Carolina Hurricanes Prospects: Daniel Altshuller to Make Jump to the AHL this Season

Between now and the start of the preseason, Cardiac Cane will preview every Carolina Hurricanes prospect as they enter the 2015-2016 season and what we expect from them in the coming year.

Player: Daniel Altshuller

Position: Goalie

Date of Birth: July 24, 1994 (21)

Birthplace: Nepean, Ontario (Canada)

Height/Weight: 6’3″/205 lbs.

2015-2016 Team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), Charlotte Checkers (AHL), or Florida Everblades (ECHL)

Scouting Report: 

"Altshuller provided consistency and durability for the Oshawa Generals during his OHL career. He has good size and plays with sound technique and positioning. (HOCKEY’S FUTURE)"

Before the small but quick Alex Nedeljkovic was drafted in 2014, Daniel Altshuller was far and away the top goalie prospect the Hurricanes had.

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Drafted in the 3rd round (69th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft, Altshuller brings a great deal of size and good fundamentals to the fray of goalies in the Hurricanes organization.

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Altshuller capped off an exceptional junior hockey career in 2013-2014, posting career highs in save percentage (.917) and goals against average (2.56), and his second best win total (31) in his OHL career, ranking behind his 36-win year the season prior.

The big-bodied netminder also led the Canadian team to a gold medal in the 2011-2012 U18 Ivan Hlinka tournament, starting all 5 games and posting a 1.36 GAA and .946 save percentage. That same season, he was a member of the OHL First All-Rookie Team.

Altshuller had an incredibly impressive junior career, and that led him into his first professional campaign a season ago.

The Charlotte Checkers would never put him on the ice, however, due to Drew MacIntyre and John Muse holding it down and providing reliable goaltending all season, they both are experienced AHL veterans. That forced Altshuller down the depth chart, and he would play his hockey at the ECHL level.

Despite playing at a lower level, the rookie was still forced down the depth chart because of goalies Allen York and Andy Ilse already playing well in a split role.

Daniel Altshuller would go on to play in 14 games with Florida in the ECHL, posting a record of 8-3-1 with a 3.21 goals against average and .881 save percentage. Injuries in net also gave Altshuller playing time in the ECHL playoffs. He played in 6 postseason games, registering a 3.21 goals against average and .881 save percentage.

With a year of experience under his belt outside of junior, Altshuller will be a candidate for a backup goalie spot with the Charlotte Checkers, but it won’t be just handed to him.

Carolina Hurricanes

Goalie Rasmus Tirronen, who was inked to a one-year deal back in March, will also compete for the backup job in Charlotte behind Drew MacIntyre who is returning for his second year with the organization.

Both Tirronen and Altshuller have great size. Tirronen stands at 6’3″, 209 pounds, and Altshuller at 6’3″, 205 pounds. As a goalie prospect, Altshuller has a higher ceiling being 3 years younger, but in the moment, Tirronen may have the slight edge due to him being older and coming off a very prudent college career at Merimack College.

Wherever Altshuller plays this season, he will need to work on a lot of things. A big thing for him is consistency. He showed glimpses of serious potential at the ECHL level least season with great performances, including a shutout in the playofffs, but he would follow it by allowing 4 or 5 goals the next game in many instances.

Quickness is another issue that the young goalie has had, but he has largely been able to make up for it with good positioning and size. If he can become more athletic in the crease, it will increase his stock in the organization.

This will be a big season for Daniel Altshuller. He lost a little bit of status last season with some inconsistent play in the ECHL, but if he can breakout as a reliable backup in Charlotte, it could lead to him getting a lot more playing time at the AHL level not only this year, but also the year after. If he doesn’t crack the AHL this season, he is bound to get a lot of action with the Everblades.

Altshuller will attend Carolina Hurricanes training camp in September, but he will likely be a very early cut if he isn’t kept around just for the sake of having more goalies at camp.

Down the road, Daniel Altshuller projects to be a goalie that will compete for a backup goalie job in the NHL, but he is a safe bet to be a solid AHL starter for a long time.

Next: Alex Nedeljkovic Readies for His Final Season in the OHL