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2024 NHL Draft: Getting to know Christian Kirsch

There were a lot of questions about whether the San Jose Sharks would draft a goaltender during the 2024 NHL Draft, considering that that aspect of the prospect pool is woefully shallow. Turns out, the team drafted not one, but two goaltenders in Las Vegas. Christian Kirsch was the first goaltender drafted by the Sharks and post-draft, San Jose Sharks Director of Amateur Scouting Chris Morehouse said Kirsch was the team’s top goaltending target.

“We trust our goalie guys, and we got the number one goalie on our board, and we got, I think, it was the number two or three goalie on our board [Yaroslav Korostelyov],” said Morehouse on June 29. “So, for us, obviously, every organization is different; every team has different lists of which goalies are which, but we added two of our three favorites, so we’re pretty excited.

“Goalies, as you know, are very different. Where you get them, where they’re from, what their age is,” continued Morehouse. “We think we got two guys that can stop the puck, that have a good long development path.”

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 192 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, June 18, 2006
Catches: Left
Zug 20 (Switzerland U20-Elite): 30 games, 22-5-1 with 3 shutouts
Zug 20 (Switzerland U20-Elite) Playoffs: 11 games, 7-3-1 with 1 shutout
Switzerland U18 WJC: 5 games, 1-3-1 with a 3.59 GAA, .872 SV%

Kirsch certainly fits the body type that the Sharks have tended towards in the past few years. In fact, his 6-foot-4 frame is smaller than Magnus Chrona and Georgi Romanov.

He represented Switzerland at the U18. He fared okay against the international competition, facing stacked powerhouses like Canada, the United States and Sweden.

What do scouts say about Kirsch’s game?

Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff reviewed Kirsch’s game after the U18 WJC and had a mixed review of the netminder.

“It was an eventful showing for Kirsch, who had a rough outing against Canada. I thought he looked good against the Swedes to force overtime and was part of the comeback effort to beat Kazakhstan on Day 2,” wrote Ellis. “I even thought Kirsch was good in the 3-0 loss to the Czechs as he had a decent 30-save showing. The University of Massachusetts commit had a rough year on the international front, statistically, but it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to North America in the future.”

Like most goaltenders at this age, Kirsch’s game is raw. He’s big, and at 18, he’s still learning how to use his body in the crease. That said, he seems to be working things out.

“His big body comes with a few delays while trying to manoeuvre around the crease, but he makes up for it with clean footwork, and strong edgework while down in the butterfly,” wrote Elite Prospects in its 2024 NHL Draft Guide.

Meanwhile, Chris Peters of FloHockey called Kirsch a “high-compete, athletic goalie.”

Brock Otten of McKeen’s Hockey seemed to concur in his analysis last year.

“Kirsch is a hyper-athletic netminder with size,” wrote Otten in a 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Preview.

What’s next for Kirsch?

Kirsch is leaving Switzerland and heading to North America this fall. He will play for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL. The Gamblers selected Kirsch in the fifth round of the 2023 USHL Entry Draft. Gamblers Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personel Kirk Luedeke had nothing but nice things to say about him.

“Christian wants to be a player and is focused on developing his skills and technique through top competitive environments and coaching,” said Luedeke in a 2023 interview. “We’re excited to have him in the system and want him to be wherever he will get quality reps and build his 6-foot-4 but lean frame to be able to handle the rigors of junior hockey.”

After the 2024-25 season, he’ll head off to the NCAA, where he’ll play for the University of Massachusetts.

When Morehouse said the development path was long, he meant it. If Kirsch progresses the way the team thinks he will, we’re looking at five years or so until he goes pro. While that’s not unusual for goaltenders, a lot can happen in that time span.

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