NHL draft tracker: Devin Williams, Erie Otters

With an arsenal of attackers that goes far beyond phenom Connor McDavid, the Erie Otters seldom have to resort to rope-a-dope tactics.

Conversely, Otters goalie Devin Williams has found succor from both his faith and his admiration of The Greatest. The 18-year-old who has shepherded Erie to the OHL Western Conference final vs. the Guelph Storm wears a mask adorned with a cross and a depiction of Muhummad Ali.

"My dad [Clarence Williams] is assistant pastor at our church so I have the cross to symbolize my love for Christ," says Williams, a lithe 5-foot-11¾ 'tender who earned the nod as Erie's No. 1 over Oscar Dansk, a Columbus Blue Jackets high second-round pick who started the world junior gold-medal game for Sweden in January. "I got Muhummad Ali after watching his videos. My dad, being a big boxer when he was young, he showed me a lot of Ali videos. I like to see the cockiness and the arrogance from Muhummad Ali.

"He was a huge competitor. I like his quickness too. So I try to symbolize that with my quickness on the ice."

The Saginaw, Mich., native is second in the OHL with a 1.88 average and .934 save percentage across nine playoff appearances (including eight starts). Williams' season started inauspiciously after July groin surgery truncated his summer training — "you'd think that would put a damper on your development but when I got here the coaches worked with me," he says" — but he steadily improved while sharing the net with Dansk.

While the sub-6-foot Williams is ranked 15th among North American goalies on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking, behind the backups of both Guelph and Sault Ste. Marie, which Erie swept in the second round. The Otters believe that undersells his potential to be drafted in June.

"Someone such as Devin, he's so quick, he's lightning-quick," Otters goaltending coach Cam MacDonald says. "His positional game has come a long way this year. He's out playing the puck. He's very mobile getting out to play the puck. Teams that are looking for that, they're obviously going to pick him.

"The 6-foot-4 or 6-5 goalie or the Ben Bishops, they're mobile and pretty quick," MacDonald adds, referring to the St. Louis Blues goalie who stands a towering 6-7. "But you can't neglect the speed that someone like Devin Williams has. He's like a Jonathan Quick. I consider his speed to be like that. He so's quick. He gets into position. If he does give off a rebound, his recovery is very good. He has a good sense of the game, he can hit the stretch guy with a pass. Teams are going to have a preference, but Devin Williams, day by day and game by game, has had a great season. I think he's going to show each team that he deserves to be drafted and deserves a shot in the NHL."

Williams, who grew up attending Saginaw Spirit games, had more exposure to the OHL than many American youths. Growing up in mid-Michigan required a huge commitment from his father Clarence, mother Theresa and grandmother Esther Williams to help him make the two-hour trip to the Detroit area for travel-team commitments.

Going into the Guelph series, Devin Williams isn't about to deploy another Ali tactic of riling up an opponent. It's all about the typical big-game respect.

"When you look at their roster, they're a really good team with a lot of depth," he says of the Storm, who host games 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday before the series takes a two-day break. "They've been one of the highest-scoring teams in the league all year and have a lot of firepower. But we have a really good team and can really bring it to them."

1. Which NHL goalie do you really study closely?

"I'm a big Jonathan Quick fan. He's not the biggest guy in the world but he battles and competes. I watch a lot of video on him on YouTube. I try to take things from his game and use them."

2. Every player has to get stronger and move at a higher tempo to go from junior to the AHL and ideally on to the NHL, but what specific area of your game needs the most work?

"To get to the next level, you have to be really good with your depth. Sometimes I find myself getting caught getting deep in the net. It helps to be out on top of the crease and that's one thing I have to work on if I'm going to make that jump."

3. How did the environment you had growing up in Saginaw play a role in helping you work toward the OHL?

"Growing up and having the Spirit in your backward, you look at that and that's what your goal is. You see what's out there. You're driving two hours to practice or looking for that extra edge to get the best opportunity in hockey. It was definitely hard at times, not being able to hang out with friends. But extra work and dedication paid a huge role."

4. What was your 'welcome to the OHL' moment?

"Probably my first year, when I played six games, it had to have been when we were playing Saginaw. [Current Chicago Blackhawks centre] Brandon Saad, on the first shot of the game, it went right over my shoulder and I didn't even know it went in. I was looking around for the puck and I didn't even know it was in the net. That would be my welcome to the league. Quite the welcome."

5. Playing in games is the reward for all the self-denial an athlete must go through but tell us, what indulges your sweet tooth when you get a craving?

"I try to stay away from sweets. I like Superman ice cream. I'd say that would be my weakness."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.