Absurd Goalie Monday: Danny Lorenz

This week's AGM set records in junior and was the face of a franchise who wasn't all that good, but made a decent name for himself. However, he was drafted to a team with a wealth of goaltending prospects, which stifled his movement upward, hitting a glass ceiling in the minors. However, he did make the most of the situation and travelled the world a bit to boot. This week, the profile of Danny Lorenz.

Lorenz started his trek with the Burnaby Hawks of the BCHL in the 1985-86 season for 25 games, but would move to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL for the 1986-87 season; posting a 12-21-2 record in 38 appearances. Lorenz got the starting role in Seattle for the 1987-88 season, playing in 62 games and compiling a 20-37-2 record. Lorenz was drafted in the third round by the New York Islanders in the 1988 Draft, but would play in Seattle for the 1988-89 season, going 31-33-4 record in 68 games, which was enough to give him Goaltender of the Year honors in the WHL. Also in 1988-89, Lorenz played in four games for the AHL's Springfield Indians, going 2-1-0. The 1989-90 season saw Lorenz finish out his time in Seattle with a 37-15-2 record in 56 games and then going 6-7 in 13 playoff games.

Upon leaving the WHL, Lorenz held the all-time saves record during their WHL career with 6,958 (since broken by Seattle's Calvin Pickard in the 2011-12 season). Sadly, he also holds the record for most career goals given up with 974. With Seattle, Lorenz still holds most games played by a goalie, but behind Pickard in not only saves, but also minutes played.

In the 1990-91 season, Lorenz joined the Islanders organization splitting time between the AHL's Capital District Islanders (5-9-2) and the ECHL's Richmond Renegades (6-9-2), while spending two games with the New York Islanders, finishing with a 0-1-0 record. The 1991-92 season had Lorenz spend most of the time with Capital District, playing in 53 games and putting up a 22-22-7 record and 3-4 in the playoffs; while also going 0-2-0 in two games with New York. The 1992-93 season, Lorenz posted a 16-17-5 record in 44 games with Capital District (0-3 in four playoff games), while going 1-2-0 in four games on Long Island; while in the 1993-94 season, Lorenz split his season between the AHL's Springfield Indians (5-7-1) and the IHL's Salt Lake Golden Eagles (4-12-0).

In the summer of 1994, Lorenz signed with the Florida Panthers--who placed him in the IHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones for the 1994-95 season, where he would go 24-10-3 in his first season and 2-3 in five playoff games. In the 1995-96 season, Lorenz went 28-12-2 in 46 games, while going 1-2 in five playoff games.

Lorenz would move to the Milwaukee Admirals for the 1996-97 season, posting a 33-27-6 record in his first season, while going 0-3 in the playoffs. During the 1997-98 season, Lorenz compiled a 28-18-4 record in 54 appearances while going 5-5 in the playoffs.

For the first part of the 1998-99 season, Lorenz went to Germany to play in 22 games for Alder Mannheim, but would return late in the season to the IHL's Houston Aeros for seven games going 3-2-2 and then appearing in one playoff game, but no decision.

It was a globe-trotting season in the 1999-2000 campaign for Lorenz, who played the majority of his season playing in the ECHL with the Tallahassee Tiger Cats, going 15-12-2 in 33 games; as well as playing in the AHL for the Rochester Americans (0-2-1) and the West Coast League's Tacoma Sabercats (2-0-0). Lorenz would stay with the Tacoma Sabercats for the 2000-01 season, posting a 23-25-6 record , then 1-2 in the playoffs.

Starting in the 2001-02 season, Lorenz went across the pond to play in the British Leagues, starting in the Elite League with the Nottingham Panthers for 46 games, then moving to second-tier league with the Guildford Flames and Newcastle Vipers in the 2002-03 season. 


Lorenz moved back to North America for the 2003-04 season to play with the Central League's New Mexico Scorpions, playing in 32 games with a 17-10-3 record. After that season, he would hang up the pads for good. 


After his playing career, Lorenz went back to where his junior career began and is now the Director of Hockey in the Kent Valley Hockey Association in Kent, Washington; which is where the Seattle Thunderbirds actually play.


While he had a late charge in juniors, the fact he was in an organization where there was a surplus of young goalies made him expendable and lost in the shuffle. While he tried to get his game back in the minors, he could never reach the brass ring that was set out for him. However, he returned to his roots and his helping out the next wave of players coming out of the Pacific Northwest.