Emmett Croteau needs to play more games.
Emmett Croteau is a Canadian prospect goalie who has taken a longer path to playing college hockey. In 2019-20, he played at St. John Bosco High, a private school in Leesburg, Virginia. He also played for other teams. In all, he played in 45 games.
His second USHL season was in 2021-22 when he played for the Waterloss Black Hawks. He played in 35 regular-season games and six playoff games and had a .917 save percentage in six postseason games. Then the Montreal Canadiens drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
I think the 6’4” Croteau does a nice job of filling the net. He looks like a fast crab going post-to-post. I like his leg extension and his glove is good and he will catch pucks he thinks will rebound off the back wall and possibly to a player. We’ve all seen that happen. Statistically, his .917 save percentage, and 3-1 record is good with Dartmouth this season. Last season he was with Clarkson but only got six games there so he utilized the transfer portal.
He’s only played 10 college games, and at the age of 21, he needs more. Croteau should get more games this year and next year he might have a chance to compete for the starting job. If not, he can hit the button on the transfer portal again. The portal is made for goalies who aren’t seeing enough rubber. All he has to do is find a school that is interested.
At some point, he will play in the AHL. Croteau is 1-2 years away from playing in Laval, that’s ok. The Canadiens have no reason to rush him. He has a chance to be an NHL backup.