Trey Augustine backstopped the USA to a second straight gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship. However, the Detroit Red Wings prospect was not named the goaltender of the tournament.
That honor went to the netminder he beat in the final, Petteri Rimpinen of Finland. Nicknamed Showtime - he even carries the handle inscribed on his skate blades - Rimpinen was living up to that level throughout the tournament. Without his heroics between the pipes, the Finns don’t get anywhere near the gold medal game.
“It was certainly surprising how far we got,” Rimpinen, 18, told Finnish website Ilta-Sanomat. “I'm proud of that. Of the whole team.”
Yet as big as Rimpinen came up during the tournament, scouts aren’t confident that Rimpinen will measure to having a future in the NHL. He stands just 5-foot-9, dreadfully small in comparison to the prototype for a modern pro netminder.
“It's a cold fact that a goalie's height has an impact on NHL clubs,” said Finnish goaltending legend Pekka Rinne, who today scouts goalies for the Nashville Predators. “The limit is around (six feet tall). If he's shorter than that, then his other qualities have to be at an icy level.”
Yep, Team Finland goaltender Petteri Rimpinen really has 'Showtime' on his skate blades 🤩
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) January 5, 2025
Is Mr. Showtime the MVP of the 2025 IIHF World Juniors? 👀#WorldJuniors #Suomi pic.twitter.com/XzG9QWYz66
He did add that as the game is changing, so may the perception of what the physical traits are for the ideal pro netminder.
“It's good to remember that height is not a total obstacle to NHL draft or an NHL career,” Rinne emphasized. “The game has changed. Large goalies who play a blocking style and are not so good at moving are struggling in today's fast-paced game.”
Naturally, Rimpinen doesn’t view his size as hampering his ability to stop the puck.
“I feel like I'm two meters tall every time I'm on the ice,” Rimpinen said. “If that height is a big deal to someone, then I can't control it.
“I try to focus only on the things I can control. How can I become faster and so on.”
He’s certainly doing the needful when on the ice this season. Playing for Kiekko-Espoo in Finland’s top pro league, Rimpinen’s .916 save percentage is best among goaltenders. His goals-against average is 2.25.
Beyond his talent as a netminder, Rimpinen counts another unique quality among his repertoire - leadership.
“He is a really kind-hearted person and a loud personality,” said Jesse Kiiskinen, Rimpinen’s teammate on the Finnish world junior squad. “He pumped energy into us in the room much more than goalies normally do.
“The nickname 'Showtime' is not for nothing.”