| Nolan Lalonde | Erie Otters | OHL | L | G | 6’1″ | 185 | Erie Otters | 2020 | Kingston, ON | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Brennan Poderzay, February 15, 2022: Nolan continues to makes great strides and puts himself in heavy consideration to be a name taken off the draft board. Nolan has appeared in 30 games up to this point which is puts him in the top 10 of the league. This has been a direct correlation to him being able to find consistent play and a familiarity with numerous different situational plays. Lalonde has a great foundation and fundamental skill set in his game. His skating and edge work is very impressive and allows him to have great initial positioning in the crease. He is efficient and effective in his puck handling and helps get his team out of the defensive zone quickly. Does a great job of scanning and identifying potential threats in the zone which has him ahead of the play. Not only did he do a great job of having in zone ice awareness, but he did a tremendous job this game controlling his rebounds. Very impressed by him during his last outing against Owen Sound. Grade: A-
OHL: Erie Otters at Hamilton Bulldogs, December 5, 2021: Lalonde provided his team with an excellent performance on this day. He was faced with many shots/scoring chances that were not directed straight at the goal. Hamilton generated shots off-of-centre and forced Lalonde to be quick to follow the path of the puck, in order to re-set for the actual shot location. Lalonde, to his credit was up to the task on most of these cross zone plays. Two goals beat him during play and both were shots coming from passes across the “royal road”. Lalonde did a very good job tracking pucks off longer shots, through traffic. Few rebounds were left around the crease. Any chance to handle the puck below the goal line was done confidently and efficiently. Grade B+
U20: 2022 NHL Draft Eligible Goalie Report, December 8, 2021: Last 5 game snapshot- Nolan is another example of a goaltender playing well on a team that is struggling this season in Erie. He has seen a lot of shots and grade A chances in his last five games, holding a 91% save percentage overall during that span. In two of the four losses, he has been able to give his team a chance to win by keeping it close against Guelph and Hamilton. Nolan’s skating ability stands out with how smooth and crisp he moves around the crease, having a purpose with how he is getting to each new angle. He is also elite at being able to hold his edges and beat passes. He reads the play well and generally finds himself in the right spot at the right time while maintaining a sense of control. His awareness is above average as he scans the zone when he has time to identify potential threats in dangerous areas, which allows him to be thinking ahead of the play. This is something he can continue to work on though, as he has a tendency to be beaten on one timers and lateral plays, although his team has not done a great job at eliminating these dangerous chances. He can also work on adding more of a sense of desperation to his game when needed, as he tends to rely on only his technique in most situations and sometimes becomes robotic.
OHL: Erie Otters at Guelph Storm, November 22, 2021: Lalonde was Erie’s top player in this game tonight. He stopped 29 of 33 shots and gave Erie a chance to win. This rookie goaltender showed why he was one of the top goalies selected in the 2020 OHL draft. He played an aggressive game and tracked pucks well. Lalonde made a number of high quality saves moving side to side in his net and showed good athleticism under periods of sustained pressure from the Storm. He was confident in the net and challenged shooters every chance he had. He made a handful of spectacular saves but gave up a few he would like back. As he continues to improve his core strength he will improve his chances of giving up these weak ones. The goals that got through him tonight came after great saves where he did not have the legs to reset and get balanced in his net for the next shot. Grade: B+
AAA Minor Midget: Toronto Marlies Classic, February 2, 2020: Nolan is a tall goaltender with strong feet and great reflexes. He tracks the puck well and is very good at recovering to rebounds after the initial shot. On his knees, Lalonde is very quick pushing across his crease and lunges upward in order to eliminate the top half of the net. During net front battles, Lalonde sprawls out and challenges the puck in order to cut off the angle. Nolan is very vocal and communicates well with his defenseman. His voice echoes throughout the entire rink. When handling the puck Lalonde is patient, and allows their breakout to develop before making a pass. He is confident making the first pass out of the zone to a stretching winger. Grade: A-
AAA Minor Midget: Wendy Dufton, November 3, 2019: Lalonde was a standout goaltender from the Titan’s early bird tournament who performed well this weekend. Lalonde is tall prototypical goaltender with good rebound control, quick feet, and a challenging style in the net. In our view one of the top goaltenders at the Titans tournament in September and here in London, Lalonde is showing consistency in the games we have viewed and is regularly Kingston’s best player. Grade: A-
AAA Minor Midget: Toronto Titans Early Bird Tournament, September 24, 2019: Lalonde is a tall prototypical goaltender with good rebound control, quick feet, and a challenging style in the net. In our view one of the top goaltenders at the Titans tournament. Lalonde rarely looked off balance or out of control and moved well laterally in his net. Lalonde was impressive in his tournament wins turning aside most shots he faced but was most impressive in the playoff round vs an elite Toronto Titans team – giving his chance to win and keeping the game close throughout. An imposing figure in the net, he moves well for big player and will continue to develop this season facing good minor midget shooters. A definite player to watch as the season progresses. Grade: A
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images