Perhaps not the most timely piece landing smack in between the World Juniors and the draft but the hell with it! It's also not along the same lines as some of my other bits, the goal here was to break down all the reasons the Swiss netminder has gone undrafted to this point and then make a case for why he'll get drafted this time around. Hopefully it can give you some insight into how to deal with him in your fantasy leagues or maybe it's just pure entertainment. In either case, enjoy.

Enough is enough! Let's get this kid drafted and into an NHL system where he can get some serious hands on coaching and experience. He's proven too much to this point to not at the very least be worth a late round flyer. That's all goalies are really worth these days anyway so why not take one who's proven himself adept at stopping some of the best in his age group? The 19-year-old has been passed over in the past two drafts already but should not be passed over again this June.

There are obviously a few factors that have caused Conz not to be drafted. The big one (potential pun here) is his size. Scouts are very concerned about his size and conditioing. He's kinda like the Pillsbury Doughboy. He's short at 5'10" but he's also heavy for a goaltender at 196 lbs.

Maybe Poppin' Fresh isn't what scouts are looking for in a goaltender but what Conz has shown, however is that there's a lot more to his game than meets the eye. Conz has tremendous athleticism that goes against all preconveived notions you may build upon looking at him. He's also a fierce competitor who thrives under pressure and under fire as we've seen from his outstanding performance in back-to-back World Junior Championships. His style in net is unorthodox but still quite effective. He excels at eliminating the lower half of the net while teasing you up high where he uses his quick reflexes to snare shots with the glove or blocker.

A very strong comparable for Conz could be Bruins netminder Tim Thomas. While, he has a long way to go before ever getting to the NHL, let alone Vezina Trophy winning levels, just swap in Thomas' name for Conz's in the above paragraph and let me know if still works... waiting... waiting... told ya so.

Another issue with Conz has been exposure. Conz plays in the top Swiss Men's League, and while that's impressive, particularly since he's been playing there since he was 17, it's not exactly a well scouted league. Also based on the comparative talent level his performances over the years have not been particularly impressive. His 9-11 record with a 3.20 GAA and .908 Sv% through 20 games in the Swiss-A League doesn't exactly jump off the page at you.

You have to love the improvement he's made this season however. Conz's won-lost record this season in the Swiss-A League is unavailable online but it is indicated that he's played 42 of a possible 46 games for his club Lugano, who has a 17-29 record this season. So you know he doesn't have a winning record but you have to love that he's being leaned on heavily as their top goaltender. He's also carrying a significantly improved 2.87 GAA to go along with a .906 Sv%.

Conz has, however, gotten himself a good deal of exposure playing in some of the top international tournaments for players in his age group. There he has had mixed results and those have likely not been enough for him to overcome his apparent size deficiencies thus far.

At the World under-18's in 2009 Conz posted some weak numbers with a 4.95 GAA and .875 Sv% in 6 games. He followed that up with some very similar numbers at the 2010 World Junior Championships. Despite his 4.76 GAA and .893 Sv%, Conz was named Top Goaltender at the tournament by virtue of some outstanding performances in the medal round against superior opponents. Still scouts weren't buying it. So he played a couple of outstanding games, overall he still sucked, and the sample size of his good performances just weren't large enough to earn him any rope.

What Conz did at this year's World Junior Championships has to have been enough to dispel all these knocks on his game. His 2.97 GAA and .918 Sv% were simply outstanding. Particularly when playing behind a team giving up 40+ shots a game. That he was able to sustain his excellence for the entirity of the tournament is a testament to his growth as a goaltender. I don't believe scouts can use a lack of exposure or a lack of sample size to justify passing him over any more. He's shown both the ability to compete against the best and the ability to improve from year to year. His size should no longer be considered a hinderance. At some point you have to forget about the package and realize the product is top of the line. In that sense, he's kind of like a pair of Crocs. They ain't pretty, but they sure as hell get the job done.

Some team will have to give Conz a shot this time around. They aren't doing their due diligence if they don't. No one will really know what they have in him until they can get him over here and their coaches working with him, but what you do know is that he can play against men and he can play against the best in his own age group. If that isn't worthy of a draft selection, then you might as well scrap your whole scouting system. He should probably start garnering consideration any time after the third round. By then if a team doesn't have anyone specific in mind as a must have and doesn't have a particularly stocked pipeline for goaltenders then they should take him because at that point you have nothing to lose and with a guy like Conz, everything to gain.

As always you'll find this originally posted on my blog linked in my sig.

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Great post.

Can't see someone not using a 6th or 7th on him.

I could see a goalie factory like Nashville grabbing him, except that he's had so much exposure recently.

If Nashville grabs him then he's sure as hell fantasy worthy. That much we can say with certainty. I'd love to see Mitch Korn get his hands on him and see what he can do.

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If Nashville grabs him then he's certainly worth drafting on your entry draft.

Between d and g Nashville just churns out quality players.