Emmett Croteau is an exciting goalie to watch. He can make big sweeping saves and at his size he covers a large portion of the net. He can make small movements and stay with shooters in tight, and his wide and low stance lets him push laterally with power. He can read the rush well and is especially good at adapting to broken plays and attacks that quickly turnaround on him. He stays on pucks that bounce around the crease. He plays with a good tempo when pacing oncoming shooters. He’s able to leave the blue paint and make passes up ice. Along with the benefits of a large frame, he also has the drawbacks. He moves well in the butterfly and can go post-to-post, but he’s a little rough going into his RVH and he’s not particularly fast in moving from sequence to sequence. His five-hole is also a bit too slow to close at times and he needs some more consistency with his rebound control. But, more than anything, he is an example of a really good goaltender who still has a number of development challenges ahead of him. Whether it’s while getting handcuffed on shots from long range or playing with the exuberance and structure, or lack there of, of a street hockey goalie and over sliding the play, he has some improvements to make. The good news is he battles and does all he can to give his team a chance to win. He seems to be able to shake off anything that goes wrong and just reset and get ready for the next play which indicates a mental toughness that he will need to have in the years to come. He is slated to play NCAA hockey for Clarkson beginning next season which gives him a sound and proven development path as he strives to improve towards the goal of an NHL net.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide