Al Jensen is more than familiar with Mathieu Corbeil.
“The big honkin’ goalie there in Halifax? Yeah, he’s huge and he’s very good — he’s a very good prospect,” said Jensen, who stopped pucks for the Washington Capitals in the 1980s and is now NHL Central Scouting’s goaltending consultant.
Jensen and Central Scouting think so highly of Corbeil, they placed him second among QMJHL goaltenders in their preliminary ranking for the 2010 NHL draft yesterday.
The 6-foot-6, 192-pound Mooseheads goaltender has put himself on the map lately, winning back-to-back QMJHL defensive player of the week honours with a 4-1 record, a 1.40 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage.
Corbeil’s height isn’t a misprint and Jensen said it makes him an NHL “draft pick, without a doubt.”
“When I first looked at him, I said, ‘Holy smokes, he’s huge,’” Jensen recalled. “But he’s a big kid who plays big. There are a lot of big goalies who are skinny and crouch down really low … But he’s just huge. He’s a monster in there. And he battles. I like how he battles to get his body in position.”
Ahead of Corbeil on Central Scouting’s list is Moncton Wildcats goaltender Louis Domingue, a member of last summer’s Canadian under-18 team. Domingue has a 2.50 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 17 starts.
“Mathieu is right there with him,” Jensen said.
Mooseheads rookie defenceman Konrad Abeltshauser checked in at No. 13. Although he is currently out of the lineup with a knee injury, he has been one of the team’s top blueliners and has two goals and eight assists in 17 games.
Wildcats blueliner Brandon Gormley is the No. 1 skater.
Dartmouth’s Stephen MacAulay, a forward with the Saint John Sea Dogs, also made the list at No. 18.
