Gr. Goalie Noah Giesbrecht commits to RPI

The Ferris State transfer will add experience and competition

Last week, the Engineers received an exciting portal commitment from Ferris State goaltender Noah Giesbrecht. Giesbrecht is a sizable goaltender at 6’4, and he will bring a wealth of collegiate experience to Troy. He saw the majority of Ferris’ time in net the past two seasons, highlighted by a .908 Sv% in 2022-23. Let’s breakdown Noah’s game, as well as take a look at where he fits into the ever-changing puzzle that is next season’s roster.

Game Breakdown

The graduate goaltender hails from South Surrey, BC, and has had quite a journey prior to his arrival in Troy. Giesbrecht spent the majority of his junior time in the MJHL, but he did pick up a little USHL experience with 15 games in Muskegon in 19-20. From there, he spent a year and a half with the University of Windsor in Canada before transferring into Ferris. Windsor did not play due to COVID in his freshman year, and he only logged 8 games in the 2nd year before moving into America. Giesbrecht saw action in 61 games over the past three years for Ferris State, highlighted by the 22-23 season I mentioned before. Ferris State was not a good team while he played there, with a win percentage under .430 all three years. This season was a tougher one for Noah, as his save percentage regressed to .886%. The Ferris State defense was quite bad though, allowing an xGA per game of 3.5, so he really did not have much of a chance most nights. It is pretty clear that Giesbrecht’s numbers closely resemble the strength of the team he is on, very similar to most goaltenders, but specifically something we have seen with Jack Watson. It is also worth noting that Giesbrecht got some attention from NHL teams after last year, which you can see in the cover photo as he participated in Winnipeg camp.

Photo: Elite Prospects

I watched quite a bit of film of Noah to prepare for this article, and I found that there was a lot to like. As I said prior, he has excellent size at 6’4, which shuts down angles for shooters trying to score. He is also incredibly athletic for such a big player, I thought he moved around the net quite well. There were several odd-man rushes that he was able to slide across and save a one-timer on that stood out to me. His agility may be his biggest asset, because he is able to combine it with the size to make it incredibly difficult for other teams. He used the blocker well and I found that he was able to control rebounds too. His movements were calm, and his positioning was very solid which allowed him to absorb pucks from all angles.

Here are a couple clips from his USHL days which you can check out:

Roster Fit:

After the departure of Brett Miller (graduation) and Carson Cherepak (transfer portal), there were two spots open for the staff to fill behind Jack Watson. Carson Dorfman (more to come on the blog soon) committed a few weeks ago which checked one box, and the addition of Giesbrecht should complete the unit. Giesbrecht will slot in above Dorfman and will give Watson a lot more competition for playing time than he had this year. The Engineers really struggled in November and December this year when Watson got hurt, going just 2-7-1 in this stretch. Bringing in a backup with more experience and a lot of skill will provide an insurance policy in case of injury. Something I am hopeful repeats itself is the year Watson had the most pressure (21-22 from Linden Marshall) was by far his best year. I think adding more competition will help both players elevate their game and challenge each other.

The addition of Noah Giesbrecht gives the Engineers a highly capable backup with the upside to challenge for the #1 minutes. Giesbrecht has excellent size and agility, which he combines with intelligent positioning. He will bring experience and leadership to the team, and I expect him to be the 1B option for the Engineers this fall. Congratulations to Noah and his family, we can’t wait to have you in Troy! Let’s Go Red!