Thursday, March 10, 2016
The Future
Commencing Landing….
What is up BLH Universe. Here we are again, spacing out with me, the Kosmic Burrito! And what do I have “on tap” for you to chug back today at Beer League? It’s none other than my man, Mr. LB, the man with the richest name in hockey (trust me, say it in your richest French accent!)….Laurent Brossoit. Or who I like to refer to as “The Future”. Come on, let’s face it, the kid has been trending upwards for quite some time and for those following, it’s given some of us hope. Let’s start with a little background on Monsieur Brossoit.
Laurent was drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the rival Calgary Flames. He went 164th overall, not exactly numbers that scream “future NHL starting goaltender”. But it is what he has done to get where he is now, that makes me personally believe this kid is legit.
In 2008 LB was chosen 26th overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2nd round of the WHL Bantam Draft. He only played in 1 game for the Oil Kings that year, allowing 5 goals against in only 37 minutes of playing time. I know, I know….WTF!!! Next year, the 2009-10 season, he only appeared in 2 games for the Oil Kings. So you’re probably thinking, wow, how the hell did he end up as the Oilers backup goalie with those numbers? Well, it wasn’t until the 2010-11 season where Brossoit finally saw some solid WHL playing time. Where he appeared in 34 regular season games (13-12-2 3.32 .887). Again, not the most solid of numbers. But the experience was all he needed, because in the 2011-12 season, The Future arrived. LB played his ass off that season, appearing in 61 games and he fashioned a record of 42-13-5. He also had a 2.47 GAA and .914 Save Percentage to go along with it.
As nice as those numbers are for a WHL goaltender, it’s what he did that season…not only did the Oil Kings win the Central Division, they were also the WHL Champions!! Brossoit cruised through the playoffs with a 16-4 record and a 2.04 GAA with .933 SP to go with it. It was a slightly different story in the Memorial Cup, as Brossoit finished 1-3 with a 4.04 GAA and .871 SP. Again, that’s great experience people! How many goalies have had the chance to lead their team to the Memorial Cup? The 2012-13 season saw more of the same for LB, he played in 49 games and put together a 33-8-6 record with a 2.25 GAA and .917 SP. He had a post season record of 22GP 1.82 GAA and a .935 SP, as the Oil Kings lost to Portland in the WHL Final. Surprisingly, the Flames didn’t call Brossoit up to end the 2013 season, after they signed him to an entry level deal.
Later on in 2013, November to be exact, Laurent Brossoit was traded to Edmonton Oilers, along with forward Roman Horak (who I thought at one point might have an NHL career?), in exchange for Defencemen Ladi Smid (an Oilers fan favourite), and goaltending prospect Olivier Roy. Considering how Brossoit has trended upwards, and Smid has gone the opposite direction (the 2 centrepieces of the trade), I would say that the Oilers currently have the upper hand in this one. In 2013-14, he definitely racked up some miles, and I’m not even talking about playing time. He played for 4 different f**king teams! He played 2 games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, 3 games with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, and 8 games with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. But it’s the 35 games that he played with the Bakersfield Condors, who were still in the ECHL at the time, where he saw steady time. He had a 25-22-4 record with a 2.56 GAA and .918 SP. He also went 10-6 in the post season.
Not too shabby of a first professional season, for a 2 time WHL Champion goalie that was drafted in the 6th round. 2014-15 was different, Brossoit played in 53 AHL games for the former Oilers farm team, the Oklahoma City Barons. Ladies and gentlemen, he looked absolutely fantastic. Oilers fans started to rejoice in the thought that we may have our goaltender of…..The Future. Laurent put together a 25-22-4 record, with a 2.56 GAA and a .918 SP. Not too mention he played 2 games in the AHL post season and went 1-0 with a 3.46 GAA and .909 SP. But it was his NHL debut that had fans talking.
April 9th 2015, Edmonton versus San Jose with now-Oilers head coach Todd McLellan running the show. Even though the Oilers lost that game, Brossoit turned away 49 of the 51 shots that he faced! He’s the first NHL goalie since Manny Legace in 1998, to see that much rubber and make that many saves. Laurent would finish the game with a 2.00 GAA and an incredible .961 SP. Let’s not forget the fact that he was named the game’s first star. How’s that for a debut by a goaltender on a crappy team, with little to no defensive help? Pretty freaking sweet if you ask me. Pretty freaking sweet…
Fast forward to this season, and you’ll currently find Brossoit’s name on the big league roster. Backing up Cam Talbot, thanks to the Anders Nilsson trade. But before that, he was the starting tender for new AHL and Edmonton Oilers farm team, the Bakersfield Condors. Now Brossoit started off the year with Ben Scrivens also in town. But seriously, was LB ever in jeopardy of losing the starters role to The Professor? Ummmm yeah…not so much. Brossoit put together a record of 28 GP 15-9-3, a 2.69 GAA, with a .919 SP before being called up to back up Talbot. Also, it was quite obvious that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli had seen enough of LB to recognize his talent. As he signed him to a 2 year contract extension. So far in 2 games played, Brossoit has a record of 0-1-0 3.37 GAA with a .883 SP. Not quite the same numbers as his stellar debut, but he’ll get there….just look at his history up until now.
He may not have the draft pedigree, but he has the resume. I believe that he deserves this shot in the NHL, no doubt about it. But at the same time I wouldn’t mind seeing him still getting the lion’s share of playing time in the AHL. Personally, I think that Brossoit is Edmonton’s goalie of…”The Future”, and we may see him there sooner than later.
As always, I love to hear your feedback, so send away!!
You can find me on the Twitter @kosmicburrito!
