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Prospects Watch Highly-touted Howard still learning from 'bumps in the road' ... Jimmy Howard is still learning the ropes on the farm. The second-year pro goaltender with the Grand Rapids Griffins has had an up-and-down campaign in the American Hockey League, with a 7-7 record, a shutout, a 3.04 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. Soft goals have been the 22-year-old’s Achilles heel. “There have been a few that he’d like to have back, I know, but it’s part of the process,” said Griffins general manager Bob McNamara. “It happens here, and it happens in the NHL. The difference is, the guys in the NHL understand the goal that just went in has no bearing on the shot they’re going to face.” Howard, drafted 64th overall in 2003, is the top goaltending prospect in the Detroit Red Wings’ system. He left the University of Maine in 2005 after his junior year and backstopped the Griffins to a regular-season pennant, going 27-6-2 with a 2.58 goals-against average en route to all-rookie honors. This season, the Griffins (8-9-2-1) are a middle-of-the-pack club, and Howard’s numbers have fallen off slightly with Stefan Liv as his backup. Howard is tabbed as the Red Wings’ goalie of the future. “He’s got tremendous upside, and as long as he continues to learn from the bumps in the road, he’s going to continue to develop into a guy the Red Wings can count on long into the future,” said McNamara. “His upside is to be a No. 1 in the NHL, but it’s up to him to continue his work ethic and learn from his mistakes in terms of giving up a soft one here and there.” The hope is that Howard will follow a similar development model to that of Buffalo Sabres starter and fellow NCAA grad Ryan Miller. Miller left Michigan State after his junior year and spent the better part of three seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans before breaking in full-time with the Sabres. HOT: Goaltender Logan Koopmans (Toledo, East Coast Hockey League) ranks ninth in the ECHL with a 2.60 goals-against average. He also has a .919 save percentage and an 8-3-0 record ... Forward Mattias Ritola (Arboga, Swedish second level) showed signs of life this week, with a goal and two assists in three games ... Defenseman Jakub Kindl (Kitchener, Ontario Hockey League) had five assists in three games ... Defenseman Jeff May (Prince Albert, Western Hockey League) had three goals and an assist in three games this week. COLD: Forward Jan Mursak (Saginaw, OHL) has been silent lately. He is goalless in six games and has just three assists in his past five contests ... Forward Johan Ryno (AIK, Swedish second level) has gone pointless in nine out of 10 games since joining AIK ... Goaltender Stefan Liv (Grand Rapids, AHL) is having a tough time in North America. He has a 1-5-1 record in seven starts with a goals-against average of 3.66 and a save percentage of .878. NOTES: Forward Cory Emmerton enjoyed a two-goal game as part of an OHL squad that topped the Russian Selects 5-0 in the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge at Sarnia, Ont., on Thursday ... Defenseman Kyle Quincey (Grand Rapids, AHL) suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday and has been out of the lineup since ... Forward Eric Himelfarb (Grand Rapids, AHL) returned from a lower-body injury this week and had a goal and an assist in three games ... The Red Wings returned forwards Evan McGrath and Darryl Bootland to Grand Rapids after a brief recall. Neither player got into a game. The following is this season’s statistical report to date:
The following is this season's statistical report for goaltenders to date:
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