Anthony Brodeur is a little older, and by all accounts covers more of the net, than he appears in the photo above, snapped 12 NHL off-seasons ago, following the second of father Martin Brodeur’s three Stanley Cup victories.
But one thing hasn’t changed from this photograph: Anthony is still wearing a mask and playing with the wide stick.
Set to enter his senior year at Minnesota’s Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the younger Brodeur goaltender is ranked as a mid-round pick for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, to be held next spring in a venue Dad knows well – the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
“He’s got a chance to be a good player… he’s another kid enjoying the anonymity of our school,” Shattuck coach Tom Ward told NHL.com last week. “If you didn’t know who he was, you’d probably say he reminds you of a mini-Marty… a hybrid-style goalie who will make the kick save. He’ll Johnny Bower you, go down in the V, and play like his dad.
“He has that one-in-a-million kind of thing and he’s a fine goalie. He was offered a chance to play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but said, ‘No thanks.’ He wants to be a college hockey player. He has a good head on his shoulders, is composed and doesn’t let the moment get to him.”
The 17-year-old will enter the fall as a C-list prospect, according to NHL Central Scouting’s Futures List, which projects him to be selected somewhere in Rounds 4 through 6. Of course, his ranking could escalate or drop depending on his performance in 2012-13.
Central Scouting’s Al Jensen watched Brodeur play last season and also spoke with NHL.com.
“He has more of a hybrid style, has some of Marty’s instincts. He reads plays well and reacts well, shows good quickness and athleticism. He’s got a good glove and competes very well. He will obviously get a lot of attention this year, but will be a good watch,” Jensen told the site.
Last season with Shattuck, the 5’11, 177-pound Brodeur went 24-3-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and four shutouts.
“Brodeur’s sons have grown up watching him on TV, so they don’t know any different,” Ward said. “He’s just ‘Dad’ to them, and that’s good. There’s no extra pressure. Only when Marty is in the stands watching does Anthony feel as though he has to be Jacques Plante. That’s the only hitch in his armour, but he’ll get over that.”
