Sharks fans will likely get a good look at goaltending prospect Magnus Chrona this season. The newly minted 23-year-old (happy belated birthday!) is expected to be one of the men between the pipes for the Barracuda. Chrona will likely share duties with Eetu Makiniemi and, if he does well, may become the first call up if the Sharks’ tandem of Kaapo Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood hit a snag.
Position: Goaltender
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 216 lbs.
Age: 23
Date of Birth: August 28, 2000
Draft Year: 2018, 152nd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning
Shoots: Left
2023-24 Team: San Jose Barracuda
This coming season will be the first season that Chrona plays professional hockey. For the past four years, he has developed his game in the NCAA with the University of Denver. In 2022, he led the Pioneers to a national title and was named to the 2022 Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.
Chrona completed his collegiate career with 13 shutouts, 71 wins, a 2.20 goals against average and a four-year save percentage of .914. Those numbers prompted the Sharks to sign Chrona to a two-year deal in April.
“Magnus has had an impressive and productive college career with the University of Denver, highlighted by a National Championship in 2022,” said General Manager Mike Grier after the signing. “He brings size and athleticism to the crease, along with a strong compete level. We are happy to have him and excited to watch his game develop.”
What we like
If there’s an ideal size for an NHL goaltender, Chrona has it. He’s listed as 6-foot-6 on the Barracuda website and just 216 pounds. For comparison’s sake, Ben Bishop was 6-foot-7, Andrei Vasilevskiy is 6-foot-4 and Jake Oettinger is 6-foot-5.
That’s not to say that Chrona will play like the aforementioned big men, but he is at least on their level when it comes to size. Those inches are a huge advantage for a position often asked to move from one side of the net to the other in a split second.
You can see how well the size helps him in this clip from March.
Nick DeSantis gets awarded a penalty shot, but Magnus Chrona (#SJSharks) stands tall to keep @DU_Hockey in this hockey game.#NCAATournament pic.twitter.com/VtrrXhUWMX
— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) March 23, 2023
When Nick DeSantis goes in for the penalty shot, it almost looks like there’s nowhere at the bottom of the net to shoot at because Chrona’s pads are just that big.
We also like Chrona’s experience. Instead of choosing to go the Swedish Hockey League path to develop, he came to America and started playing college hockey. That means he’s had four seasons to get accustomed to North American ice. He has adjusted to different timing and angles than he was accustomed to playing with in Sweden.
There’s also his mentality. As his University of Denver coach, David Carle (younger brother of former Shark Matt Carle), told the Denver Gazette in March, Chrona is prepared for big games.
“He’s got big-game experience, he rises to the occasion (and) has throughout his career,” said Carle.
Chrona’s experience will help smooth the transition to the Barracuda allowing him to focus on refining his game and technical skills.
Areas of improvement
Which leads us to the knock on Chrona with some evaluators. Brayden Olafson at Dobber Prospects called Chrona a “technical project” in 2021. While Chrona has worked on some of that technique at the University of Denver, having guys like Evgeni Nabokov and newly added Ryan Miller to help with his development should offer Chrona the best opportunity to excel.
As players move to higher levels of professional hockey technique and positioning start to matter more. Elite shooters are more common. If a goaltender is out of position or not well set to move across the crease in a split second, they’re going to get scored on…a lot.
Playing with the Barracuda will be the litmus test for the Sharks to see what kind of goaltending prospect the team has in its pipeline.
Highlights
Chrona was stellar in a majority of his playoff appearances for the University of Denver, often keeping his team in games. In the following highlight, you see that his positioning is what helped keep the puck out of the net.
MAGNUS CHRONA ARE YOU SERIOUS?! @DU_Hockey | @TheNCHC pic.twitter.com/x7WvnxLKgk
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) March 16, 2021
And then there’s this compilation of saves from 2022 when Chrona helped the University of Denver to its National Championship.
Locked in and unfazed during my Frozen Four/#SJSharks prospect postgame hit 🦈 Congrats to Magnus Chrona 🥅 pic.twitter.com/6mTfxpFk20
— Sonia Tydingco (@SoniaTyding) April 10, 2022
