Prospect Profile: Keith Kinkaid. A Discussion With Ken Schott of The 'Parting Schotts' Blog About The Devils New Goaltender
by Tom Stivali on Apr 18, 2011 4:00 PM EDT
in Prospects - Devils & Otherwise
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While it was rumored in the Twitterverse on Friday night that the New Jersey Devils had signed Union Flying Dutchman goaltender Keith Kinkaid to a Entry Level Contract, it was finally made official today.
Kinkaid, who foregoes his final two years of college was named a First Team ACHA All-American (in the East), a second team All-College Hockey News selection, and First-Team All ECAC based on his play this past season. The native of Farmingville, NY will join the team for training camp in September.
(Note: While I have seen various reports that he signed a 3-year ELC, I don't think that's possible as he is technically going to be considered 22 for the purposes of the deal and is only able to sign a maximum of a 2-year deal. CBA Reference 9.1.B and 9.2)
Besides the information provided on Kinkaid by user alslammerz (and read his thoughts on Kinkaid's play here). I knew very little of Union's players beyond Kelly Zajac, the younger brother of Travis and Darcy. (You might have heard of Travis before). I was very curious about Kinkaid, partly because of my lack of knowledge about him but also because of the Devils current goaltending depth. With Jeff Frazee a RFA, Mike McKenna a UFA and Maxime Clermont likely to be playing in the organization next year the race to be Martin Brodeur's successor has a new contestant.
I reached out to Bill Cain of the Daily Gazette, who covers the Albany Devils, to see if he knew anyone familiar with Kinkaid. He was gracious enough to connect me with Ken Schott (also with the Daily Gazette) so that I could pick his brain a bit about the Devils new goaltender.
Ken writes the 'Parting Schotts' blog at the Daily Gazette website and is also on Twitter @slapschotts. He covers ECAC Hockey, specifically Union and RPI. I am mad at myself for not finding his blog earlier because one thing I have been looking for the past few months when researching the NCAA is a good source of information about the ECAC. Now, I have a great one. So if you enjoy college hockey follow Ken on Twitter and via the Daily Gazette.
After the jump we will discuss Kinkaid's sudden departure from Union to the Devils, Kinkaid's brief history with Union and how Kinkaid reminds Ken of a local goalie, who some of you might be familiar with.
UPDATE: Ken Schott posted some video of a press conference with Kinkaid from this afternoon.
UPDATE 2: Ken has a few one on one questions with Keith.
Tom Stivali: Ken-Thank you for taking the time to do this. The first item I wanted to discuss is Kinkaid leaving Union early. They had just come off a season where they were in the NCAA tournament for the first time at the Division I level and the program was at its apex.
Were you surprised by this move, were there any rumblings this might have happened? Was it simply a case of capitalizing on an opportunity?
Ken Schott: Tom, I wasn't completely shocked by the move. It wasn't a secret that NHL teams were looking at him. He had been in a number of NHL prospect camps the past two summers. Keith gave fans some hope after the NCAA loss to Minnesota Duluth when he said he was coming back. But, having asked the same question of RPI forward Jerry D'Amigo after he won ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year last season and getting the same answer, only to see him sign with Toronto in late August, I knew the answer could change. When I spoke to Keith after he was named an All-America and asked him again about coming back, he said it was 50-50. At that point, I had a feeling he was going to leave.
Tom: What were the expectations of Kinkaid coming to Union as a 20 year old freshman out of the NAHL? Was the job thought to be his or was his ascendance a surprise?
Ken: The expectation was that he was going to be the No. 1 goalie soon. Keith had great stats with the St. Louis Bandits (30-5, 1.79 goals-against average). He was the NAHL MVP and Goalie of the Year. But Union coach Nate Leaman had a No. 1 goalie already in Corey Milan, who helped the Dutchmen win their first Division I playoff series in 2008-09. Keith was pulled from his first home start against Sacred Heart on Oct. 24, 2009, after allowing four goals on 17 shots in the first period. However, Union didn't play very well in front of him.
But as the season went along, Keith got better and better, while Corey was inconsistent. Eventually, Keith took over as the No. 1 goalie.
Tom: Kinkaid seems to have went from a situation in 2009-2010 when he was sharing time with Corey Milan to being the workhorse this past season. How did he hold up over the season? I realize the college season is shorter than a Junior or AHL season but did his play suffer as a result of the increased workload?
Ken: His play didn't suffer from the all the work he got. He had a great defensive unit playing in front of him. Union allowed just 25 shots on goal per game, while it averaged 33 shots per game.
Tom: What is his best attribute as a goalie? Conversely, where is he weak and what part of his game will he need to work on the most this offseason to prepare himself for a AHL and possibly a NHL debut? How has Kinkaid reacted to adversities faced during a game? (regaining composure after being pulled in a game, letting in a soft goal) Can he quickly move past a tough situation or does he let a bad play bother him long after the play has occurred?
Ken: I'm going to combine these three questions into one answer. His best attributes is that he is very good with his rebounds, but more importantly, he doesn't let giving up a bad goal, or when his team is running around in its own zone, affect him. Keith is excellent in coming back by making a big save to settle his team down.
