We have finally arrived at PART 3 of the Beanpot Special. We’ve now taken a look at the top skater prospects in Division 1 NCAA Hockey. As the 4 college players representing Team USA return from South Korea, it’s time to look at the backbone of some of their respective teams. Goalies are a lot harder to grow into NHL talent but the NCAA has produced many terrific netminding alumni.
Goalies
Jake Oettinger
Jake Oettinger was born in Lakeville, Minnesota. He played his youth career in Farmington before reaching high school. His performances with Farmington left him in contention to be drafted into the WHL via the Bantam Draft. He was drafted in the 9th round by the Portland Winterhawks. In 2013-14, Jake played 1 season (9 games) for Lakeville North High and posted a .931 SVS% and 1.86 GAA. Following a single season in high school, Oettinger left for the United States National Development Program. He had an average year with the USHL team with a 3.23 GAA and a .907 SVS% in 20 games backstopping Team USA. He also played for the U17 team and had a .916 SVS% in 29 games. The 6’4 goaltender returned to the USNTDP in 2015. He played 15 games for the USHL squad but this time had a .919 SVS%. After 2 seasons with the USDP, Oettinger enrolled at Boston University where he immediately took over as the starter. As a freshman, Jake held a record of 21-11-3 to go along with a .927 SVS% and 2.11 GAA which ranked 10th and 12th Nationally. The Minnesota Native also was selected as a member of the 2017 WJC roster. He didn’t play any games but still received a gold medal. With a terrific performance behind teammates Chad Krys and Charlie Mcavoy, Oettinger went into the 2017 NHL draft as the #1 ranked goalie. Oettinger was selected at 26th overall by the Dallas Stars after they traded the 29th pick and the 90th pick to the Chicago Blackhawks. This selection made him the first goalie to be picked in the 1st round since Malcolm Subban and Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012. BU’s number 29 returned for his sophomore year but has slipped into a bit of a sophomore slump. Thru 30 games, Oettinger holds a .907 SVS% and 2.64 GAA. He was also selected as one of the goalies for Team USA in the 2018 WJC. During the WJC, he played 3 of the 7 games and showcased a .889 SVS% and 2.77 GAA but helped USA upset Canada in the World Juniors first outdoor classic at New Era Field in the shootout. Stars fans certainly hope he can pick up the slack and continue to improve into the elite goalie expectations that comes with being selected in the 1st round as a goalie.
Colton Point
Colton Point is a goaltender from North Bay, Ontario, Canada. Point played his youth hockey with the North Bay Trappers starting in bantams in 2012-13. After 1 season with both: the bantam and midget team, Colton arrived to play for the North Bay Trappers junior team in the North Ontario Junior Hockey League. He played 1 game for the Trappers and had a whopping .635 SVS% and 28.35 GAA. Although he had a brutal performance in his NOJHL debut, Colton still got drafted 279th overall in the 14th round of the OHL priority selection to the Erie Otters. Yes, Colton Point could’ve been the backstop for Connor Mcdavid, Dylan Strome, Alex Debrincat, and Taylor Raddysh. However, instead of choosing the OHL, the North Bay product returned to North Bay to play for the North Bay Trappers Midget AAA. Point played in between the pipes for 25 games and then joined the Powassan Voodoos for 3 games. He posted a 7.32 GAA and .808 SVS% in his 3 starts. In 2015-16, Pointer joined the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canadian Hockey League. He made a massive improvement from his NOJHL days and held a .915 SVS% to complement a 2.16 GAA. A strong year with Carleton Place left Point in prime position for the NHL draft. Before the NHL draft, Colton was drafted in the 10th round at pick 163 of the USHL Entry Draft by the Waterloo Blackhawks. While the USHL became an option, the 6’4 220 pound goalie looked towards the NHL draft. In the 5th round of the 2016 NHL draft, the Dallas Stars used the 128th pick to select Colton Point. CP then decided on the college route and enrolled at Colgate University. He spent most of his freshman year in 2016-17 as a backup, playing 10 games but maintaining a .918 SVS%. He returned to Colgate as a sophomore to take over the starting role. In the 2017-18 season, Point has played 25 games to this point and has an unbelievable .945 SVS% and 1.74 GAA! Although Point could technically play for Team USA or Canada, Point joined Team Canada at the World Juniors in 2018. He spent almost all tournament as the backup to Carter Hart but did play 1 game. In that 1 game, Point pitched a shutout to collect his first win in his first ever international game. He’ll likely be noted as trade bait in a few years as Dallas seems to have invested heavily in goalie Jake Oettinger but Colton will definitely be a strong goalie, whether that’s with Dallas or someone else.
Jeremy Swayman
Jeremy Swayman was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He played his youth career in Alaska for Alaska Allstars 14u AA and the Alaska Jr. Aces 16u AAA. After his youth “travel” career, Swayman played for South Anchorage High School where he captured a .948 SVS% in 26 games. In 2015-16, Jeremy played 18 games for the Pikes Peak Miners 18u. During that season, he swayed his way into a .940 SVS% and a 1.79 GAA. Even though he had a spectacular year, Swayman still slipped into the 12th round of the USHL where he was taken 191st overall by the Sioux Falls Stampede. He started 32 games in the 2016-17 season for the Stampede out of North Dakota. As a rookie, Swayman held a pretty strong .914 SVS% but 2.90 GAA. His year with the Stampede opened the eyes of the some of the NHL’s top scouts who ranked him 12th among American goalies. The Boston Bruins went after Swayman with the 111st overall pick in the 4th Round of the 2017 Draft. The Bruins prospect committed to the University of Maine where he immediately took over the starting role in 2017-18. So far this season, the freshman has played 25 games for the Black Bears. He has a .924 SVS% and 2.64 GAA which is spectacular for a freshman. The 19-year-old was also selected to the US U20 World Junior Team where he backed up Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll. While not many people expected him to play, Jeremy appeared in 1 game for the US and posted a shutout. The US upset themselves a little bit by only winning Bronze but Swayman still can look forward to helping Maine attempt to sneak into the Top 20 NCAA Division 1 rankings.