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Before Jeff Zatkoff signed with the Penguins as a free agent in the summer of 2012, he spent the previous three seasons putting up stellar numbers with the Manchester Monarchs.
But in Zatkoff’s first season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he had a career year.
Zatkoff finished the 2012-13 season winning 26 games along with a 1.93 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He also had five shutouts that season and won the AHL Goaltender of the Month Award in December of 2012 and, along with teammate Brad Thiessen, earned the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.
Zatkoff is part of a tradition under Penguins head coach John Hynes. Since Hynes took over the post in 2010, six Penguins netminders have won the Goaltender of the Month award. Also, three of the last four Holmes Memorial Award winners have been Penguins goaltending tandems, including last season’s duo of Jeff Deslauriers and Eric Hartzell.
Considering Hynes never played goaltender – he was a forward, during his playing career at Boston University, how does he consistently get the most from his goaltenders to dominate the AHL almost every season?
Zatkoff said the key to that success is the defense-oriented system that Hynes has developed.
“It’s no secret the way we play and the way we’re coached. Teams that play us know it’s going to be a grind,” Zatkoff said. “As a goalie you want to play on a team where everyone’s held accountable and there’s defensive responsibility.”
When Zatkoff won the Goaltender of the Month award, he posted an 8-1-0 record with a 1.21 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage, along with three shutouts. While he had plenty of success with Manchester – earning a trip to the AHL All-Star game in 2011, Zatkoff said it didn’t take long to benefit from the different style employed by Hynes at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“When I was in Manchester I was seeing a lot more action, generally 30 shots a night,” he said. “Here you’re not getting as many shots, but when you do see that rare scoring chance you have to be ready to make that save because it’s going to big.”
Zatkoff acknowledged that a Penguins goaltender still needs to be highly skilled and can’t expect to achieve success by the system alone.
“We’ve had real quality goaltenders and you can’t win that award if you don’t have a lot of talent and don’t play consistently,” Hynes said. “When multiple goalies can play like that, it’s a tribute to the guys on the team as well who have the commitment level to help out defensively.”
While Hynes’ system breeds success for goaltenders, Zatkoff said it was an adjustment to see fewer shots in a game. In 2012-13, Zatkoff played in 49 games and logged 2,799 minutes – both career highs. That same season he faced 1,131 shots. The year before, with Manchester, Zatkoff played less minutes – 2,432, but faced 1,262 shots.
Still, Zatkoff said it’s easier to face more shots in a game and that’s why the Penguins strict defensive style requires a talented goaltender to help make it successful.
“I love seeing the puck a lot, and I don’t think that’s different for any goaltender,” Zatkoff said. “The hardest games to play are when you’re not seeing a lot of action. You have to stay in it mentally because you know you’re going to be called upon to make a big save in a close game.”
In February rookie goaltender Matt Murray became the sixth Penguins netminder to win the AHL top goaltender of the month award. He said Hynes’ system is vastly different from what he experienced in juniors, where there was more open ice, less structure and more turnovers resulting in scoring chances.
With the Penguins, Murray said, it’s all about team defense and blocking shots, and that commitment level motivates a goaltender to tie it all together.
“You still need a good goalie to be successful, to make the big saves at big times,” Murray said. “The big part for us is staying mentally focused. We might not be getting constant work, but every now and then you need a big save to keep the momentum going, and that’s our job.”
It’s a job that is apparently attractive to goaltenders around the league. Hynes’ track record with goaltenders and awards is appealing, Zatkoff said, but there’s something else that makes goaltenders want to join the Penguins organization.
“At the end of the day it’s about winning, and that’s what advances your career,” he said. “When you have a team committed to defense, you’re going to win. Goaltenders want to be a part of that.”