The Canucks development camp wrapped up their on-ice sessions today at UBC, so it’s time to wrap up these invitee profiles. It came to my attention while watching camp this week that there was another invitee not on the initial list: goaltender Beck Warm. That makes for a total of 16 invitees.
Here are the final four invitees as the development camp heads to it’s climax at the summer showcase tonight at Rogers Arena.
Matthew Kellenberger – Defence
6’0″ – 172 lbs – Jan 11, 1999 (18)
Toronto, ON
Oakville Blades (51-10-18-28)
A first-time draft-eligible defenceman out of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Kellenberger was ranked by several publications for the draft. Central Scouting ranked him 74th among North American skaters. International Scouting Services had him at 165th overall, McKeen’s at 118th, and Hockey Prospect had him all the way up at 97th. All seem to agree that Kellenberger deserved to be drafted this year.
There was a lot of anticipation that he and his teammate Bryce Misley would get picked, but while Kellenberger was ranked ahead of Misley in Central Scouting’s rankings, Misley got taken in the fourth round and Kellenberger went undrafted.
Devin Slawson at The Hockey Writers had Kellenberger in his top-five players from Junior A for the 2017 draft and describes him as “an extremely smart, two-way defender who skates effortlessly.” His intelligence and hockey sense come up repeatedly whenever anyone talks about him; combine that with his skating ability and he makes up for his smaller frame.
Oakville Blades GM Mike Daley praised his intelligence when he joined the team: “His hockey IQ and ability to read the play are exceptional.”
His points totals — 10 goals and 28 points in 51 games — may not jump off the page, but he was third among first-time draft-eligible defencemen in scoring in the OJHL. He plays more of a defensive game, but sparks the offence with smart breakout passes, spending as little time as possible in his own end of the rink.
Kellenberger is on his way to Princeton next year, so the Canucks won’t be able to sign him. From what I understand, Kellenberger would not be able to re-enter the draft in subsequent years, so he will not be available to be signed by an NHL team until he chooses to end his college career. If the Canucks like him, they’ll have to wait a while to get him into the system.
Francis Marotte – Goaltender
6’1″ – 197 lbs – May 1, 1995 (22)
Longueuil, QC
Robert Morris University Colonials (29-2.08-.931)
Marotte had a stunning freshman season for Robert Morris, setting university records for goals against average and save percentage. He was top-ten in the NCAA in both categories this past season and was the top freshman in save percentage.
Unlike some of the other top goaltenders in the NCAA, Marotte didn’t play a ton of games, splitting the net with Senior Dalton Izyk and junior Andrew Pikul. He outplayed them both in his 29 games, however, and will likely get a heavier workload next season with Izyk graduating.
Marotte was the MVP of the Three Rivers Classic, backstopping Robert Morris to the championship. He led Robert Morris to the finals of the Atlantic Hockey tournament, but they fell short in a 2-1 loss He lost out on the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year Award to Adam Brubacher, another invitee at camp this week.
His season-high in saves came against Sacred Heart in December, when he made 41 stops on 43 shots. He gave up a goal in the first 20 seconds, but stood tall for the rest of the game. The highlight video below mostly shows the goals scored, but showcases a flashy glove save by Marotte on a breakaway chance at the 1:40 mark of the video.
Marotte is an efficient goaltender with good lateral movement, who stays cool and calm under pressure and is capable of making a big athletic save when called upon. He thrives under the pressure of being the last line of defence:
“You're the last guy out there, so it all falls back on you,” he said. “It's high-risk, high-reward, and that's just my personality. I like to put everything on the line.”
Linden Marshall – Goaltender
6’3″ – 205 lbs – Jul 21, 1998 (18)
Victoria, BC
Trail Smoke Eaters (30-2.86-.917)
Marshall is from BC, was born in the 90’s and is named Linden. It is almost certain that he was named after Trevor Linden. I wonder if that was awkward or weird for him to actually meet Linden this week.
Marshall showed a lot of improvement in his second year of draft eligibility, going from an .863 save percentage in his rookie BCHL season to a .917 save percentage this season. He split goaltending duties with the older Zach Dyment and significantly outplayed him: his save percentage was 22 points higher and his goals against average was .91 lower.
He finished 7th in the BCHL in goals against average and 6th in save percentage and his strong play caught the eye of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he’ll play in the NCAA next season.
Marshall has good size for the position, but is still quick and agile. Though he did get undressed by this young prospect:
Beck Warm – Goaltender
5’11″ – 174 lbs – April 22, 1999 (18)
Whistler, BC
Tri-City Americans (10-3.40-.902)
Warm was a late add to the development camp roster, balancing out the number of goaltenders at camp at a nice, even four.
Warm is actually a twin: his brother, Will Warm, is a defenceman who was ranked 128th overall by International Scouting Services, but went undrafted. Regrettably, they don’t appear to have a brother named Luke.
He and his brother previously played together on the Vancouver NW Giants, but were split up when they entered the WHL.
As the third-string goaltender for the Tri-City Americans, Warm played in just 10 games this past season. While his numbers are not sparkling, they’re comparable to the other two goaltenders on the roster. Starter Rylan Parenteau posted a 3.26 goals against average and .900 save percentage, while Warm had a 3.40 goals against average and .902 save percentage.
With Parenteau aging out of the league, his backup Evan Sarthou is the likely new starter, but Warm has an opportunity to outplay him this coming season.
Warm previously played one game with the Americans as a 15-year-old, getting unexpectedly called up as an emergency when the Americans two other goaltenders were injured. He got torched for 8 goals in that game, but playing in the WHL at 15 is quite a story to tell.
While undersized, Warm makes the most of his small frame with smart positioning that makes him look a lot bigger than he really is. He has to play an aggressive style to accommodate his size, which can come back to bite him, but that’s an element of his game that he can work on, making the right choice of when to challenge and be aggressive.
"I'm a pretty patient goalie,” he says. “I use my size well and I'm also pretty athletic when I need to be."
