Red Wings' Goaltender Prospect Rudy Guimond Shines in CHL, Steals NHL Scouts' Attention After Draft Steal

"Certainly for how it's worked out for Rudy, it's been a great advantage," Detroit assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said. "I think early on, as you can imagine, the adjustment going from the USHL to [the QMJHL], it is a step above, it is a little bit stronger league, obviously. But he's adjusted well. I think it's been great for him. Rudy's really adjusted well, he's enjoyed his time. He's worked hard, he's been a good teammate, and most importantly, he's playing well in net."

"First and foremost, they want their prospects to be happy, and with the instability going on Cedar Rapids, I wasn't happy," Guimond said. "Now that I'm here, Phil Osaer, he's just really happy that I'm happy now. And when you're happy, it's much easier to perform. And I owe that to all the people here and the city. It's been tremendous."

"I feel like guys [in the QMJHL] have a lot more skill," Guimond said. "I feel like the play is a bit quicker as well in the 'Q.' The big thing for me was when teams come into the zone, their ability to make not just one, but two, three passes, is really tough as a goalie. I had to really adjust my game, especially my depth in my goal crease. That's one of the bigger things that's giving me success right now. So I'm in a position to make those saves when there's a lot of movement involved."

"The one thing that I always look for in goalies is just their maturity," he said. "And you can paint that as their on-ice maturity, their off-ice maturity, their work habits, their attention to detail and taking the game a little bit more serious. And I've seen growth in Rudy's maturity levels, which has been great."