Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #9 - Keith Petruzzelli
The 24-year-old goaltender is entering his second full season with the Toronto Marlies.
The goaltenders continue in the ninth spot of The Hockey News Toronto's Maple Leafs prospect rankings.
During a 10-day period that will span from August 7-18, I will be releasing my rankings (from 10-1) of who I believe is the closest prospect to playing full-time NHL hockey with the Maple Leafs.
Keith Petruzzelli (Toronto Marlies) 24, G, Six-foot-five, 185 lbs
The 24-year-old netminder will likely share the net next season with another Maple Leafs prospect.
What stands out about Petruzzelli right away is his height, and the ability to move with that size. The 24-year-old, in particular, has proven that you can mix height and athleticism at the AHL level.
What the 24-year-old has trouble with at the professional level, though, is consistency. Petruzzelli did have a decent season but always struggled to put a good string of games together.
There was the incredible moment in November when Marlies GM Ryan Hardy announced in the dressing room following a game in Belleville that Petruzzelli was signing an NHL contract.
"Toronto did the right thing and jumped all over him," said Marlies forward Alex Steeves in November.
"He’s such a great guy, honestly. Kind of the ideal personality for a goalie. He’s just confident, calm, collected, does his thing out there. We’re all super happy for him. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy."
But following that, the 24-year-old struggled with consistency, which unfortunately bled into the Calder Cup playoffs. The 24-year-old gave up 14 goals in just three games, finishing the postseason with an .829 save percentage.
The reasoning behind that could be because the 24-year-old was in and out of the Marlies lineup all season long. There was a stretch — from December 26 to February 4 — where the 24-year-old didn't play in the AHL at all.
It might be similar again this season as he and Hildeby will battle it out for time in the Marlies' crease.
Aside from consistency, I'd like to see Petruzzelli improve his rebound control. Too many times in the playoffs did I see the opposition score off a rebound from the 24-year-old.
The biggest positive, though, for Petruzzelli, is that he's a competitor. No matter how difficult it gets, no matter how many goals he's given up, the 24-year-old will always battle.
"He’s a gamer. That was the first thing I said to everybody," former Newfoundland Growlers head coach and now Marlies assistant coach said.
"He competed so high and when the chips are down, he seems to find the save."
Both Petruzzelli and Hildeby will want to have strong starts to the year with the way things ended last season. And with the NHL closer than ever for the 24-year-old, it could be a very big season for him.
Petruzzelli has shown that he can compete at the AHL level. Now, he just has to do it consistently. The sky's the limit if the 24-year-old can do that.
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