Olivier Roy Scouting Report From The Scouting Report's Alex Arsenault

In the weeks leading up to the 2009 NHL Draft, Olivier Roy was ranked in the 30's by both The Hockey News and TSN.  Central Scouting listed him as the second overall goaltender in North America.  Yet when the Oilers picked at #133, Roy was still on the board.  The Oilers snapped him up and watched as he carried an undermanned Cape Breton team through the QMJHL season and into the playoffs. Roy was traded to Acadie-Bathurst in the offseason, but the Titan are in the same boat as Cape Breton -- undermanned and being carried by Olivier Roy.

We've had glimpses of Roy in Rookie Camp and Training Camp and he impressed nearly everyone.  In order to get a deeper understanding of Roy's game, I spoke with Alex Arsenault, QMJHL Scout The Scouting Report, a free scouting service we've used previously to discuss Ryan Martindale, the preliminary 2011 Draft Rankings and the 2011 Draft Lottery.

Olivier Roy

#31 / Goalie / Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Height: 6-0

Weight: 180

Born: July 12, 1991

Drafted:  5th Round (#133) - 2009

Copper & Blue:  How many times have you seen Roy play?

Alex Arsenault, The Scouting Report: I have seen Olivier play roughly a dozen times including three playoff games. I have also seen him play numerous times online.

C & B:  Describe Roy's approach as a goaltender. Butterfly? Hybrid?

TSR:  He’s more of a hybrid goalie. He often goes down in the butterfly position but he doesn’t solely rely on the butterfly style. He has the ability to stand up and challenge shooters to make the save.

C & B:  What do you see as his strengths?

TSR:  His quickness and reflexes are definitely his greatest strengths. He has to ability to make game changing saves that give his team a boost.

C & B:  What parts of his game need the most work?

TSR:  He needs to work on being more consistent. He has really struggled with consistency in my opinion. He’s not overly big and relies heavily on his reflexes to get by so it’s important for him to be "in the zone" to have a good game. Larger goalies can have a decent game even if they are not "in the zone" because they will always be the same size. That being said, it’s most likely just a mental problem and perhaps a little bit of stamina due to the fact that he plays often and usually faces a lot of shots.

C & B:  We've seen Roy struggle with his puck handling. Strong puck handling ability is a huge asset for a goaltender. How would do rate Roy in this aspect? Does he wander a little or does he prefer to stick close to his crease?

TSR:  I have never been overly concerned with his puck handling. I’ve seen him make a few mistakes here and there but none that led directly to a goal. He’s never been scared to go stop the puck behind the net to help his defenseman and I know he’s been working on improving that aspect of his game so he will be fine.

C & B:  Edmonton is currently cursed with a starter that struggles mightily with rebound control. How well does Roy control the puck to prevent second chances?

TSR:  Rebound control is far from being Roy’s greatest strengths but it’s something he concentrates a lot on. He has a lot of room for improvement in this aspect of the game but the good thing is he has his speed and reflexes to help him make those second and third chance saves.

C & B:  Acadie-Bathurst is second in the Maritimes behind Saint John. They aren't stacked with NHL talent, how are they winning?

TSR:  The Titan traded away some players last year in hopes of loading up for this year’s run. They have some good skilled forwards, most notably small forward Gabriel Levesque who leads the team in scoring by a large margin. They rely heavily on Olivier to carry the team.

C & B:  Can the Titan make a run at the championship, or do they have to make some moves?

TSR:  They definitely have to make some moves if they want to compete with Saint John, Montreal, Quebec and Lewiston. Their top 6 needs to be improved but more importantly they need to improve their defence. They could use more depth on both ends as the only position they are really solid in is in goal. One important move they have already done is firing their head coach and hiring one of their former coaches Real Paiment. Their record is worse with Paiment so far but the schedule has been tougher for him. He is a great technical coach who should help them improve their overall defensive game and hopefully take some pressure off of Roy.

C & B:  Roy plays a ton of games - do you see that the workload affects him or is he handling it well?

TSR:  He is accustomed to playing a lot as he’s played a lot throughout his midget and junior career however I believe it does affect him a little bit. Being a goalie of his style it’s crucial to be fresh and full of energy for every game. Earlier this season on a Friday night he stole a game and only allowed one goal in a game where his team didn’t play so well. The next night he allowed 5 goals and was pulled after 2 periods.

C & B:  Is Roy currently the best goaltender in the Q?

TSR:  It’s very tough to say if he’s actually the best goaltender in the Q because he does not get much support from his team. Not only do they average the 3rd most shots allowed per game but they are in the bottom half of the league in scoring as well which helps explain Olivier’s 9-7-0 record. However, if I’m making a run for the championship this season I want Olivier Roy as my starting goalie.

C & B:  Do you see him as a lock for the WJC team?

TSR:  I would say it’s his job to lose. A lot can happen before then so I won’t go as far as saying that he’s a lock however if the team was made today he would definitely be on the team.

C & B:  Does he have a future in the NHL?

TSR:  If you had asked me this when he was 16 I would have said absolutely and I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. He was in a class of his own. Nature would suggest that he would continue to develop and improve. 3 years later at the age of 19 I don’t see the improvement most of us had anticipated. I believe it’s possible for him to develop into a solid NHL goaltender however the Oilers shouldn’t stop themselves from getting another young goalie in the system.

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