Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.sfstampede.com
- Name: Alex Kangas
- Position: G
- Catches: Left
- Height: 6-1
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Birthdate: 1987-05-28
- Eligible for Draft: 2005
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota
- Acquired: 135th overall by Atlanta, 2006 NHL Draft
- Playing In: NCAA
Alex Kangas
Prospect Grade: 7.0 C (About Prospect Grades)
History
2004-05: As a senior, Kangas established himself as perhaps the best netminder in Minnesota high school hockey. Kangas had an exceptional .937 save percentage and 2.15 goals-against average and led Century to the State Tournament. Kangas was named to the State All-Tournament Team. Kangas finished the season as a winner by backstopping Team Minnesota to the Chicago Showcase championship.
2005-06: The Sioux Falls Stampede made Kangas the third overall pick in the USHL Entry Draft, new head coach Kevin Hartzell’s first pick for the organization. (Hartzell coached Team Minnesota at the Chicago Showcase in 2005) Kangas won his first eight starts with Sioux Falls and broke former Stampede netminder Kellen Briggs' record of seven. Selected to play for Team West at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game. Splitting time with John Murray, Kangas compiled a USHL second-best .930 save percentage and a third-best goals-against average of 2.15 in 1733 minutes over 29 games. In recognition of his excellent regular season, the USHL named Kangas to the All-Rookie Team. Kangas started the playoffs as Murray’s backup, but played more and more as the playoffs went on. Kangas got both of Sioux Falls’ wins against the Des Moines Buccaneers in the Clark Cup Finals, including a 42-save 3-1 victory in Game 4 of the five-game series.
2005-06: Sioux Falls traded Kangas to the Indiana Ice. At the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Kangas was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 5th round with the 135th overall pick.
Read HF's interview with Alex Kangas.
2006-07: Played for the Indiana Ice.
Talent Analysis
Kangas is a very technical goaltender. He reads the play well and positions himself accordingly. One can tell if Kangas is set and anticipating a shot if he’s squatting low, and it’s rare that he is not square to the puck. A taller netminder, Kangas is not afraid to get down low in order to see shots. He’s also not afraid to challenge shooters from the top of the crease and reduce the angle. His hybrid butterfly/standup style, mixed with his position and size, does not give shooters much net to look at. Because Kangas does not scramble and is extremely consistent, he has excellent rebound control, not just in covering the puck, but in kicking it out to the corners away from the front of the net to let the defensemen break it out. Add in his quick glove, and you have an excellent puckstopping goalie who doesn’t try to do too much.
Kangas has good lateral and vertical crease movement, but additional leg strength would make Kangas truly exceptional. Another area Kangas could improve on is puckhandling. Kangas has good hockey sense, so he makes smart and easy plays with the puck, but improving his stickhandling could also help make Kangas a truly elite netminder. However, neither of these two areas are glaring weaknesses, they are merely areas of improvement that could take Kangas’ game to the next level.
Future
He is an extremely technical goalie who is calm and collected in net. His work ethic and methodical approach should serve him well in the future.
Stats
| Alex Kangas - G | ||||||||||||
| Seas. | Team | Leag. | GP | MIN | W | L | T | SO | SV | GA | SV% | GAA |
| 02-03 | Rochester Cen | HS | 27 | 1275 | 17 | 9 | 1 | - | 479 | 50 | .905 | 1.76 |
| 03-04 | Rochester Cen | HS | 28 | 1443 | 15 | 12 | 1 | - | 639 | 59 | .915 | 2.08 |
| 04-05 | Rochester Cen | NHL | 30 | 1502 | 23 | 4 | 3 | - | 820 | 55 | .937 | 1.86 |
| 05-06 | Sioux Falls | USHL | 29 | 1733 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 819 | 68 | .930 | 2.15 |
| 05-06* | Sioux Falls | USHL | 6 | 359 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 17 | .909 | 2.84 |
| 06-07 | Indiana | USHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Profile Last Updated: March, 6th 2008
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