FRISCO, Texas — The 2017-18 season is going to provide a nice re-start for Dallas Stars goalie prospect in Colton Point.
A fifth-round pick (128th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Point was expected to compete for the starter’s role as a freshman at Colgate University. And in his first collegiate start he 41 made saves on 45 shots against Connecticut in a 4-4 tie.
The game itself was tiring enough, Colgate was outshot 45 to 27, but Point was also playing with an undiagnosed case of Mononucleosis that ultimately shut him down for six weeks.
“I didn’t get fully diagnosed until after my first game, so I missed about a month and half with that,” Point said. “That was obviously a learning curve. I’ve never really missed more than a game or two in my life.
“It took me a while to figure out how to deal with stuff like that,” Point added. “You’re going to face adversity in college and I just didn’t know it was going to be like that.”
When he returned a senior, Charlie Finn, had entrenched himself as the starter. Point made a couple starts that were good, but not great before he found his stride in January.
“I felt like I turned my season around pretty well after Christmas,” Point said. “I feel I rebounded pretty well after that.”
In six games in the second half of the season Point posted a .935 save percentage. It was a nice bump after he posted a .885 save percentage in the first half of the season, and that included the 41-save performance in his collegiate debut.
Point is hoping to build on that next season as a sophomore.
“They are giving me a shot again, so I’ve just got to take that,” Point said on Monday.
Point is starting to lay the groundwork for a successful season at Dallas Stars development camp this week in Frisco.
While Jake Oettinger is the big-name goalie prospect in camp, and rightfully so after getting picked in the first round, Point has performed well in what equates to a shooting gallery.
Point thrives when facing a barrage of shots. In college made 39 saves in a 1-1 tie with St. Lawrence and 45 saves in a 4-1 loss against Quinnipiac. Going back earlier in his hockey career, Point once made 107 saves in a Midge AAA playoff game one year before the Stars drafted him.
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds Point has good size in net, but his positioning and movement are the key to his success.
“We’re really focussing on being smooth this year (in camp) and I’ve always thought skating was one of my stronger suits,” Point said. “But you can never stop working on this. This year it’s all about being smooth, transitioning your weight well around the crease quickly, but not too choppy.”
Oettinger is Plan A in goal, but as the Stars have learned in the past goalie development is a tricky proposition. The top picks aren’t always the best NHL players, so it’s best to develop a number of prospects and see which one ultimately wins an NHL job four or five years down the line.
And Point thinks he has a bit of an advantage going the college route.
“I feel like your development is not only longer, but you get more quality,” Point said. “Major junior is run more like a business, everyone will tell you that. College they just can’t get rid of you, if you’re on a scholarship they aren’t just going to cut you off.
“You practice more, you work out more,” Point said. “I just feel the upside to the extra ice time (and) practice, working with your coaches. Always being around the team helps you tremendously more than the OHL does.”
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