JACK IVANKOVIC

Goaltender
6’0/179
LEFT
Brampton Steelheads/OHL

Ivankovic plays for the Brampton Steelheads in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), is a 17-year-old goaltender from Mississauga, Ontario. The 2023-24 season was Ivankovic’s rookie season in the OHL and he impressed in a big way, posting a 2.72 goals-against average (GAA) and a .915 save percentage (SV%) through 25 games played while having a solid record of 14-5-4. The Steelheads already had a top young goalie in the system in Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders, but Ivankovic was being hailed as one of the best young keepers to come out of the OHL Draft in quite some time. Representing Canada at the U17 World Hockey Championship, Ivankovic posted a 2.51 GAA and a .923 SV% through eight games with a 5-3-0 record. What has impressed me more though, is his insane performance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he was spectacular, posting a 0.75 GAA, .967 SV% and 1 SO in 4 games. “He’s special,” one scout said leading up to the draft. “He’s going to be a superstar, the future of Canada’s goaltending.” The only major knock on Ivankovic is his height, as he is billed at on 6’0, but there is hope can still grow, as his father Frank, who was a former goalie himself, is 6’5. Ivankovic’s performance on the international stage has propelled him into first-round consideration, and if he does well in the regular season next season for Brampton, he could go even in the teens.

Size/Strength Below Average
Skating Good
Anticipation Great
Positioning Great
Rebound Control Good
Glove Hand Good
Poise Great
Hockey Sense Excellent
Consistency Excellent

Strengths

1. Ivankovic is incredibly athletic, moving as well as any goalie scouts have seen in recent years.
2. Ivankovic’s reaction time is unbelievable, and he’s got an outstanding glove hand. Ivankovic’s ability to anticipate plays so quickly makes it hard to beat him, even for skilled forwards.
3. Remarkable Consistency and Poise in net.

Areas For Improvement

1. He is a Smaller goalie; the only True #1 goalie at 6’0 or smaller is Juuse Saros.
2. Could improve his lateral movement.

Scouting Report

After making his mark with the GTHL’s Mississauga Senators, and serving as the Ontario’s 2022 Canadian Winter Games squad – which they won – Ivankovic was selected seventh overall by the Mississauga Steelheads (now in Brampton). The Steelheads already had a top young goalie in the system in Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders, but Ivankovic was being hailed as one of the best young keepers to come out of the OHL Draft in quite some time. Ivankovic instantly made an impact as one of the top young goaltenders in the OHL. He registered a 14-5-4 record with a .915 save percentage – the best in the league. Leenders was second in that category, but Ivankovic’s numbers at his age were incredible. Ivankovic was the top goalie of the tournament in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping Canada to win the Gold Medal, posting a 0.75 GAA, .967 SV% and 1 SO in 4 games. He also won gold at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge last fall with a handful of other Hlinka players, such as Matthew Schaefer, Emile Guite, and Cameron Schmidt. Goaltenders are hard to project, but there’s so much to love about his game. Ivankovic is incredibly athletic, moving as well as any goalie scouts have seen in recent years. Ivankovic’s reaction time is unbelievable, and he’s got an outstanding glove hand. Ivankovic’s ability to anticipate plays so quickly makes it hard to beat him, even for skilled forwards. Technically, he’s as close to perfect as it gets, and his positioning is tremendous and he never gives up on a play. Well, unfortunately, he’s small. And that will matter at the next level. Fortunately, Ivankovic’s father, Frank, is 6-foot-5. He’s a former goaltender himself, having been drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995. So we’ll see if that ends up being his future. If he grows even 2-3 inches, it’ll be hard to ignore him as a first-round talent. Goalies have always been viewed as unpredictable coming out of the draft and have been seen as wild cards when they get drafted early. It’s hard to say which teams would be willing to take a chance on a goaltender in the first round. We saw the Detroit Red Wings take Sebastian Cossa 15th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and Jesper Wallstedt was taken 20th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the same year. While neither of those two has cracked an NHL roster yet and some fans have begun to worry about their development, goaltenders take more time to develop, so there isn’t a reason to panic yet, hence why taking a chance on Ivankovic could be a low-risk, high-reward selection in the first round.

Skill: Athletic Goaltender, with Great Fundamentals, Consistency, and Poise

Style Comparison: Juuse Saros

NHL Potential: Starting Goalie

Season	Team	League	GP	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
2023-24	Mississauga Steelheads	OHL	25	14-5-4	2.75	.915
	Canada U17	WHC-17	8	5-3-0	2.51	.923
	Canada U18	Hlinka Gretzky Cup	4	4-0-0	0.75	.967

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