One of my favorite goalie stories is currently playing out. Funny enough, it goes against all our best developmental paths and techniques for young goalies.
Will Prowse was the backup for Holderness last season. The late '06 was in a fine spot, aiming to be the starter for his junior and senior seasons. According to USHR, he played 119 minutes last season. His Elite Prospects page lists him at six games.
He would've been someone who would be on this list. Except he's not in prep anymore.
The 6-foot-1, 168-pound netminder made the biggest jump possible — from prep backup to the USHL — and is thriving. He was 6-1-0 through his first seven games with the Lincoln Stars, boasting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
Crazy, right?
All of that is to say goaltending is unpredictable as heck.
So, here are 10 prep goalies poised for breakout seasons.
Maks Corovic
Cushing, 5/20/2008, G, catches left, 6-2/181
Hometown: Stoney Creek, OntarioÂ
Corovic enters Cushing with big shoes to fill after Marko Bilic graduated. The '08 played for the Niagara North Stars 16U team last season and was a fifth-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection by Brantford earlier this year. He's athletic and has a big frame, making it hard for opposing shooters. He will be fortunate to play behind the best defense in prep this winter. His first two starts of the season were losses, but Corovic still projects as a high-end goalie in prep this season.
Aiden Emerick
Lawrence Academy, 10/20/2006, G, catches left, 6-0/181
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Emerick enters Lawrence Academy after a string of incredible goaltending performances, leading Winchester to the MIAA D1 final against St. John's Prep in the spring. He's athletic and has shown to be apt at handling a high volume of shots. It will be an adjustment facing prep shooters, but he got a good amount of experience with that in the fall playing for the East Coast Wizards 18U team.
Jack Fichthorn
Westminster, 5/10/2007, G, catches left, 5-11/170
Hometown: Darien, Conn.Â
Fichthorn was one of the best goalies at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage for the New England District. That was the biggest reason why Fichthorn got on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list. It will be his first year as the starter for Westminster in a tough Housatonic division. He will be his team's x-factor as a junior.
Dylan Lee-Stack
Brunswick, 8/24/2007, G, catches left, 6-2/176
Hometown: New York City, N.Y.Â
It's Lee-Stack's time in the Brunswick net. The junior put up nice numbers in a backup role last season behind Will Baker, posting a 1.86 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He trained with longtime pro netminder Steve Valiquette over the offseason. Lee-Stack's first performance of the season was a strong one, making 38 saves on 41 shots in a 3-3 tie with St. George's. He followed that up with a 21-save shutout to beat Loomis Chaffee, 4-0, on Wednesday.
BOYS PREP RANKINGS:Â Our preseason top 10Â |Â Who are the next 15 teams?Â
Elliot Lennon
Deerfield, 3/5/2008, G, catches left, 6-3/181
Hometown: Kirkland, QuebecÂ
Lennon was the backup to senior John Tolve last season, but still played a fair amount and posted a .903 save percentage. He had a nice fall with the 16U Northern Connecticut Nor'Easter Storm, which he should be able to parlay into owning the net for Deerfield. It won't be easy, as the Housatonic is loaded. His size should have him prepared for that workload.
Steven Luciano
Salisbury, 3/1/2007, G, catches left, 6-1/179
Hometown: New Canaan, Conn.Â
As a senior, Luciano projects to take over the Salisbury net. He played a good amount last season and was strong. The 6-foot-1 goalie was picked in the ninth round (137th overall) in this year's USHL Phase 2 Draft by the Omaha Lancers. He was also picked 11th overall in the 2023 QMJHL American Draft by Chicoutimi. He's a stable netminder who is technically sound and will be the backbone of Salisbury, who is our preseason No. 1 team. His first start of the season came Wednesday when he made 14 saves in a 2-2 tie against Taft.
Cole Pouliot-Porter
New Hampton, 7/24/2006, G, catches left, 6-1/187
Hometown: Wrentham, Mass.Â
Pouliot-Porter enters prep after being the top goalie in the MIAA over the last two seasons with Xaverian. He's a postgrad with New Hampton hoping to boost the Huskies in the Lakes Region. Facing teams like Kimball Union, Holderness and Tilton twice will allow him to show himself to Division 1 programs. His athleticism sets him apart. He made 32 saves on Wednesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Winchendon.
Tommy Saulnier
St. Sebastian's, 2/15/2008, G, catches left, 6-0/165
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.Â
Saulnier has been the '08 Boston Junior Eagles' go-to goalie over the last couple of years. He will be under siege this winter with a young, inexperienced St. Sebastian's team in a very tough ISL Keller division. He's ready for it and will continue developing and getting better for having faced all those shots. His numbers might not jump off the page this winter, but the seeds will be planted for a very successful prep career. A great example of this was his first start of the season on Wednesday. Rivers put up six goals, but Saulnier still made 45 saves.
BREAKOUTS: 32 breakout forward candidates | 18 breakout defender candidates
Alex Wang
Groton, 1/28/2009, G, catches left, 6-3/181
Hometown: Concord, Mass.Â
I might be a bit early with Wang, but the '09 sophomore was outstanding in the fall with the Neponset Valley River Rats 15O squad. Statistically, he was the best goalie at Select 15 Camp this summer with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .979 save percentage over four games. Those numbers are bonkers given he was playing against the other top '09s in the United States. Wang will battle for the net with junior Wes DiModica, but there's no doubt Wang is ready to hold his own. He could even be a candidate for the U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in the spring. His first start was a success, as he made 24 saves to beat North Yarmouth Academy, 3-1.
Eli Zucker
Milton Academy, 9/19/2008, G, catches left, 6-3/181
Hometown: New York City, N.Y.Â
Zucker is on this list due to his performance in the 16U Massachusetts state title game. The '08, who is new to Milton Academy, was outstanding in the net and handled a high volume of shots well. With Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.) off to juniors a year early, it will be a battle between Zucker and sophomore Carter Backus (Cohasset, Mass.).
