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In round six of the 2018 NHL entry draft, pick 176 overall, the San Jose Sharks selected Zacharie Émond, is a 6-foot-3, 165-pound goalie from the QMJHL. During this season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Emond played 24 games and posted an .897 save percentage.
Ranked as the 18th-best goalie by Central Scouting, Émond is an interesting pick here, when you often see GMs swinging for upside with small forwards who fell through the earlier rounds because of their stature. From St. Cyprien, Quebec, Émond posted a solid .913 his final year in midget hockey, adding a .949 outing in the playoffs that same season.
According the prospect-stats.com, Émond’s save percentage didn’t quite match up to his expected save percentage (all situations), finishing the year 0.004 points below what the average goalie would have produced. That number ranks seventh amongst nine 17 to 18-year-old goalies in the QMJHL who started at least 20 games during the 2017-18 season. Émond also saved 0.056 goals below what the average goalie would have saved per 30 shots against when adjusted for the amount of low-, medium-, and high-danger shots he faced.
The goaltender’s 5v5 numbers were a bit of an improvement. His save percentage exceeded his expected save percentage by 0.002, third among 17 to 18-year-old goalies in the Q this season. He also saved 0.37 goals above average per 30 shots when adjusted for the shot difficulty he faced, the best mark among goalies his age.
Émond’s high- and medium-danger save percentages at 5v5 were fairly middling, and he made his money with his low-danger saves. That might be nothing or it might be a sign of some regression to come if he doesn’t improve his play against tougher shots. The newest Shark organization’s ‘tender did put up a .918 sv% at 5v5, the best such figure among his age group peers.
Correction: This post previously state that Émond weighed 156 pounds at the time of his drafting. That has been changed to reflect the 165-pound weight stated on Émond’s Elite Prospects profile.