| Owen Bartoszkiewicz | University of Minnesota | NCAA | L | G | 6’2″ | 190 | University of Minnesota | Northville, MI | 2003 | Long Term Player Watch |
NCAA: Minnesota adds Owen Bartoszkiewicz for second semester, January 31, 2022: The University of Minnesota added goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz for the rest of this season. The move was made after the program lost goaltender Jack LaFontaine to the Carolina Hurricanes a few weeks ago.
Bartoszkiewicz was originally set to join the program next season (2022-23). He had appeared in 12 games for the Youngstown Phantoms this season, where he posted a 3.32 GAA and an .889 save percentage.
Bartoszkiewicz was ranked No. 236 in our 2003 Top-300 National Rankings from last month. He was ranked No. 101 in the USHL.
“Great puck tracking goaltender,” said NZ scouts. “Bigger frame who keeps his game simple and plays within his box (doesn’t get out of position). Good rebound control because of his tracking ability. Sets his feet, locks his eyes onto the puck and watches it through to his body, hands or feet. For a bigger goaltender has nice hands and doesn’t rely solely on his size. Good at finding the pucks through traffic.”
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, January 9, 2021: I like how Owen is settling down and playing with confidence. He’s still attacking shooters, but to me he’s recognizing the situation earlier and staying in control. He’s still out cutting down the angle and using his athleticism to make post to post saves, but I feel like he’s consistently staying within the pipes and not floating out too wide. There’s a lot to like about Owen’s future. I mean he’s an 03 playing in the NAHL with a 0.915%. He’s going to settle in. He’s still learning the league and life in junior hockey. I like where he’s heading and I like how he’s handling himself on the ice.
NAHL: Goalie Report, New Year Addition, January 6, 2021: Bartoszkiewicz helped his team pick up two wins this weekend stopping 54 of 59 shots faced. He did a good job in both games of staying in control, and keeping his game simple. He excelled at plays where attacking shooters drove the net from wide angles and jammed pucks in tight. He did a good job of sealing the ice and post well in these situations and keeping his body square to the puck at the same time so there was nowhere for the shooters to exploit. He also showed his athleticism at times when needed, and with his size showed good ability to make athletic and explosive saves. It was a solid weekend for Bartoszkiewicz who will look to keep the strong play going for 2021. Grade: B
NAHL: Goalie Report, December 26, 2020: Owen Bartoszkiewicz appears to be finding his game with some consistency down in Wichita, and that was the case this weekend. Bartoszkiewicz made back-to-back appearances on December 18th and 19th, and was very strong in bothstrong both games, earning third star of the night for his 37 save performance on Saturday night in a tight 2-1 OT loss to New Mexico. The young 2003-born netminder is one of only a few in his birth year playing junior hockey this year, and he is starting to adjust to the level and perform with consistency. His reads are improving; he is in a better position for his first save, which means he is therefore in a better position to compete for second and third opportunities. He still has a tendency to make himself small in his stance, but the 6’2, Northville, MI, native has made some nice adjustments to his traffic management strategy and is doing a better job following rebounds back to his net as opposed to chasing outside the crease. Subtle adjustments in a young goalie’s game can pay huge dividends, and that appears to be the case for Owen Bartoszkiewicz as he trends upward heading into the new year. Grade: A
NAHL: Goalie Reports 11/19-11/22, November 2020: Young netminder Owen Bartoszkiewicz appears to be adjusting to the pace of junior hockey, which was evident by his performance in a 5-2 win over Lonestar this weekend. As always, the 6’2, Rochester, MI, native was a confident puck-handler – never afraid to get back behind the net, look off forecheckers, puck protect, or make an outlet pass under pressure. He fills net well with his hands out front of his body, and did a great job setting his feet and looking through traffic on the PK. Wichita took a few penalties in this one, and Bartoszkiewicz looked very comfortable with his traffic management strategy – often looking high around the screen until the shot was imminent. He also did a great job staying compact on tip opportunities, and was in good position for whack rebounds as a result. Owen still looks to struggle a bit in the scramble, though. While he is good on his feet and is good at regaining his feet after a save, he does not show the same proficiency when moving on his knees. This causes him to dive or reach on second or third opportunities where he has to cover a lot of ground. This looks great when he makes the save, but looks equally not-so-great when the puck doesn’t bounce his way. Both goals in this one were popped by him in the scramble, where he was unable to adjust on his knees after initially committing himself in the opposite direction. Look for Owen to continue developing this year under the tutelage of goaltending coach Chris Johansen. Grade: A-
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, November 2020: There is no doubt that Owen’s size makes him instantly appealing, but the thing that I like is the way he battles for his ice during high cycles or point shots. He’s aggressive and will not let a casual screen impact his vision. Owen is technically sound, and while there may be times where it looks like he relies on the percentages, he does not seem to get lost or lose his net. Physically Owen is still growing into himself and learning how to be comfortable in scrambles. Because of this, I feel that in a few years his overall athleticism will take over and he has the chance to be a wall in the net. Obviously this is a big year for him, but I honestly think he’s a kid who we will on everyone’s mind when he’s twenty.
