2017 Draft-Eligible Goalies

Ohio State goalie Tom Carey

In the 2016 MLL draft, there was only one goalie taken in the first three rounds of the draft, Maryland keeper Kyle Bernlohr.

In a league where there are only 9 teams, and only one goalie can play at a time, there is plenty of goalie talent out there for teams to choose from so they are not quick to gobble up talent early in the draft. John Galloway, arguably the best goalie in the MLL last season, was just a 4th round pick. Scotty Rodgers, a notable #7 overall pick from 2010, only played in 12 games from 2010-2015 before reclaiming rockstar status last season. The bottomline is that goalies aren’t a hot commodity in today’s high-scoring game. Maybe (hopefully) that changes as the league pushes for expansion.

With all that being said, here are my top 5 goalies eligible for the 2017 MLL draft.

#1. Shane Doss, Notre Dame

While Notre Dame had a disappointing end (2-3 in their final 5 games, including a playoff loss to UNC, after starting out 9-1) to their season, Shane Doss was a bright spot and tops off this goalie class. He had a 56% save percentage last season and has starting experience dating back to his freshman year. His goals against average (GAA) was below 8 last season and is under 9 for his career. It helps to play behind a dominant defense but that can only get you so far. During a 6 game stretch against the best teams in the country last season (Maryland, Denver, UVA, Ohio St., Cuse & Duke) Doss posted a 58% save percentage and 5-1 record.

#2. Tom Carey, Ohio State

Carey originally started his career at Bryant but transferred after it was evident that Gunner Waldt (2016 4th round pick) wasn’t going to give up the starting job. He’s posted back-to-back seasons with a save percentage above 51% and goals against average below 9.1. He’s helped put Ohio State back on the map and I think he can be very successful at the next level.

#3. Jimmy Joe Granito, Drexel

Not #3 just because of the name. Jimmy Joe has the numbers to back him up. The Loyola transfer posted a 55% save percentage last season and 53% two years ago.

#4. Tyler Behring, Fairfield

While Fairfield had an up and down 2016 campaign, Behring was one Stag who you could depend on week in and week out. His 57% save percentage was just 2nd among all D1 juniors last year. Two years ago he split time with Brad Nordstrom and made the most of his time between the pipes winning 6 of 8 starts and finishing with a 62% save percentage and 6.32 goals against average.

#5. Jackson Brown, Hobart

I’ll go with Jackson Brown from Hobart for my #5 spot. Hobart quietly had a nice 2016 season going 10-7 and beating St. Joseph’s in the conference championship to secure a bid to the NCAA playoffs. Brown played a big role in that playing in 99% of the team’s minutes last season and marking a 52% save percentage. His body type reminds me of a Blaze Riorden or Gunner Waldt in the fact that he takes up space in-between the pipes. He’s listed at 5’10, 212 but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s closer to weighing north of 220.