Thursday, February 26, 2009
Jhonas Enroth: Well, He's All We Got
It hasn't been decided whether or not he can go, but if he can't, the Sabres will turn to the only healthy goalie left in the entire system: Jhonas Enroth. Yes, you read that correctly, only healthy goalie in the entire organization.
Yesterday, Enroth and 54 year old goalie coach Jim Corsi were in nets for practice. Miller and Lalime stayed home. It's a pretty ugly situation, and Lindy Ruff had this to say about it...
“It falls under, ‘When it rains, it starts snowing harder even,’ ” Ruff cracked when asked if he’s starting to feel snakebit with the team’s never-ending injury saga.Ok, well that didn't make sense, but you get the point. How bad are things? Just look down at Portland. With Enroth up and Adam Dennis out for the year...it's ugly.
With Enroth up and Adam Dennis out for the season (hip), things are dire in goal in Portland as well.But no one cares about Portland, let's learn about Jhonas Enroth. Hockey's Future has Enroth as the Sabre's top overall prospect, and ranked 38th in the NHL. He was drafted in the 2nd round, 46th overall, in 2006 (he was the top overall ranked European goalie, if that means anything to you) after posting a 2.33 GAA and .924 save % for his Junior squad in Stockholm.
John DeCaro, just signed to back up Enroth, is out with a broken collarbone. The Pirates signed Kellen Briggs from the Ontario Reign of the East Coast League on Tuesday and are also using former ECHL backup Rob Lemelin.
One of them could be signed for a night to back up Enroth before Lalime returns for Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders.
This year, his first in North America, he has posted a 18-17-5 record, with a 2.71 GAA and .915 save % for the 3rd place Pirates. Unfortunately, Enroth is 0-6-3 in his last nine. This is what Lindy had to say about him...
One thing we do know, is that he's excited to be here, and is highly regarded.“You talk to their coaches and they’ve given him a lot of credit for the way he’s played,” Ruff said. “He’s a pretty confident kid that stepped in the American League, and if you look at the job he did you wouldn’t expect him to step in and play as well as he did the first 20-30 games.”
“It’s exciting. If I play tomorrow, I’ll try to play my best...It’s very exciting to get up here...practice and play. . . . It’s going to be even more exciting, a dream come true if I play.”What kind of goalie is he? Well, I figure Hockey's Future knows best.
Enroth uses a classic butterfly style to cover the net. He boasts uncommon quickness and agility, along with an excellent glove side. Asked about what NHL players he patterns himself after, he referenced a similarly-statured netminder as his prototype.Oh, shit. Gerber? You want to play like Gerber? We're screwed.
“When I was younger I looked up to Martin Gerber and Henrik Lundqvist. I try to play like Gerber because he’s my size.”
UPDATE:: Lalime made it and will be in net for tonight. All the while Vanek stayed after practice and took some more shots, he's no longer wearing the cage, but the visor/cage hybrid. They expect him back next week, woohoo!
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