OIL KING LAURENT
By Lowetide
10 years ago
Laurent Brossoit is already famous in Edmonton. His three year run (2010-13) as starting goalie for the junior Oil Kings marked the golden era for the modern edition of the WHL team. Oiler fans would cheer for Brossoit, but in the back of their minds the knowledge that he was a Flames draft pick never left them. After last night’s trade, Brossoit is a true copper and blue Oiler prospect. He joins a growing list of ‘2011-12 WHL champion Oil Kings’ who are also in the Oiler prospect pipeline. Who is Laurent Brossoit?
(via Keegan Lowe twitter)
The 2011-12 Edmonton Oil Kings won the WHL championship and played in the Memorial Cup that spring. Through drafts and trades, the Edmonton Oilers own the rights to the following players:
- D Martin Gernat (60, 9-46-55) a prospect in Oklahoma City
- F Kristians Pelss (63, 28-22-50) prospect who passed away in tragic circumstances this summer
- L Mitchell Moroz (66, 16-9-25) remains an Oil King and unsigned by Oilers
- C Travis Ewanyk (11, 1-3-4) a prospect in Oklahoma City
- G Laurent Brossoit (61, 2.47 .914) just acquired
The following season, Oil Kings would trade for David Musil and so the Oil King-Oiler relationship is a strong one. In the last couple of drafts, Edmonton has been connected closely with Griffin Reinhart and Curtis Lazar leading up to their turn (before selecting Nail Yakupov and Darnell Nurse, respectively).
ABOUT LAURENT…..
His last name is pronounced "BROSS-WAH" unless you’re Don Cherry–and then you’re on your own! Brossoit enjoyed two strong seasons in the WHL after being drafted and some of his back story suggests he may be good enough to play in the NHL.
He’s 6′ 3", 200 and turned 20 in March. I’d rate him as the best goalie prospect in the organization, and more important the Oilers clearly do (they just traded a capable NHL defenseman to get him).
What do people say about Brossoit?
- Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun:The 20-year-old had an 88-34-13 record with the Oil Kings and was named WHL MVP two years ago when he took them to the Memorial Cup. Longterm, he’s by far the best player in the day’s dealings. But he isn’t now. And he’s not next year.
- Christian Roatis, Flames Nation:One of Brossoit’s greatest strengths is his agility which he uses particularly well when in trouble to scramble get back into position. It also allows him to make spectacular saves at times. That being said, Brossoit is prone to letting in soft goals now and then. Not only that, but – especially early in his career – one harmless looking goal would topple his confidence and affect his play the rest of the game. As mentioned, his mental toughness seems to have improved greatly over the course of his junior career and he should be ready to at least back-up in the AHL
- Laurent Brossoit: "I was always told that the draft means a lot less than you’d think. I was happy to just be drafted and especially to such a great organization, and I didn’t really care when I went, especially going in the sixth round, it made me want to prove to people that I was a steal and that I was worth more than a sixth round pick. I’m happy and flattered that people are saying that, but I’m hoping that I’m going to keep excelling and be even more successful than I have."
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
You know things are little crazy when the General Manager adds three goaltenders in one day. Ilya Bryzgalov will have the most immediate impact, and Chet Pickard has the better draft pedigree, but Laurent Brossoit has the best chance of the three long term to impact the organization.
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