Briere48

At Red Line Report, we consider this to be an extremely poor year for goaltenders, lacking in both top-end quality and middle-tier quantity. We don't see any world-beating, franchise netminders coming out of this year's crop, or even anything resembling a sure-fire blue-chipper. In fact, there may not be a single goaltender selected in this draft's first round — and you'd have to go all the way back to 1992 to find the last time that occurred.

If there is a consensus "chalk" pick at the top, it would have to be Jeremy Smith. His natural athleticism and flexibility, along with acrobatic movement and a knack for coming up with big saves at key times, stamps Smith as at least a legitimate contender for the back end of the first round, though it can't help that he was nailed to the bench for almost all of Plymouth's playoff run through the OHL and on into the Memorial Cup.

But Kent Patterson is really Red Line's choice as the least heralded sleeper goaltender pick of the draft. He's a stand-up netminder who battles hard and hates to lose. He brings competitive fire and plays with a reassuring confidence that is settling to teammates. Plus he's the youngest player in this or any other year's draft. With a Sept. 15 birthdate, if he were born just a few hours later, he would not be eligible until 2008. So he's got a lot more upside on the developmental curve.

Another underappreciated netminder (for RLR's money) is Josh Unice. Nobody talks about him much and he's not real flashy, but he's got quick feet and competes well, and always gives his team a chance to win. Kind of gets lost in the shuffle among the galaxy of big names on the U.S. National U-18 Team roster, and for most of the season was forced to split playing time with Brad Phillips. But when the big games rolled around at the international tournaments, it was easy to see whom the coaching staff and team had confidence in as Unice got all the starts.

Read More/List of top 7 Goalies

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