The one area of his game that he improved on between freshman and sophomore season was his stick-handling. Last season, he seemed uncomfortable clearing the puck up the ice. This season, he was more confident. However, I do believe he still needs to get better with that and, in particular, being quick to make the decision of when to come out to play the puck or when to stay in the net.
Tom: From the video I have been able to see of him, he seems like a butterfly style goalie. Would you agree? What current/past goalie does he remind you of when he plays?
Ken: I definitely agree. He reminds me of the great Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. With his size (6-foot-3), Patrick Roy comes to mind.
Tom: Also, feel free to add in any information that you think might be relevant for our audience.
Ken: The Devils are at a crossroads with their goaltending. Who knows how many more years Brodeur has left. Taking a look at the Devils' depth chart, it seems like they definitely need help in goal. I think Keith could have used one year at Union to develop his game. But when an organization is offering you a nice contract, it is tough to say no.
Once again, I want to thank Ken for being so helpful and timely with this article.
So, Devils fans...what are your thoughts on Kinkaid and the now crowded organizational depth at goalie? Is Kinkaid destined for the AHL next year or can he sneak up and snag the backup job? Sound off below and thanks for reading!!
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I think Kinkaid will be on Albany next year
And there’s nothing wrong with that. Like I said, I was impressed this season by him but I’d rather him getting time in the A than backing up Marty and I’m not sure he’s NHL ready. (Also, hopefully staying in the Capital District will bring some Union fans to the TUC.)
Also, if you are looking for ECAC sources I can recommend some, both people who cover the whole league as well as some team specific folks. Though Ken is one of the best.
haha
yeah, not much incentive for Devils fans. I’ve got a vested interest in the ECAC though.
Brian Sullivan (Sullivanhockey)</a> covers the league for USCHO and is Boston-based.
Joe Gladziszewski (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/INCH_Gladdy" target="new">INCH_Gladdy) covers the ECAC for INCH and is Syracuse-based
Jason Klump (Jason_Klump</a>) is formerly of College Hockey News and covers the ECAC. He's based on the Cape.
John McGraw (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/JohnMcGrawWKXZ" target="new">JohnMcGrawWKXZ) is the radio broadcaster for Colgate hockey and other sports
Cap Carey (CapCareyWDT</a>) covers Clarkson for the Watertown Daily Times
Brandon Thomas (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/BThomasIJ" target="new">BThomasIJ) covers Cornell for the Ithaca Journal
Daniel Cassavaugh (SLUHockey</a>) covers St. Lawrence for Watertown Daily Times
Harvard Radio (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/WHRBSports" target="new">WHRBSports) are the main broadcasters for Harvard hockey so they have a lot of both Harvard and ECAC content
Chip Malafronte (ChipMalafronte</a>) covers Yale and Quinnipiac hockey for the New Haven Register
<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/GoGateHockey" target="new">GoGateHockey runs a Colgate blog, UnionHockeyBlog</a> runs a Union blog, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/without_a_peer" target="new">withoutapeer runs an RPI blog
yikes
Not sure what I did wrong on that post.
I’ll just post without the links.
@Sullivanhockey, @INCH_Gladdy, @Jason_Klump, @JohnMcGrawWKXZ, @CapCareyWDT, @BThomasIJ, @SLUHockey, @WHRBSports, @ChipMalafronte, @GoGateHockey, @UnionHockeyBlog and @without_a_peer are all among the best sources for ECAC news on twitter (and through twitter you can find links to their blogs or newspaper coverage, etc.)
For what it's worth
Per this photo, looks like KK wears #30. I wonder if he is a Broduer fan?
Anyway, I hope he is on the fast track to the NHL.
One difficulty that is kinda being overlooked about the Devils situation. They are retiring (sooner or later) the ‘Face of the Franchise’. Now, if he was a defenseman or a Center, then as he aged he could simply be moved down to the second pairing or third line or whatever. That option doesn’t exist with a goaltender.
But he wrote he plays butterfly like marty does yet Marty is a hybrid…
by KovyisLove on Apr 18, 2011 6:52 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I smell BS. I doubt he plays Marty’s style at all – hardly anyone does. Schott knows if you say “he’s like Marty”, Devils fans are bound to like him.
That’s not really fair to Schott. I doubt he is inventing something to placate Devils fans.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
by Tom Stivali on Apr 18, 2011 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions
He agrees with you that Kinkaid plays butterfly, and then immediately says Kinkaid is reminiscent of Brodeur. Brodeur doesn’t play butterfly. Sounds fishy to me.
Hybrid is a combo of Stand Up Style/Butterfly, so it certainly is possible that Kinkaid has certain mannerisms that are similar to Brodeur. Not the entire package, but part of his game.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
yeah but you constantly hear about how every goalie is unlike brodeur because they play the butterfly, and this sounds different because ken says yes he does play the butterfly, and reminds me of marty by doing so?
