Penguins Draft Goalie Connected to Fleury: Gabriel D’Aigle

The draft picks fly fast and furious during Day 2 of the NHL Draft, but Saturday the Pittsburgh Penguins reached back in time, just a little bit.

With the 84th overall pick, the Penguins selected goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle from Victoriaville of the QMJHL. D’Aigle not only shares a hometown with beloved Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but the two also work out together in the summer. Fleury bequeathed his number to D’Aigle, and the pair have remained friends.

Now, it’s D’Aigle’s turn to hopefully wear the Penguins sweater.

Physically, D’Aigle and Fleury bear little resemblance. The Penguins’ new draft pick is a big goalie, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and a left-catching netminder. The scouting book on him is that he’s a raw talent who is athletic, and like Fleury, can sometimes get too scrambly in the net.

Elite Prospects reports that D’Aigle is already pretty good at controlling rebounds. According to Neutral Zone Scouting, D’Aigle’s numbers are misleading. Last season, he posted a mere .883 save percentage and 4.52 goals against average, but his saves outpaced expected goals by 3.7 saves per game.

Neutral Zone also reports good lateral movement and an ability to track pucks through traffic.

His size and athleticism can be imposing on shooters as he’s brave enough to challenge shooters, though other scouts report he can get caught in the butterfly for too long, exposing too much net.

He’s a raw talent, but his performance buoyed a bad Victoriaville team. One would think Fleury approves.