The Colorado Mammoth selected goaltender Alexis Buque with their third pick, 17th overall. Buque will be fighting for a spot on the roster against veteran Tye Belanger and Rookie of the Year candidate Dillon Ward.
The starting job between the pipes for the Mammoth is obviously Ward’s to lose, leaving Belanger and Buque to battle for the backup role.
Belanger’s position in the role is currently vulnerable. He started out the 2014 season as the starter in net for Colorado, but wound up posting the worst numbers of his NLL career (1-3 record, 16.43 goals against average) before the Mammoth made the switch to Ward.
Buque will likely be strong competition for that No. 2 spot. A Minto Cup winner with the Whitby Warriors in 2013, he played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies of the WLA in the spring of 2014. During the regular season he posted a 7.90 GAA and was third in the WLA in save percentage at .820.
Returned to a more-familiar backup role, Belanger might have a return to form—his career GAA of 12.39 is more than four goals better than his 2014 numbers—which could solidify his position as a legitimate NLL goalie. However, the presence of Buque in the wings means that Belanger’s position is not guaranteed. Furthermore, it puts pressure on Ward to not suffer a sophomore jinx because there’s another potential Rookie of the Year candidate waiting in the wings to jump in and prove himself.
When all is said and done, the selection of Buque potentially gives the Mammoth a level of quality and depth at the goaltender position that they have not enjoyed in quite some time. If the three players they have now can bring the best out of each other and continue to mature as young athletes, they could go along way towards improve Colorado’s fortunes after a couple disappointing years.