I get what you are saying, but I think part of the confusion is that they hybrid style or Marty’s style is 180 degrees different than anything else out there. There are elements to the butterfly in the way Marty plays, and I am pretty certain he has admitted as much.
I just don’t think Ken is randomly making this up to appease the In Lou We Trust community. That just seems silly.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
Both are winners. Both can steal a game. Both made a ton of game changing saves. Not sure if any of that applies to Kinkaid (let’s hope it does), but Marty and Roy have plenty in common beyond the Montreal connection.
ECAC Blog on USCHO
I think there’s an ECAC blog on USCHO dot com. I read all the Clarkson University Golden Knights highlights (and unfortunately for the past 3 seasons, lowlights) there.
"Everyone loves a comeback."
devil's goaltending
I think the one thing that has set the Devils aside from any other team in the NHL is that we’ve had a history of solid defense and solid goaltending. Although I was too young to really remember how Chico played, or Burke for that matter, I saw Chris Terreri and of course Broduer since his very first game. I hope we can continue this streak of solid goaltending. I know everyone’s excited about KK, but as I had asked before in a previous post, of all the goalies we’ve acquired; Clermont, Frazee, Mckenna, Wedgewood, and now Kinkaid, which one of these goalies do you think has an actual future with the franchise, or is it too soon to tell? Someone had mentioned Wedgewood had a fantastic season this year, is he also in the mix?
by poros all star on Apr 19, 2011 10:31 AM EDT reply actions
Before Marty arrived on the scene the Devils (as you probably recall) utilized the services of players like Craig Billington, Sean Burke, Terreri and more. So unless someone takes the job there is no harm in aggregating some talent that ‘could’ be the next guy.
McKenna is not really in the picture for the future, but the other 4 guys have differing levels of promise but we won’t know anything until they perform well in the AHL/ECHL and then the NHL. Goalies are a weird bunch. Look at James Reimer in Toronto this year. He literally came out of nowhere.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
by Tom Stivali on Apr 19, 2011 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
It’s the second year in the NHL that breaks the goalies.
Examples :
Steve Mason – Rookie Of The Year NHL (Not so good anymore)
Raycroft – Rookie Of The Year NHL (Is he still in the NHL?)
I would be surprised to see Reimer being a great goalie next year. All the players need is one season of scouting and then your secrets are out there. It’s one tough position.
by Kyle Hamelin on Apr 19, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Would be an interesting research project as I would think there would be plenty of evidence to support the counter argument.
Raycroft was in Dallas this past year.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
by Tom Stivali on Apr 19, 2011 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
there is tons of evidence to support the counter-argument.
the problem with evaluating goaltending is that i have no idea how to do it, and i get the sense the media has no clue either. there’s not really ‘underlying’ stats. and there’s a huge luck element to goaltending as well. steve mason might still be good one day – it’s just that he’s not the second coming of patrick roy.
I see what your saying. I might have said my point wrong. I never have looked at any stats to support my idea on this theory but I find that a lot of rookie goalies will play a lot better in their first year then second. But that could be grouped in that “sophmore slump” too I guess. I don’t know. Just food for thought I guess.
I actually thought while watching steve mason in London that he could be one of those goalies that is able to compete at a high level every year he is in the league. But I was proven wrong. I guess you really have to take which team they get drafted to into account too.
by Kyle Hamelin on Apr 19, 2011 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Leighton was a beast too, and then all this season he was in the AHL until the flyers recalled him yesterday to back up bouche. I think the sophmore slump might be attributed to a goalie’s weakness being figured out and exploited. In other words, a hot new goalie comes in and is literally standing on his head, i would compare that to a cinderella ncaa team such as VCU. They catch everyone off gaurd, no one has time to pick them apart and exploit their weakness because like a rookie goalie, that stats just don’t exist. And then 2nd year comes along and you see the numbers slump. Although i think the only reason leighton was sent back to AHL was because of the goal he let up in the stanley cup and no other reason
by poros all star on Apr 19, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the only people who really know anything about goalies are other goalies. I do believe the sophomore slump exists for all players, and that part of it is other teams picking up on tendencies – and that a big part of Marty’s long history of success is his unpredictably and wide array of “moves”
the sophomore slump has been proven to be a myth across all sports. that doesn’t mean that players in their 2nd year don’t sometimes slump, but 2nd year players are typically better than 1st year players.
now, with goalies though, it is interesting, and i think you guys are on to something. a rookie goalie gets playing time by playing well. if he plays extremely well, he gets himself more playing time. generally speaking, goalies are eased into the league – it’s only when goalies play exceptionally (or all other goalies are terrible) that they get thrown right in. and we can usually point to extremely good goalie play as luck. so i’d believe that sophomore goalies often sag, but that’s because they were generally lucky in their rookie season. i don’t think tendencies really have all that much to do with it.
It probably has an element of non-familiarity. The shooters haven’t learned a lot about their tendencies, weak spots, etc. After the goalie has been in the league a year and everybody has played against him, they all have a book on him. The ones that don’t go through the sophomore slump are either probably more likely to be among the better ones or adapt better.
Go Devils
Go Jets
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