Watching Kenny Appleby play his position, there might be little that stands out, but the hockey world might be wise to take notice.
The Albany Devils goaltender, in his second pro season, hit the American Hockey League All-Star break last weekend as the league’s leader in goals-against average (2.05) and was among the leaders in save percentage (.920).
He’s compiled the numbers in typically quiet fashion after a mid-November callup from the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder – in 20 AHL starts, Appleby has given up two goals or less in 15 games, but he’s yet to register a shutout.
That consistency in his play stands out. The six-foot-four North Bay product hasn’t made many flashy, spectacular saves, but he hasn’t needed to. The style of play he is refining with New Jersey Devils goaltending development coach Scott Clemmensen, with focus on mobility and positioning, has helped Appleby put in solid performances night after night.
“He’s really progressed,” said Clemmensen, who spent eight seasons as an NHL regular during a 14-year career. “If you look at the last year and a half, each step of the way, he’s gotten better consistently with little things and small steps. He’s always had a good attitude and a good work ethic and those two things have really served him well and I see no reason why that won’t continue.”
Appleby, 21, who was undrafted to the NHL, signed a three-year entry level deal with the Devils after attending training camp in September 2015. The signing had a lot to do with the improvement Appleby showed in a short period following a summer rookie camp and that improvement has remained steady, Clemmensen said.
The organization isn’t necessarily trying to model young goaltenders after Cory Schneider, but it just so happens Appleby shares a similar style as the NHL organization’s No. 1 netminder.
“He’s making so many saves look easy because he’s getting to where he needs to be,” Clemmensen said. “He’s very much in control and in the flow of the play and making those saves look easy, where an untrained eye wouldn’t notice those types of things.
“He’s done a good job of making those improvements in a very controlled manner to where his system of play is simple. It’s much like Cory Schneider’s, to be honest. You watch him play and he gets hit in the chest a lot and makes a lot of controlled saves, his rebound control is good. He doesn’t make a lot of big, dramatic saves and sometimes it seems like he didn’t have to do a lot, but I think there’s something to be said for a goalie who never has to make big saves and I think that’s the track Ken is on.”
Appleby, who has made the majority of starts since late November and so far outplayed Albany creasemate MacKenzie Blackwood, the Devils’ 2015 second-round pick, credits Clemmensen for helping him refine his game and make the adjustments to succeed in the AHL. The last time he was a regular starter, with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2014-15, Appleby led the league with a 2.04 goals-against average and .924 save percentage while backstopping the team to a Memorial Cup championship.
“I’ve kind of always had a quiet confidence in my abilities. Once you get to a level and you keep playing, the confidence kind of develops a little more,” Appleby said in a phone interview this week. “It just becomes more of a day-to-day thing -- you go about your business and just keep working on things that have been working.
“Until you get there and you have a long career in the NHL, there is always room to grow. But so far, I’m really happy with my development. I think the difference from where I am this year compared to last year, has been big. I know Scott’s really happy with my development so far. I just want to keep on working on these things and getting better until I make it there.”
North Bay hasn’t had a player in the NHL since Craig Rivet wrapped up his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets in April 2011, when Appleby was coming off his first midget ‘AAA’ season with the North Bay Trappers. Appleby might be the AHL’s top goalie in some statistical categories, but that doesn’t guarantee an NHL shot. (Although, the AHL’s top statistical goaltenders the last few seasons -- the Los Angeles Kings’ Peter Budaj in 2015-16, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Murray in 2014-15,the St. Louis Blues’ Jake Allen in 2013-14 -- have found their way to the NHL).
“Sometimes goalies in the AHL get their shot when someone goes down or something happens -- everyone gets their chance in different ways,” Appleby said.” I’d just be happy even getting a game or so up there. If that happens, we’ll see, but until then, I just have to continue to work on what’s working and continue to get better and try to stay consistent and confident in my game so that when I do get that chance, I make the most of it.”
Goaltenders often have their own development curve and it can be a long process. Clemmensen himself spent four full seasons in the AHL before getting a chance to stick in the NHL, while Schneider, now a bona fide No. 1, refined his craft for three AHL seasons.
“A lot of the opportunity that comes with playing in the NHL, for goalies, it isn’t necessarily a case of ‘when you’re ready to play, then you go to the NHL,’” Clemmensen said. “You have to be ready, but you might have to wait for years even after you’ve shown you’re ready.
“I think, with his progression over the past year and a half and his steady improvement month after month here, if that continues, I see no reason why he wouldn’t be able to play in the NHL. Where and when he gets an opportunity, whether it’s sooner or later, that I don’t know and nobody knows.”
Given a chance to prove himself in the past, Appleby showed he can shine among junior hockey’s elite with the 2014-15 Memorial Cup-champion Generals. The experience made for great hockey memories, but Appleby said what matters now is doing the most with the opportunity before him. With others such as Blackwood, named the OHL’s top goaltender in 2015-16, also in the Devils’ system, Appleby’s focus is on showing he can consistently perform one step below the NHL.
“It’s definitely a grind, but having a guy like Scott Clemmensen as our goalie development guy to learn from, he’s been through it all,” Appleby said. “He understands what it’s like, so you just have to be a sponge and learn as much from him as you can. At the same time, I’m kind of taking from my past experience as a starter in the OHL and trying to take things day-by-day and be as consistent as possible. That’s something I really wanted to focus on this year, being consistent with my performance and I think it’s something I’ve gotten a lot better with.”
