The Sudbury Wolves made a splash in the off-season.
They were able to not only pick one of the top goalie prospects in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but were able to get him to commit to the team.
Now the question becomes, what do you do with him?
Putting him on your roster, makes him the starting goaltender. But the team has its incumbent who is not so willing to give up that starting spot.
Luukkonen made the trip to Sudbury, 90 hours of travel, to get to Sudbury Wolves training camp where we spoke with him before he was off to Buffalo Sabres camp.
“Of course help the team win games, and play a lot of games. I think that is the most important thing to get a lot of games for me and win the games,” said Luukkonen.
Luukkonen was taken in the second round of the 2017 NHL draft by the Buffalo Sabres, the highest European goalie taken in that draft. It was important for that organization and the player to become accustomed to the North American game.
“It’s different than playing in Europe so it’s a good chance to learn to play in a smaller rink and play a little bit faster and more physical hockey so I think it’s important for me,” said Luukkonen.
So far, so good with the city as well.
“The rink, there was a lot of stories about it, it’s really nice, I like it, it’s old but it has the feeling,” said Luukkonen. “The city’s great, it reminds me a lot of Finland so it feels like you’re not far away from home.”
He comes in with some experience both overseas and in international hockey. Luukkonen is all but guaranteed to spend just one season with the Sudbury Wolves but can still have an impact on the players here if he wants.
“Yeah I hope so, it’s one of my goals to help the team win and to lead the team that way,” said Luukkonen.
Jake McGrath is very familiar with Luukkonen, they both were at Buffalo Sabres camp in the Summer of 2017.
“Coming into the season, everybody knows the goalie we got, so it should make for a good competition. So obviously I want to become a starter, we’re both going to be fighting for that role but going into the season that’s my mindset is I want to be a starter,” said McGrath.
“It’s obviously a little different, but it just makes you work harder, you know, nothing is handed to you. Like I said, it’s going to be a challenge, we’re both going to be battling for that starting role but he’s a great goalie, I was with him at the Buffalo(Sabres) camp and I saw him and you know he is a solid goalie, it’s just going to mean I’m going to have to work that much harder."
It’s an interesting position for the Wolves because you have a guy who should be your number one goaltender and his now back-up has a chance to get the pressure away from him and get back to playing the game that had him on NHL scouting lists before.
Then you also have to deal with, if McGrath wants to accept that role or does he want out.
“You know what, I’m not too sure what’s going on, whatever happens, happens, I’m going to play my heart out wherever I play. Right now I’m looking forward to starting off with the Wolves but whatever happens, happens,” said McGrath.
He is the Wolves biggest trade piece but also best option right now at goalie for next season. As an over age player he could come back and be a leader in net, get the majority of starts, while helping some of the younger draft picks who were in camp this year.
Then you also have Marshall Frappier in the mix.
Frappier made 22 appearances for the Wolves last season, but at this point looks like the number three guy.
There will be a good chance that Luukkonen heads to the World Juniors this year with Finland, so that means a goalie or two will have to step up in that time, but will it be McGrath or will it be Frappier.
The preseason numbers aren’t good for either goalie.
Ukko-Pekka played Luukk-warm in his two appearances with a 3.37 goals against average and a 0.878 save percentage. McGrath went 0-2-0-1 in the three games and had his highest goals against average and lowest save percentage of any of his four exhibition seasons.
Frappier had an even higher goals against average in two games at 5.31 and a lower save percentage at 0.837.
As the season begins so does the fight for positions in net, and that is a good thing for the Sudbury Wolves. It means every day in practice, goalies will have to be sharp if they want to get into the net come game time.
And for the first time in a long while it looks like these goalies can be game stealers for Sudbury which will go a long way to a playoff run for the Wolves.
