A Look At The Future Of Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending
By Alex Ohari
Eetu Makiniemi
Some of you might be surprised to see Eetu Makiniemi in the Top-3. Well, you shouldn’t be. Talent wise, he’s a really solid prospect, but injuries have held him back a bit since being drafted in the 4th round back in 2017 by Carolina. Fortunately, the kid is back on track this year, and showing what he can do.
The final goaltender drafted by the Ron Francis regime, the Finnish-born Makiniemi remains overseas, developing in his homeland. At 6’2, 176lbs, he has ideal size for an NHL goaltender, and he has great athletic abilities. He’s a very aggressive challenger in the crease, and confidence is no issue for him.
To illustrate how hard it is to evaluate a goaltender’s career projection at 18 years old, remember that Makiniemi was selected 104th overall in the 2017 draft. 2017 was also the draft year of Pyotr Kochetkov, who went undrafted, and then again in 2018. Fast forward to now, and Kochetkov is the more highly-regarded prospect.
However, that’s not a slight on Makiniemi. Despite battling through some injuries and only starting 13 games in the Mestis league (Finnish equivalent of the AHL) in 2018-19, he did post a .905 save percentage, which was good enough to have him tied for 4th best in that league. As a teenaged goaltender in a men’s league, that’s respectable.
In prospects camp this past summer, Makiniemi was very noticeable. His athletic ability was on full display. A lot of Canes fans took notice and asked me about him, and I let them know that I thought this upcoming season was a big one for Makiniemi’s future. Thankfully, it’s off to a good start.
He started off the year in Mestis again, but he proved rather quickly that he was too good for that league. He’s posted a 13-1-7 record in 22 games, with a 2.74 GAA and a .916 save percentage, which leads the entire league by a wide margin.
He’s since been re-called to Liiga, the top Finnish league, with Ilves Tampere. In 4 games there, he’s got a 1-0-2 record with a 1.59 GAA and an impressive .930 save percentage. Now 20 years old, it’s a good bet that Makiniemi stays in the top league for good – he’s definitely too good to be in Mestis.
Exactly what Makiniemi’s future holds is anyone’s guess. Since he’s a European-based draft pick, the Canes have 2 more seasons after this year before they’d lose Makiniemi’s rights. Therefore, he has 2 more years of probable development in Liiga, before he likely makes his way overseas to compete for time in the Carolina Hurricanes’ crease.
Canes’ head European scout Robert Kron had this to say about Eetu’s development:
"“Eetu plays a mix of a butterfly and stand up goalie. He reads the game very well, and his second effort is excellent. There is not a one particular goalie that comes to mind, but he comes from the Finnish system that generates very good goaltenders that made positive impact in NHL. They all have some similarities but also their own identity.”"
A couple of NHL scouts have compared Makiniemi’s style to that of Tuukka Rask. This is a kid who’s definitely still years away from the NHL, and has a ton of development to do to reach his ceiling, but don’t mistake how high his ceiling is. He’s got remarkable upside, but only time will tell if he can realize it.