The recruits have been coming in at a steady pace for the UNO Hockey program since the start of 2019.
Omaha is losing two goaltenders after the season (Evan Weninger and Alex Blankenburg) to graduation.
Fans who have been following along know that Isaiah Saville is coming in to fill one of the goaltender spots. There has been considerable speculation about who the second new netminder might be.
The speculation can end with the announcement that goalie Austin Roden of the Merritt Centennials (BCHL) will be joining the Mavs for the 2019-20 campaign.
The 20-year-old goaltender brings in a considerable amount of experience from his tenure in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
According to EliteProspects.com, Roden has four full years of experience in the BCHL (with the Centennials and the Nanaimo Clippers).
As of this writing, Roden has a 2.95 GAA in 42 games with Merritt (ranking him 10th in the league). His .912 save percentage ranks him 6th among goaltenders in the BCHL. He also has two shutouts in 42 games this season. He has logged the fourth most minutes in the league with 2442.
Roden was recently named BCHL Player of the Week (Feb. 25). He is one of only two Centennials to be named BCHL Player of the Week this season. The Centennials are on a five-game winning streak headed into the playoffs, and Roden finished the regular season with a 27-11-2 record.
Roden wrapped up the 2017-18 regular season with a 2.40 GAA in 29 games (in split duty with Merritt and Nanaimo), ranking him 5th in the BCHL. He also finished that season with a .931 save percentage, ranking him second overall among goaltenders.
Roden has decent size, is technically sound, athletic, and has the ability to steal games.
Here’s an insightful interview with Roden from 2018 on Merritt’s Q101 with Jesse Pakulat — good information on on Roden’s start in hockey and his early career in the BCHL (he seems like a really good kid):
This is a nice “scouting tape” of Roden’s play in the BCHL (posted Dec. 2018). It’ll give you an idea of what he looks like between the pipes:
Evan Weninger has shouldered nearly all of the goaltending duty for the Mavericks during the 2018-19 season. I know a number of fans assume that Saville will carry the load next season.
I've been predicting that Gabinet & Co. will split the load in net next season. It would be a wise idea to have a couple capable goaltenders in the lineup. Everyone is better when there is someone constantly pushing them on the roster. Roden sounds like a workhorse.
I think Austin Roden possesses a lot of upside potential for Omaha and can be a solid goaltender for UNO the next few seasons.
Stay tuned to mavpuck.com/news for all of our recruiting updates.
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