Detroit Hockey Now’s writers continue to dig into the Red Wings’ prospect system, and tonight, Bob Duff discusses 25-year-old goaltender Joren Van Pottelberghe, who played for EHC Biel-Bienne of the Swiss National Liga last season:
Technically, goaltender Joren Van Pottelberghe is still classified as part of the prospect pool in the Detroit Red Wings organization. However, it’s been seven years since the Red Wings selected the Swiss netminder in the 2015 NHL entry draft. To date, his only appearances on North American ice as part of the Red Wings system have come during summer development camps.
“I have not really thought about it that much,” Van Pottelberghe said of playing in North America. “I’m more focused on playing as much as possible in Switzerland, to get as many games as possible.”
Van Pottelberghe was playing for Linkoping of the Swedish League when the Red Wings claimed him in the draft. He’s spent the past six seasons performing in his homeland – three with Davos, one with Kloten and the past two campaigns with Biel. Among his teammates with Biel is former Red Wings forward Damian Brunner.
JVP battled with Gilles Senn for HC Davos’ starting job for a couple of years, and JVP was loaned out to two separate teams before earning his first professional starting job with EHC last season (while Senn burned out as a New Jersey Devils prospect, and returned to Davos).
Duff reports that all did not go well there, and, as a result of an injury, a current Red Wings project and former prospect have come into JVP’s world:
Van Pottelberghe is coming off his best season as a pro, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average for Biel.
Unfortunately, he ended up suffering a strain of the anterior cruciate ligament as well as a bone contusion of the tibia in goalmouth collision late in the season.
Oddly enough, in May Biel would sign Finnish world championship netminder Juho Okinuora to be Van Pottelberghe’s netminding partner for the 2022-23 season. However, Okinuora’s contract was including an out if an NHL deal came along. He ended up signing with of all teams, the Red Wings.
Last week, Biel signed another Finnish netminder, former Grand Rapids Griffins puckstopper Harri Sateri, to pair with Van Pottelberghe.
Sateri is the designated starter for EHC going into the upcoming season, but as long as JVP remains Wings property, it’s at least worth keeping an eye on him. Stranger things have happened…But as Duff himself suggests, the chances of JVP becoming a Red Wings goaltender are slim indeed.