NAHL: Goalie Reports, 11/6-11/7, November 2020: The big rookie netminder got his first junior hockey win this weekend stopping 31 of 35 shots. Bartoszkiewicz is an athletic goalie that excels on the first shot and in in-tight situations. His size and positioning make it difficult for any shooter to beat him on a straight shot as he cuts down angles and takes away the net well. His movement while down is okay, but at times he can get caught extending and relying too much on his reach, which opens up holes for shooters. He seems to handle traffic and battle situations well, and excels at taking away the lower half of the net with his big butterfly. He earned this win as his 2nd period play was a key factor in his team surviving the push from the opposing team trying to comeback. It is another step in the right direction as Bartoszkiewicz keeps adjusting to junior hockey. Grade: C+
NAHL: Late October Goalie Report, October 2020: At 6’2, 190lbs, 2003-born Owen Bartoszkiewicz looks the part for being possibly the youngest goaltender in the South Division this year. A Northville, MI, native and Oakland Junior Grizzlies product, his USHL rights are owned by the Youngstown Phantoms. While he is not the smoothest skater, he gets the job done and gets to his spots on his feet with ease. He also is quick to regain his feet once down and does a nice job recovering on lateral plays. He has a tendency to make himself small in his stance, bringing his hands inside his frame (double coverage), leaving himself susceptible to well-placed shots in the upper corners. Owen is very competitive and shows a good blend of old-school and new school techniques, often using both VH or RVH on goal line plays where we see most goalies these days elect to remain down all the time (RVH). He shows good awareness for a young goalie, often checking over his shoulder to find opposing players hiding in soft areas of coverage. While he has pro size and athletic ability, consistency will be key for the young goalie this year. Making the transition to junior hockey is always difficult, and while Bartoskiewicz appears to have all the tools, consistency has always been his issue and he tends to let in goals in clusters. In his first junior hockey action, he yielded 4 straight goals in the third and one more in overtime in a tough 5-4 in overtime loss. Even though the loss was not entirely on him, being able to stop the bleeding when your team needs it is a necessary trait for an elite goalie. In game two of the series he continued to show his age. Made some nice saves, but gave up two bad angle goals that just cannot get by you in a close game. While it remains to be seen if Owen can dial it in and find his groove for a full game, he is certainly an intriguing young prospect, who is draft eligible this year. Grade: C+
Michigan (MAHA) Festival 2003s, May 2019: Owen challenges the shooters by coming out of his crease and his quick enough to get back to the net. He made some big saves in the games and he managed to make a big save on a breakaway using his quick reflexes.
HPHL: U14/U15 Playoffs, February 2019: Owen came up large on numerous high-quality chances in big situations. Good recovery ability and rebound stops. Particularly good down low and in scrambles. Grade: A-
Wendy Dufton Memorial Tournament, November 2018: On the bigger side, Bartoszkiewicz is at time an unorthodox goalie who relies on his scrambling ability to make saves. He is able to stretch out and taking the bottom of the net on scrambles in tight. Bartoszkiewicz is comfortable coming out to play the puck and good at reading the play but has to make his make quicker and more decisive plays with the puck.
MAHA Festival 2003s, July 2018: Owen had a decent week at camp as he made some nice saves and he competed hard. He has quick reflexes especially with his feet and his agile as well. He had some issues with his rebound control but that is something he will get better with.