely had our chances. Jimmy does what he does and it's kind of like you expect it. It could have been one of his best games of the year." ----- X ----- MaineToday.com: It's a loss, but just look what they've found ----- X -----