For being so young, goaltender Zachary Fucale has shown a lot of poise.

At the age of 16, Fucale took the reigns of the Halifax Mooseheads and established himself as a legitimate starting goaltender in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The youngster put together a 32-18-6 record in his rookie season with a 3.16 goals against average and .892 save percentage.

Not bad for a goalie who didn’t turn 17 until after the season ended, according to Future Considerations’ QMJHL scout Matt Lafortune.

“Fucale was nothing short of outstanding in his first year with the Mooseheads,” Lafortune said. “He showed outstanding stamina all season, starting in 58 games in the regular season, an additional 17 in the playoffs and five games for Quebec in the U17s to top it off. He consistently comes up with big saves, and is great under pressure.  He carried the Mooseheads the entire season and many thought he was their rookie of the year.”

His performance last year, coupled with a fresh Ivan Hlinka Memorial gold alongside Mooseheads teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Droouin, has Fucale poised to be the top goaltender in the 2013 NHL Draft.

“Fucale has elite mobility, and has a great command of the crease,” Lafortune said. “He has composure beyond his years, with his focus and concentration being incredibly impressive.”

What he’s able to do with those skills with the pressure of his upcoming draft year remains to be seen, but the talent is clearly evident in Fucale, Lafortune said.

“The sky is the limit for this goalie and it should be a very interesting year for him.”