Hockey's Future - The #1 Online Prospects Resource

The road to the National Hockey League has been full of starts and stops for Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender Alexander Auld. The 22-year-old netminder made his NHL debut for one game in 2001-02, his first year pro. He played seven NHL games last year, and is now called up and has started two straight games for the Canucks (both at home) against the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes.

With both Dan Cloutier and Johan Hedberg currently nursing injuries, Canucks management called Auld up on December 10th. He got the start against divisional opponent and league powerhouse Colorado Avalanche the day after being called up. The 6-foot-4 200lbs Auld did not look out of place, and was a star in goal that kept the Canucks in the game and earned them a point in a 1-1 draw.

The only goal Colorado was able to muster was on a chance in close by sniper Rob Blake. Blake beat Auld over his glove on the near side on a well placed shot. Auld made 27 saves in his first appearance of the season for the Canucks.

Johan Hedberg was scheduled to start the next game on December 14th against Carolina but re-injured his wrist in practice which allowed for Auld to get the next start. Auld shined once again in goal for the Canucks, allowing only a single goal by Hurricanes forward Eric Staal in a 2-1 overtime win for Vancouver.

With both Cloutier and Hedberg due back shortly, Auld will be sent back down to the AHL Manitoba Moose in a matter of days. Auld will once again be the starting goaltender in the AHL and will pick up where he left off.

It shouldn’t be long until Auld becomes a valuable part of the Canucks roster, as he has the potential to be a starting goaltender in the NHL. His strong points are his positioning and his size. Since he is bigger than most goaltenders, Auld uses his size to his advantage to show less of the net to shooters. This combined with sound positioning makes him tough to beat straight on. One of his downfalls, however, is his lateral movement. Opposing teams have found that the best way to score on Auld is by getting him to move laterally.

Since the Canucks have loaded their lineup with experienced veterans this season, Auld has not received the opportunity he was looking for. Last year, Peter Skudra was the backup to Dan Cloutier and this year the team opted for getting a veteran backup in  Johan Hedberg as opposed to giving Auld the chance this year. Auld is one of only three rookies to play for the Canucks so far this season. The others are Jason King who is still with the team and Ryan Kesler who has been loaned to the U.S. junior team.

Auld was drafted 40^th overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on May 31, 2001 for a second round pick in 2001 and a third round pick in 2002. He signed with the Canucks after the trade and played most of the next two seasons for the Manitoba Moose in the AHL.

Alex Auld’s NHL Career Stats:

Alex Auld’s professional year-by-year breakdown: