MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings prospect Kaden Fulcher this morning. The goaltender helped backstop the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to an OHL title and a Memorial Cup berth this past season, a year after signing with the Red Wings as a free agent, and it’s assumed that Fulcher will “turn pro” this season:
“I definitely want to make the jump to professional hockey, but I know it’s going to be tough,” Fulcher said during Red Wings development camp in June. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work this summer. It’s as much (the Red Wings’) decision as it is mine, so I think I’m just going to listen to what they’re telling me to do and it’s up to them.”
The Red Wings signed free agents Harri Sateri and Patrik Rybar to be their goalies with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. They might opt to have Fulcher play for the ECHL Toledo Walleye, with the opportunity to move up to Grand Rapids as needed.
“We got to make some decisions with the goaltending position, but (Fulcher) is a good character guy and he works hard and he’s looking for an opportunity and he’s going to make the most of it,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “Young guy, is he ready for that next opportunity? If you ask him, absolutely, he’s going to tell you he is, but again, it’s a long stretch of games in the AHL and it’s a grind. So, we’re going to look at that to help add a little bit of depth moving forward.”
Khan continues, and Fulcher’s got a fantastic attitude regarding the work he needs to put in to continue to evolve as a goaltender, so I believe that the future is very bright for him.
I hope at least one of these prospects steps up and starts the Goalie side of the rebuild. At this point the Wings goalies are old or broken and are not going last much longer. Should have been moved a couple of yrs ago (Howard)