Could Ravensbergen be Canada's next star goalie?

If there's anyone who knows that draft capital won't make or break a career, it's Prince George Cougars goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen.

He wasn't picked in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft that included 24 goalies and 214 total selections. But now Ravensbergen finds himself on the verge of being picked in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

The native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, could become just the second Canadian goaltender in the last 13 years to hear his name called on Day 1 - which is what many pundits, including theScore's, are projecting. Sebastian Cossa, who the Detroit Red Wings drafted 15th overall in 2021, is the other first-round netminder.

Ravensbergen told theScore at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo earlier in June that it "would be really, really cool" to join that elusive club. But he knows it's not the be-all and end-all.

"At the end of the day, it's not really about where you go, and I learned that not being drafted to the (WHL)," he said. "It's what team you go to, then you have to work your way up. At the end of the day, it would be cool, but you have to take into perspective (that) it doesn't really matter as much where you go, it's what you do after."

Ravensbergen didn't let the WHL draft snub discourage him. Instead, he put in the work to become a top prospect. It also helps that he's grown approximately five inches since then, measuring in at 6-foot-5.25 and 191 pounds at the combine. That desired NHL goaltender height, plus his impressive athleticism, makes him difficult to beat.

"He's a really calm, cool, collected goalie," Moose Jaw Warriors forward and projected first-rounder Lynden Lakovic said. "He's big. He plays his depth well. He's a confident goalie. He moves really well for his size."

Ravensbergen posted a 59-17-5 record with a .904 save percentage and six shutouts over his last two seasons with the Cougars. He's gone 11-5-2 with a .916 save percentage and three shutouts in his WHL playoff career.

"Tougher shooting on him because he's a right-(catching) goalie," Spokane Chiefs forward Owen Martin added. "You don't see that too often."

Garnering Round 1 status would, fairly or not, create high expectations for Ravensbergen.

Canada is starved for its next elite netminder. Even though goalies typically take longer to develop than forwards and defensemen, Ravensbergen could offer that hope. The jury is still out on the 22-year-old Cossa, who's coming off back-to-back promising seasons in the AHL but has appeared in just one NHL game.

There isn't a single active Canadian goalie who's won the Vezina Trophy. The last Vezina winners to hail from Canada - Marc-Andre Fleury in 2021, Braden Holtby in 2016, and Carey Price in 2015 - are all retired.

Jordan Binnington came up big when needed at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but it's still no secret that this is a dark age in Canadian goaltending.

Being drafted in Round 1 doesn't guarantee success, of course - especially with goalies. It's the most volatile position in hockey.

Fewer teams have been willing to roll the dice on goaltenders in Round 1 of the draft in recent years, but even fewer of those goalies have been Canadian. There have been six goalies drafted in Round 1 in the last decade, just one Canadian. In the 10 years prior, 12 goalies were picked in Round 1, with six being from Canada.

There are several theories behind Canada's goaltending issue. Canada doesn't have goalie coaches at every single grassroots level like Finland. There are arguments that it doesn't put some of its best athletes in net like Russia. It doesn't have a development program that focuses on process rather than results, like the United States.

This isn't limited to Canada, but goalie gear in general is more expensive, and harder to get, than skater equipment. Some parents may also be hesitant to commit to lengthy drives for away games or travel tournaments just to see their child serve as the backup.

Ravensbergen chalks it up to a lack of opportunity in the CHL, a results-driven business. But he believes the new CHL-NCAA transfer agreement should do wonders for netminders.

"I think a lot of goalies don't hit their prime until later. You're not really given that opportunity with the CHL," he said. "Hopefully that'll change because we're able to go to the NCAA as opposed to playing until 19 and then either going pro or getting cut from junior (as an overager) and going to (a) Canadian college, where chances are much slimmer. It can happen, like with (Logan) Thompson, but it's a lot slimmer. Hopefully, now it can change, give guys more options."

Ravensbergen, for what it's worth, intends to stay in Prince George next season, much to the disappointment of WHL shooters.

"He's so hard to get it past," Tri-City Americans defenseman, Penn State commit, and potential top-10 pick Jackson Smith said. "We beat (Prince George) once (in four meetings) this year, and the one time we beat them, he wasn't playing. Whenever he's in net, it's going to be a tough game to score on him just because of his length and his size."

Ravensbergen's goals for next season include making the 2026 World Junior team. He attended last year's summer showcase but didn't receive an invite to training camp.

"That's definitely in the back of my mind," he said. "(Carter) George is there, he was there last year. Great goalie, but I just want an opportunity. That's probably my goal."

Eventually, if all goes right, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Ravensbergen could become a fixture for Canada at the Olympics and at World Cups.

"That's your dream since you're a little kid," he said. "Every step I take, I get a little closer, but obviously still a long way to go."