The threshold for being a first-round pick in goal is astronomically high these days. Only one goalie on average has gone in that range the last five drafts, marking a philosophical shift from NHL decision-makers.

The reason? There's a lot of risk in drafting at that position, and the development cycle takes far longer for tenders than it does for their peers outside of the crease. There's also an increasing sentiment, rightly or wrongly, that the position is so random that you don't need to or flat out shouldn't invest heavily in it.

You have to prove that you're going to be the exception to that rule if you want to walk the stage on Day 1 of the NHL Draft, and Michael Hrabal is trying to make his case with the Omaha Lancers in his draft year.

So far, so good. The Czech netminder was a break