Thatcher Demko

When the Cancuks selected the Boston College standout in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, it was with the hope that Demko would one day be a workhorse netminder. It would appear that day draws near. Splitting the workload with veteran Braden Holtby, the 25-year-old Demko notched a 2.85 GAA and a .915 save percentage behind a 16-8-1 record in 35 starts last season. While those statistics are rather pedestrian, the fact that Vancouver bought out Braden Holtby in the offseason and replaced him with 36-year-old Jaroslav Halak suggests Demko is likely to garner a significantly larger workload during the 2021-22 campaign. If the Canucks can make even modest improvements in their defensive game, Demko could take a big step forward this season. He has the potential to deliver solid fantasy value as a middle-round selection.

Demko became the regular backup to Jacob Markstrom in 2019-20, with the former making 27 appearances overall. He posted a 3.06 GAA, .905 save percentage and a 13-10-2 record during the regular season. Still viewed as the goalie of the future, Demko will compete with free-agent signing Braden Holtby for playing time in 2020-21. An even split of the starts wouldn't be surprising here, although Demko will likely be the technical backup unless he outplays Holtby significantly. Demko should approach a roughly 15-win pace and improve his ratios next year after posting a 0.64 GAA and .985 save percentage over four playoff appearances, three of which came in elimination games.

Demko will, barring a crazy turn of events, begin the 2019-20 season as Jakob Markstrom's backup in Vancouver. The young netminder made nine appearances last season and finished the year with a 4-3-1 record, along with a 2.81 GAA and .913 save percentage. Injuries slowed Demko's progress a year ago, but the 23-year-old is expected to play 25-30 games in 2019-20. He profiles as a solid reserve goalie in fantasy, but an injury to Markstrom could quickly raise Demko's fantasy value and ceiling. Keep close tabs on him, and if you're looking for solid netminding value in the later rounds, Demko isn't a bad option (especially in dynasty formats).

In his second pro season, Demko improved his GAA from 2.68 to 2.44. Additionally, his save percentage spiked from .907 to .922 and he was named to the AHL All-Star Game. He's been AHL Utica's starter since leaving Boston College, and the Canucks will continue to groom Demko as their goalie of the future. They'll try to accomplish that by keeping him in the AHL for the 2018-19 season -- where Richard Bachman will back him up -- while Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson handle duties for the big club. Demko is one more year away from the NHL and he's not expected to play a big role for the Canucks this season.

Demko is yet another big (6-foot-4), athletic hybrid/butterfly twinetender with great lateral coverage. He’s strong and aggressive, and loves to challenge shooters. He doesn’t handle the puck very well and he doesn’t always catch the puck clean. But his overall game is very, very good -- his positioning is strong, his focus is sharp and his feet are really quick. Star? Maybe, maybe not. But he's definitely an above-average starter for a solid period of time. He’ll continue to play at Boston College in 2014-15.