It has been quite a rollercoaster for the Philadelphia Flyers (third-string) goaltender Rob Zepp. The netminder was originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, being picked 99th overall. Zepp never signed a contract with the team and was put back into the drafting pool, to which he was drafted again, this time 110th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2001.
Zepp bounced around between the ECHL and the AHL for a few years, splitting time with the Florida Everblades (ECHL) and the Lowell Lock Monsters (AHL). He played there between 2001-2005 before deciding to leave and create a new journey.
His new journey involved two years in the Finnish League playing for SaiPa before joining the Berlin Polar Bears in the German DEL, a team he played for from 2007-2014. During his time in the DEL, Zepp had a few strong seasons. One notable one was in the 2009-2010 season, when he recorded 35 wins and 9 losses with a .913 save percentage. His last year in Germany, the 2013-14 season, Zepp did not post as many wins (he had a record of 24-14), but he did have a career-high (at any level) save percentage of .931 and a solid 2.39 goals against average.
For the 2014-2015 season, Zepp decided to come back to North America and he joined the Flyers organization on a one-year contract (two-way). He has been fighting with Ray Emery (the back-up goalie for starter Steve Mason) on and off for a backup position throughout the season.
Though Emery has stayed up to keep the backup position, Flyers coach Craig Berube experiments when Steve Mason gets injured.
With the experimenting, this lead to Zepp getting an early Christmas present by getting his first NHL start on December 21st, 2014…thirteen years after being drafted for the second time by the Carolina Hurricanes. Zepp faced the Winnipeg Jets, making 25 saves on 28 shots for the team, and with the help of Jakub Voracek (two goals), Zepp’s first NHL game was a 4-3 overtime win.
The biggest question the Flyers will face for the upcoming season is who they will keep as a back-up goalie for Mason, who is in the first season of his three-year extension.
Both Zepp and Emery are on one-year contracts. Emery has a one-way contract and Zepp has a two-way. This will require Ron Hextall to make one of many decisions regarding the team’s future.
Stats so far (NHL only) for both goalies this year are:
Ray Emery: 26 games played, 10-10-4 record with a 3.15 goals against average and a .893 save percentage.
Rob Zepp- 8 Games played, 5-1-0 with a 2.63 goals against average and a .894 save percentage.
Watching Zepp play over Emery, even in back-to-back starts, and how much confidence the goalie gets with each, I believe that Zepp will get the back-up goalie job for next season.
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