Ottawa 67's Liam Herbst on comeback trail with spectacular stick save in first exhibition game

Finally free from the pain that cost him a season and a half in the OHL, Liam Herbst is beginning to show his considerable potential.

The lanky goalie was beset by hip and knee ailments — including microfracture surgery to each knee — after the London Knights made him their top draft choice in 2012, which led to some speculation about when (and if) he would ever recapture his early promise. After backing up in Ottawa over the second half of last season, Herbst has a chance to be the 67's No. 1 goalie. He looked the part in his first exhibition start last weekend, which included making a cross-crease, diving stick save with 2:22 left in a tie game with the Gatineau Olympiques. There was a slight double clutch on the shot, but it was a denial of a sure goal.

Not bad for someone who seemed more likely to be profiled in the Journal of Sports Medicine than in The Hockey News.

Herbst, who turns 18 on Sunday, was eligible for the NHL draft in June but wasn't taken, which is no surprise considering he has played only 10 games in the OHL (a handful in London to showcase him for a trade before backing up an overage goalie in Ottawa). However, his comeback story will be one to watch; he fits the NHL prototype at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds and led his Mississauga, Ont., midget team to the prestigious OHL Cup tournament title two seasons back.

Plus, he's motivated to make good on his family's investment in his goaltending ambitions.

"Most people say you spend $250,000 on a child before age 18,” Herbst told the Toronto Star last year. “My parents have probably spent two or three times that. They’ve given me the best of everything.”

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