Jacques Lafontaine - Prospect Scouting Report

[SlapshotWrangler 858]

Jacques Lafontaine had a great first season in the Minors. The young Canadian goaltender boasted an excellent 68-4-0 record with the Saskatoon Wild and boasted league-leading stats, like his 0.900 save percentage and his 1.83 goals-against average. To top it all off, he lifted the Founders’ Cup this season as he and the dominant Saskatoon Wild beat the Hounds in 5 games to become the undisputed champions. He has made his case for being the best goaltender in the Victory Hockey League Minors this season. While he may have played with an extremely stacked and dominant Wild team, boasting players like Edwin THE Encarnacion, David OQuinn, veteran Danny DeYeeto, and Mikko Lahtinen as well as a bunch of other great players, he has still proven that he can be solid and that he can do his job. Jacques may not be the next Marc-Andre Fleury or Dominik Hasek but he sure can stop the puck. He’s proven time after time that he can hold his ground and make the saves that the team needs. He’s a solid goaltender and would be a great addition to any team, either as a backup or even a starter. His reaction time is excellent and he has shown his goaltending prowess.

 

Some things that stand out in his game is his rebound control. At the beginning of the season, he had some trouble controlling rebounds which cost him some goals. But he’s worked at improving it and it’s paid off. Another thing you notice is his hand speed. His hand is amazingly fast, almost like a blur. One second it’s down, the next second, it’s grabbing the puck out of the air. Jacques is really good when it comes to his hand speed. That and his reaction time put together makes for a deadly, puck stopping combo. The young goaltender has been working at his reaction time for years, improving it as much as he can. Now, it’s one of the best parts of his game.

 

There are also some things that Jacques needs to work on. For example, he isn’t the best skater. He can skate well but it’s not one of his strengths. However, he has been working on being more agile on his skates and moving smoother on the ice. It’s improved since the beginning of the season but it still needs some work. There’s also just plain focus. When games are one-sided and he sometimes faces 4-10 shots, he tends to let in a bad goal as if he was asleep or something. While it’s getting better, he’ll need to work on his focus if he wants to do well in the Victory Hockey League.

 

To put things short, Jacques Lafontaine is a great prospect and we think he’ll do well in the VHL. He’ll be reliable and will be ready when you need him. Congratulations to him for being drafted by the Calgary Wranglers!

[Peace 1,518]

Not bad for a goalie who took a few mid game naps from time to time.