When Pavel Francouz made his way over to North America, a scout I know confessed that they were intrigued to see if the Czech-born goaltender was indeed going to be as good as his numbers advertised.
It can be a difficult task evaluating a player’s ability to seamlessly transition from one league to another. No two players are alike, and their strengths can either help elevate their game from league to league or limit them to success in one place over another. Add in the unpredictability of goaltending statistics even from year to year, and it’s always a bit of a crap-shoot to bring someone over the pond.