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Meltzer's Musings: Zepp's Transition, Murray on Alderson |
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ZEPP COMES BACK ACROSS THE POND AFTER NINE YEARS IN EUROPE
It has been a long time coming for goaltender Rob Zepp to get his opportunity to play significant minutes at the American Hockey League level. Nine years ago, the Newmarket, Ont., native packed his bags to play in Europe. At age 32, he will finally return to North America to play for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.
A take-charge goalie with a good head on his shoulders, Zepp served as team captain for the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers. He was named the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year in 1998-99. The following year, he posted the OHL's lowest goals against average. The goaltender, who stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 194 pounds as he reached full physical maturity, finished his junior career as a two-time Second-Team OHL All-Star when the league handed out its postseason awards.
Zepp was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round of the 1999 NHL Draft. He went unsigned but was promptly re-drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round of the 2001 NHL Draft.
Unfortunately, as is the case with many young goaltenders, Zepp had difficulty taking the next steps when he first turned professional. Although fluid and athletic, Zepp didn't seem to stop the puck enough. As a result, he shuttled between the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and AHL levels. Primarily, he played at the lower level. He played in the ECHL All-Star Game in 2002-03.
In 2004-05, Zepp spent the entire season in the ECHL. The arrival of Cam Ward and Brent Krahn (NHL first-round picks with Carolina and Calgary respectively) with the Lowell Lock Monsters eliminated an opportunity to crack the Lowell lineup. Elsewhere in the American League, an influx of young NHL players assigned to the AHL also reduced the number of available spots for one-rung-at-a-time prospects like Zepp.
A free agent in the summer of 2005, Zepp accepted an offer to go to Finland's SM-Liiga to play for SaiPa Lappeenranta. He thrived his first season for an overachieving club. After six straight years of missing the playoffs, SaiPa surprisingly made the playoffs in 2005-06 and even won a first-round series against fading former league powerhouse TPS Turku.
Zepp was a big part of the team's success. Starting 44 of the team's 56 regular season games, the Canadian import posted a stellar 2.04 goals against average and .929 save percentage. He did well in the playoffs, too, even as a highly favored HIFK Helsinki team took SaiPa out in six games. HIFK won the first and last games of the series in overtime.
The next season, Zepp dealt with some injury issues and did not fare as well. In the meantime, SaiPa crashed back down to earth. The perennial also-ran club missed the playoffs to begin another six-year run of missing the playoffs. That dubious streak finally ended in 2012-13.
In the meantime, Zepp was on the move again in the summer of 2007. He signed to play for Eisbären Berlin (Berlin Polar Bears) of Germany's DEL. Little did anyone suspect at the time that this would be Zepp's home for the next seven years.
During Zepp's seven seasons with Eisbären, the team won five DEL championships. Throughout that time period, Zepp ranked among the upper echalon of DEL goalies. It should be noted that the DEL has typically been an import-heavy league that features a host of players who played in the AHL (with a few who had NHL careers of varying lengths).
Although the German national team has never been a force in modern international hockey, the domestic hockey league is of reasonably high caliber.
Zepp's lengthy stint in Germany enabled him to play for the German national team. He backstopped Team Germany at the World Championships three times (2010, 2013 and 2014) and played especially well at the 2013 Worlds and in two qualifiers for the 2014 Olympics. The Germans lack of success was largely due to its overall lack of depth, not because of incompetent goaltending.
During the 2012-13 NHL lockout, Flyers captain Claude Giroux and then-teammate Danny Briere signed to play with Eisbären. Zepp actually had a couple of up-and-down games in net during Giroux and Briere's stint in Berlin. However, he remained overall as one of the better goaltenders in the DEL. After the NHL players' departure, Eisbären went on to win another league championship. Overall, the Polar Bears have won seven of the last 10 DEL championships.
When the 2014 NHL free agency period started on July 1, there was an erroneous but widespread report that Zepp had signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roughly an hour later, the story was corrected when the Flyers announced they had signed the veteran goaltender to a one-year, two-way contract.
Zepp's deal will pay him $600,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 in the AHL. His most likely role will be as a split-time AHL starter with the Phantoms, working in conjunction with rookie Anthony Stolarz (the Flyers' second-round pick from the 2012 Draft).
