A common thought from associates of mine who are employed in the NHL scouting ranks, is if a goaltending prospect is under six feet two inches tall, they are eliminated from consideration.

Scouts and managerial personnel, are often of the belief that goalies who lack size will be picked apart, as they progress into the professional ranks. Shooters in the pro ranks have the ability to find the smallest holes with precision accuracy.

If a goalie has menacing size, he is able to minimize some of the open real estate behind him. He also has a higher probability of stopping shots toward the upper portion of the net, when utilizing the butterfly.

A tall netminder is better able to defend cross crease opportunities with their long legs. While the pace of play continues to increase for skaters, goaltenders are tasked with finding ways to make tougher saves. 

It’s very evident that NHL teams have a preference toward netminders with tremendous size and mobility. Some of the most prominent NHL puckstoppers have no shortage of height. Most current NHL goalies stand in excess of six feet two inches tall, including the following:

Dennis Hildeby (Maple Leafs)

Mads Sogaard (Senators)

Anthony Stolarz (Maple Leafs)

Jacob Markstrom (Devils)

Jake Oettinger (Stars)

Nikita Tolopilo (Canucks)

Darcy Kuemper (Kings)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres)

Daniil Tarasov (Panthers)

Jonas Johansson (Lightning)

Akira Schmid (Golden Knights)

Devin Cooley (Flames)

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning)

Connor Hellebuyck (Jets)

Frederik Andersen (Hurricanes)

Joonas Korpisalo (Bruins)

Linus Ullmark (Senators)

Tristan Jarry (Oilers)

Stuart Skinner (Penguins)

Arturs Silovs (Penguins)

Mackenzie Blackwood (Avalanche)

Jakub Dobes (Canadiens)

Adin Hill (Golden Knights)

Thatcher Demko (Canucks)

Logan Thompson (Capitals)

Brandon Bussi (Hurricanes)

Karel Vejmelka (Mammoth)

Justus Annunen (Predators)

John Gibson (Red Wings)

Cam Talbot (Red Wings)

Anton Forsberg (Kings)

Ilya Sorokin (Islanders)

Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)

Elvis Merzlikins (Blue Jackets)

Spencer Knight (Blackhawks)

Arvid Soderblom (Blackhawks)

Sam Montembault (Canadiens)

Jesper Wallstedt (Wild)

Samuel Ersson (Flyers)

Yaroslav Askarov (Sharks)

Joseph Woll (Maple Leafs)

David Rittich (Islanders)

Pyotr Kochetkov (Hurricanes)

When it comes to goalies that stand at the aforementioned minimum height (six feet two inches), established by certain scouts, there’s no shortage of talent.

Two time Stanley Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky tops this list. “Bob” is accompanied by Canadian Olympian Jordan Binnington, Lukas Dostal and Jake Allen.

While the large goalies listed above are masters of their craft, it would be unfair to ignore an undersized starting netminder, in Jussi Saros of the Nashville Predators.

The five-foot-11 Saros is very small by today’s goalie standards. However, due to his incredible mobility and aggressiveness in his crease, Saros is very efficient at playing “bigger” than his stature.

At the end of the day it is desirable having an imposing figure with great size stand in your team’s net. However, it simply comes down to who can stop the most pucks, and who gives their organization the best chance to win.

My preference is goalies with size, perhaps because I stand six feet four inches tall. I thoroughly enjoy watching “big” goalies with great technique and fundamentals. However, the top priority for any team is having a goalie who stops high danger scoring chances.

Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek was proof that a lack of technique, or hulking size can still result in tremendous success.

Smaller goalies can still be very impactful. Calgary Flame Dustin Wolf, and New York Ranger Igor Shesterkin are proof that being shy of six feet two inches tall does not prevent either from NHL success.

The best goalies are the ones who find a way to keep the puck out of the net!

© Peterborough Examiner