The national semifinal games at the Frozen Four are in the books, and as NHL teams work hard on getting their collegiate prospects to sign their entry-level contracts, players for the University of Denver and University of Wisconsin are still working to boost their profiles in the eyes of NHL teams ahead of the national championship game.
That includes Denver goalie Johnny Hicks, who has turned in a stellar season in his first year in NCAA hockey, posting a 15-0-1 record with a .957 save percentage and 1.20 goals against average as he has the Pioneers on the verge of their third national title in five years.
At 5’10”, Hicks has the talent to be an NHL goaltender, but his diminutive frame is a limiting factor in making an overly optimistic long-term projection on him.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton were joined by Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis to discuss what Hicks’ performance this season has done for his stock as an NHL prospect.
Carter Hutton: Last night in that Frozen Four game there’s talent galore, right? One thing it kind of reminded me of, goaltending, Johnny Hicks. He’s been so good… Can Johnny Hicks, at his size, his skill is so good, can he make the NHL? Is it legit? I know we’ve seen a big push of smaller goalies now with Wolf, Greaves, Saros. Is this legit, or what’s your take on him?
Steven Ellis: It’s tough. I think it’s really tough. On one hand, you look at Johnny Hicks and he hasn’t lost a game in regulation of any kind since, I believe it was March of 2025. That’s an unbelievable record. You look at him, 15 wins 0 losses, he did have a tie this year because college does still use that tie format. Then you look at the numbers, a .957 SV%. Last night he made 49 saves and was a big reason why Denver beat Michigan. Michigan was the much better team in that game. They were pummeling Denver, Denver just couldn’t really generate anything in overtime, but Hicks looked strong. He looked fantastic. This is a guy that wasn’t the starting goalie around I think the halfway point of the season… [the starter] got hurt, and all of the sudden Hicks became the answer in net, and he’s been just lights out ever since… 5’10” just feels like it’s a little too small. That being said, his athleticism is still very promising. I think he is going to have a good pro career. Most scouts I’ve talked to think the Frozen Four might be the height of his career, but at the same time, he’s a 20-year-old freshman. He still has a long way to go… Right now, he’s definitely putting himself at the map. If he was six-foot, I think he gets an NHL contract. Five-foot-ten, I just don’t think teams are going to be as excited.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…