To get a better idea of what Zepp faces as he makes the transition back to North American hockey, I contacted his Eisbären Berlin goaltending coach, Maxime Ouellet. If the name sounds familiar, it's because Ouellet was a former first-round pick by the Flyers in the 1999 NHL Draft. Nowadays, the 33-year-old Ouellet pulls down coaching double duty on two continents, working both with Eisbären and the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts.
"Rob's really technically sound, really in control of his movement, but he his also an agile goaltender," said Ouellet. "He has solid basic technique which he relies on a lot, but has the ability and the compete level to stay with the play. Rob is really smart and hard working and I think he will be able to make the adjustments quickly to go back and play in North America. He already has identified what are the things he will need to adjust and he is already working on them this summer."
As a followup question, I asked Ouellet how difficult the adjustment will be in going back to the small-rink game after nine years on the bigger European rinks.
Responded Ouellet, "I would tell that the difference from the bigger ice to the smaller ice is not that big. I ask our goalies to be square and line up with the puck so that does not change whatever ice they play on, but that will result in a goalie being a little bit deeper in his crease in the bigger ice. That is to me the biggest thing with bigger ice. When the puck and players are along the boards, you cannot be as aggressive because if they pass to the other side your movement to the left or right will be too long to be able the get back square to pucks."
Although Zepp's primary duties are likely to come with the Phantoms, he is currently first in line to serve as the Flyers emergency backup in the event of an injury to Steve Mason or Ray Emery. On the day Zepp signed with the Flyers, I asked Flyers goaltending coach Jeff Reese about his take on Zepp's game.
"I've seen tape on Zepp, and he looks very polished," said Reese. "Nice having a veteran guy with a young guy. There is no rush for Stolarz. He needs to polish his game. That takes time. Again, no rush. Let him develop."
Added Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, "[Zepp] has really developed into a really good goaltender. We’ve seen him a couple years at the World Championships and over in Europe, and he’s really developed. He’s in his 30s, he’s not a young guy anymore, but he’s real hungry to come back over and give it a shot. We felt like he was a real good fit with us, giving us the type of depth – you think you’ll never get to your third goalie, but you see situations where teams do and it’s a little bit unnerving."
"We feel very comfortable with him if he’s got to come up and play games for us. We’re excited about it. We want to have a competitive team in the Lehigh Valley there, and Rob’s going to be a big part of it. Some of his knowledge, if in fact Anthony’s there – and that’s not a given - we’ll see how things work out through training camp, and if he needs playing time we’ve got other options, but if we feel he can play in the American league and that’s the best situation for him, I’m sure Rob will be a big help for him."
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ALDERSON A SLEEPER FORWARD PROSPECT IN FLYERS FARM SYSTEM?
Flyers Development Camp attendee Brandon Alderson is a player who gets little to no hype as a potential NHL candidate. However, the 22-year-old winger is someone in whom the organization is quietly hopeful they have discovered a sleeper prospect.
Signed to an entry-level NHL contract as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2013, the winger had an encouraging rookie season for the Phantoms in 2013-14. Although he was the least touted of the Phantoms rookies before the season in comparison to Nick Cousins and Petr Straka, Alderson went on to post 14 goals and 21 points in 71 games.
As a line, the trio of Cousins, veteran acquisition Derek Whitmore and Alderson came on in the second half of the season. Straka also saw time with his fellow rookies.
During the Flyers abbreviated Stanley Cup playoff run, Alderson was one of the Black Aces added to the team's extended roster. When a rookie gets that honor, it is both a reward for a job well done and also a signal that the player could have upward mobility in the organization.
Is it possible for Alderson to break through to the NHL? Phantoms coach Terry Murray believes so, provided the player continues to work on specific areas of his game.
"Alderson is a player with a chance to play [in the NHL] if he can bring it to a consistent level. He need to push his pace of play, he' a very good skater, good speed, has a good shot off the wing, hits on the forecheck, but he needs more compete in the dirty areas. He does it, but very inconsistent. I'll be demanding that consistency from him this year. It's a confidence issue, an attitude. If he can break through, he'll be a player," said Murray.
Alderson has worked on improving his two-way game; a must if he is going to forge an NHL spot for himself. Further development would help his cause immensely. The righthanded-shooting winger also has been working to use his 6-foot-3 frame effectively to win puck battles. He made strides during his first full pro season and will now have the opportunity to elevate his game to that of an NHL-caliber player.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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