Kingston Frontenacs goalie Matthew Minchak aided Kingston back into the win column this past week and has been getting rave reviews from scouts.
The NHL draft is over six months away. There’s plenty of time for players who have had slow starts to turn things around. And for those who have already caught the eyes of scouts, they mustn’t let their foot off the gas.
That’s exactly what Kingston Frontenacs goaltender Matthew Minchak has done. In early July, Kingston signed the free agent netminder out of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program. Making the jump from playing 18U AAA in the USA to the OHL can be a daunting task due to the significant skill level differences. But Minchak has made it look seamless.
It’s been an exceptional start to his OHL career for the 6-foot-5 New Jersey native. He earned his first career win in his first start, backstopping Kingston to a 2-1 victory over North Bay, where he made 42 saves on 43 shots. Minchak went on to win his next two starts, allowing only two goals combined on 45 shots.
“For my money, the top draft eligible goalie from the OHL this year is Kingston's Matt Minchak. Yes, he's second year eligible ('07), but he's got a huge frame, has shown great play tracking ability, decent athleticism, and has been composed under fire this year. Leads OHL in SV%,” said McKeens Hockey Director of Scouting, Brock Otten.
Minchak has been used in a tandem role with 2026 NHL draft-eligible goaltender Gavin Betts. However, Minchak has outplayed his crease-partner and has been one of the OHL’s best goaltenders this year.
In 18 games played, Minchak sports an 8-7-2 record, averaging 30.2 shots against per game, with the league’s second-best save percentage of .928%. His 2.27 goals-against-average is tied with Brantford goalie Ryerson Leenders for third-best in the league.
His impressive play continued over this past week for the Frontenacs, who were able to get back on track and sweep the week 3-0.
Minchak held down the fort in Kingston’s win over Oshawa last Wednesday, stopping 24 of 27, as he was given plenty of goal support in their 7-3 thrashing over the Generals.
The Frontenacs returned home for a marquee matchup against the Windsor Spitfires. An ultimate litmus test for Kingston to see if they can hang with one of the best teams in the OHL. Minchak and his team were up for the task, coming away with a massive 4-3 win and achieving the team’s first two-game winning streak in just under a month.
Coming into this week, Kingston was riding a winless streak of 0-7-2. It was starting to get very dark and gloomy for the team, but they had an opportunity to make it three wins in a row on Sunday when they had a rematch against the Oshawa Generals.
Not only were they able to extend their winning streak to three games, but Minchak earned his first career OHL shutout in the process, stopping all 34 shots he faced. Also, he earned an assist on Maleek McGowan’s short-handed empty net goal.
Kingston and Minchak finish the week 3-0. Riding that horrid losing streak, it’s noteworthy that Kingston decided to go with Minchak to start all three games this past week. And with the season he’s having, it’s easy to see why he would be their Ace.
NHL Central Scouting had Minchak rated as a “W” prospect in their preliminary rankings, which is the equivalent of a 6th-7th round prospect. They will be releasing their midterm rankings shortly, and it will be interesting to see how high Minchak will have been moved up their list amongst North American goaltenders.
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