Fans of the Detroit Red Wings can be excused if they get excited at the thought of a 6’5 goaltender manning their crease. That’s the vision the team had when they drafted Keith Petruzzelli in the third round (88th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
He already has Michigan ties as he had just completed a solid season with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks prior to being selected by Detroit.
And while it wasn’t the best of starts for him at the start of his collegiate hockey career with the Quinnipiac Bobcats, he worked to improve his game as well as add some lean mass to his frame.
He was soon able to establish himself as a top goalie in collegiate hockey, and was also honored with being named Quinnipiac’s Most Valuable Player for 2019-20.
He set the following personal records:
Petruzzelli started all 34 games for the Bobcats, which was a career high. He appeared in 17 games as a freshman and 14 games as a sophomore.
His 21 victories were also a career high. In his first two seasons at Quinnipiac, he won a total of 13 games, five as a freshman and eight during his sophomore year.
Along with his 21 wins, Petruzzelli had 10 losses and two ties this season. He lost six games with two ties as a freshman and during his sophomore campaign, he suffered three losses without any ties.
Petruzzelli’s goals-against average was 2.80 in his freshman year and 2.42 as a sophomore. His 2.01 goals-against average this season was a career best and ranked 10th overall in college hockey.
He matched his career high in shutouts this season with three. Petruzzelli also notched three shutouts as a sophomore after not blanking an opponent in his freshman year.
After struggling with a .892 save percentage in his freshman year, Petruzzelli improved his save percentage to .904 as a sophomore and established his career-best save percentage this season with a .920 mark.
– – Quotes via Art Regner of DetroitRedWings.com Link – –
