NCAA notebook: Tracy of Minnesota State among top undrafted goalies to watch this season

Finding a goalie from the ranks of NCAA free agents is a challenge. There are a few undrafted goalies currently in the NHL, but not many.

Cam Talbot (University of Alabama-Huntsville) of the Detroit Red Wings and Charlie Lindgren (St. Cloud State University) of the Washington Capitals are established NHL goalies who never were drafted. Brandon Bussi (Western Michigan University) of the Carolina Hurricanes is off to a good start in his first NHL season after playing the previous four seasons in the minor leagues.

Scouts are making the rounds of college rinks each weekend with an eye out for goalies with NHL potential or who could provide organizational depth in the American Hockey League or ECHL.

Here, in alphabetical order, are 10 free agent goalies on the radar of NHL scouts this season.

Albin Boija, Maine

The junior from Sundsvall, Sweden, drew a lot of attention from NHL teams last season but decided to return to school.

He was one of four finalists for the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in men's Division I hockey last season after going 23-8 with six ties, a 1.82 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and four shutouts in 37 games.

This season, the 22-year-old is 6-4 with one tie, a 2.55 GAA, .899 save percentage and two shutouts.

Boija attended Boston Bruins development camp in July.

Cameron Korpi, Union College

The sophomore is in his first season at Union after playing at the University of Michigan last season.

He was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team after going 7-6 with one tie, a 3.08 GAA and .904 save percentage in 18 games.

This season, the 21-year-old is 8-4 with two ties, a 1.87 GAA, .918 save percentage in 14 games, and he is tied for the NCAA lead with three shutouts.

Korpi also attended Bruins development camp during the offseason.

Joshua Kotai, Augustana University

The 22-year-old junior is 7-5 with one tie, a 1.93 GAA, .936 save percentage and one shutout in 13 games.

He also was selected play for the United States Collegiate Selects at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland from Dec. 26-31.

Kotai attended development camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the offseason.

Daniel Hauser, University of Wisconsin

Hauser is undersized at 5-foot-11, but he piled up wins during five seasons in the Western Hockey League and is doing so this season as a college freshman.

The 21-year-old is 8-2 with two ties, a 2.14 GAA, .914 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games. That includes 29 saves in a 6-1 win at top-ranked Michigan on Nov. 8.

Hauser is the winningest goalie in WHL history with a 123-36-9 record. He had a 2.58 GAA, .910 save percentage and 17 shutouts in 176 games.

Lassi Lehti, University of Alaska

The 24-year-old senior from Espoo, Finland has the kind of size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) NHL teams look for in a goalie.

Lehti is 4-5 with one tie, a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage in 10 games. That includes leading Alaska to the championship at the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid, New York. He made 19 saves in a 2-0 win against St. Lawrence on Nov. 28 and 21 saves one day later in a 3-2 win against Clarkson in the championship game.

Max Lundgren, Merrimack College

A sophomore from Angelholm, Sweden, Lundgren has the size (6-5, 230) NHL teams covet in goalie prospects.

The 23-year-old is 5-8 with a 2.57 GAA and .916 save percentage in 13 games. That includes 40 saves in a 3-2 win against Providence on Nov. 15.

Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College

Mbereko is 8-6 with one tie, a 2.32 GAA and .916 save percentage in 15 games this season.

The 22-year-old senior is fourth in school history with 53 wins, including a sophomore season in 2023-24 that saw him go 21-13 with three ties, a 2.40 GAA and .915 save percentage in 37 games.

Mbereko’s father played professional rugby in Zimbabwe for nearly two decades.

Shane Soderwall, Clarkson University

Soderwall played two seasons at Division III Curry College before transferring to Clarkson this season, including going 24-4 with a 1.47 GAA and .945 save percentage in 28 games last season. He tied an NCAA record with 98 saves in a four-overtime game against Hobart in the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals.

This season, the 23-year-old is 5-9 with a 2.91 GAA and .899 save percentage in 14 games.

He attended development camp with the Utah Mammoth during the offseason.

Alex Tracy, Minnesota State University

Tracy was 26-9 with three ties, a 1.42 GAA, .946 save percentage and five shutouts in 38 games last season. He was one of four finalists for the Mike Richter Award, a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top men's Division I hockey player and was voted the Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year and goalie of the year.

The 24-year-old senior is 10-2 with four ties, a 1.78 GAA, .936 save percentage and two shutouts in 16 games this season, and has been named to the U.S. Collegiate Select team that will play in the Spengler Cup.

Lawton Zacher, Northeastern University

Zacher is 7-3 with a 1.80 GAA, .943 save percentage and three shutouts in 10 games in his first season at Northeastern after playing his first two college seasons at Brown University.

The 21-year-old junior attended development camp with the Nashville Predators during the offseason.