Everything from the pronunciation of his name, to his contrasting yet motivational on and off-ice personality, to his unique butterfly on the ice, is quite deceiving about this special goalie from the Czech Republic. And so after posting my Top-10 keeper league goalie prospects just a few days ago…yeahh…I’m already sliding him up a spot or two.

I speak of none other than Michal Neuvirth. He’s the Great Deceiver, the one that shows so much promise but says so little. He started the year with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays until the Washington Capitals conjured him a couple of times due to various injuries to various goalies. And now he has the Hersey Bears one win away from capturing the AHL Championship over Manitoba, thanks in large part to a 9-1 home record and four shutouts.

His solid positioning has been well-documented, along with an outstanding poise for a 21-year-old. You can also make attitude comparisons to the baby-faced Chris Osgood, which lends a hand to Neuvirth being labeled for a very luscious NHL career. He’s silent on the ice and let’s his play do the talking. But in the locker room he’s more animated and verbally enthusiastic. But one thing that truly makes Neuvirth so deceptive is his unique butterfly.

Well, it’s not really that much different than any other goalie’s butterfly. But take a look at this photo – it’s a great example of how he comes off so calm, collected and composed. You see the action around him going a million miles an hour but Neuvirth is in his classic butterfly position, sitting back and docile, almost like a sloth or a manatee.

Look how tight he is and look at how anchored in his crease he is. Sure, it’s just one photo, but the butterfly is a routine and automatic movement, so to see it once is to basically see it a million times. The angle at which he almost seems to sit back on his rear-end is unique and gives him better balance and better “gap” coverage…meaning no holes!

Not only is his butterfly a thing of simple and calm beauty, the kid actually balances that with brilliance and flair. With acrobatic and very quick appendages, Neuvirth results to them only after his solid positioning fails to get the job done. And for a six-foot goalie, he plays high enough in his crease to create the same illusion of being 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. Simply put, he’s very unassuming and inconspicuous. He sits back there, calm and relaxed, waiting for the game and the play to come to him. It’s kind of like what I saw in Cam Ward this season.

One reason Neuvirth is able to display so much composure is due to the trials he’s already faced in his career. It was only two seasons ago that he helped Plymouth win the OHL Championship (2006-07) by compiling a 14-4 record and .932 save percentage. But all of a sudden Plymouth traded him to Windsor early in 2007-08, which was almost as shocking as when he was traded once again, just a few months later, to the Oshawa Generals.

On top of his trepidatious travels that year, Neuvirth was tagged by a trio of injuries. He pulled a hammy at the World Juniors and suffered a pretty serious concussion later that season. But he was healthy in time for the playoffs, where Neuvirth once again posted great stats (1.50 GAA and .959 save percentage) during a first round four-game sweep of Ottawa. It was in Game 5 of the second round that he suffered a season-ending knee injury that required surgery.

Regardless of those injuries, Neuvirth is 100% healthy now, which calls for some very interesting discussions. Who has more long-term value; Simeon Varlamov or Neuvirth? What do the Caps do with all this goaltending depth? Who goes where?! It’s interesting fodder to say the least…and I will love watching it all unfold.

Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson are both 31, while Varlamov and Neuvirth are 21. Johnson is soon to be an unrestricted free agent and made $825,000 while Neuvirth and Varlamov are set to make $850,000 as part of their three-year entry-level contracts. This salary cap coincidence is more fuel to the fire and gives the Washington Capitals a rare, yet very welcome situation to deal with.

If you ask me, I see Varlamov winning the job over Neuvirth…not because of talent, but only because management wanted to give Neuvirth another year of development in the OHL, but that didn’t happen. So they will want to give him at least a full year as the #1 starter in Hersey. Daren Machesney is also signed to an entry-level contract but fits well in the backup role. And since Theodore is sure to have some kind of breakdown at some point, I won’t be surprised to see Neuvirth get called up more than a few times next season.

As for who is more valuable in the long run…I have to side with Neuvirth. Personally I am an advocate (as you all know) of smaller, more agile goalies. This is not to say that Varlamov is some kind of hulking beast that can’t move, but Neuvirth has elite skills in a few different areas and will only get bigger and stronger. It’s honestly the perfect debate; they’re the same age, they’ve both proved a lot this year. Who do you think is more valuable and why?!