Jonathan Bernier, the Kings' 2006 first-round draft pick, has been called up on emergency status. He has just been given the nod over regular back-up Erik Ersberg to start between the pipes against Dallas tonight, according to lakingsinsider.com.
Bernier has been nothing short of stellar this year with the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' AHL affiliate.
In 49 games, Bernier has a 26-18-5 record with eight shutouts, a 2.08 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. To put that in perspective, he would be leading the NHL in every goaltending category but wins with those numbers.
Of course, the NHL is quite different from the AHL, just ask Teddy Purcell.
But Bernier was a first-round draft pick and a starter for the Canadian Junior International Team—two distinctions that usually equate to a solid NHL goaltender at worst, and a superstar at best.
Since being drafted, Bernier represented the future to the Los Angeles Kings' fans.
More so than Anze Kopitar, Thomas Hickey or Drew Doughty.
This is because the Kings haven't really had what could be considered a "franchise" netminder since Rogie Vachon's last season in LA in 1978. In fact, most players since then have been terrible.
Some might wonder about Kelly Hrudey, who was more popular for having a flashy style, that while entertaining, was not always effective. A quick glance at his career numbers, and one might think, "Oh, that's right, they had Wayne Gretzky."
The term "franchise" refers to a goalie that can carry a team by keeping them in games every night, and even steal some games when they have trouble scoring.
Quick has certainly shown that budding characteristic this seas...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
