Team Canada hopeful Brochu has battled his size all his life
Brett Brochu is at the crossroads of perseverance and determination.
A small goalie with big dreams who won 32 games this past season for Dale Hunter's London Knights, breaking John Vanbiesbrouck's OHL record for rookies, and yet nobody called his name at the NHL draft two months ago.
There were 19 goalies picked, including Dylan Garand (Rangers, fourth round) and Devon Levi (Florida, seventh round), both at the Canadian world junior camp with Brochu. Also former Oiler Finnish goalie
Jussi Markkanen's boy Juho (Los Angeles, fourth-round), born in Edmonton in 2002, got drafted. But crickets for Brochu.
Ottawa 67's Will Cranley (2.81 average, .894 save percentage in 21 games) but six-foot-four on a powerhouse team was picked by the St. Louis Blues while Brochu (2.40 GAA, .919 save percentage in 42 games) but five-foot-11 as a 17-year-old on a Knights' team, got no love.
All Brochu has heard is that he doesn't fill enough of the net.
He does look a lot more like Nashville's fine Jusse Saros than Dallas's Big Ben Bishop, an inch under six feet and putting on 25 pounds of muscle this summer, he still hits only 176 on the scale. But this unsung teenager, a kid who was playing Junior C in Ontario before the Hunters (Dale and brother Mark) gave him a chance, has a legitimate shot at being one of the world championship goalies with Garand, Levi, Taylor Gauthier and Tristan Lennox all in the mix.
Brochu has never been part of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence. He's never played on U17 or U18 teams internationally, but “I know what I'm capable of, I guess it's a chip on my shoulder to prove people wrong.”
He fell into goaltending because he had no choice.
“I have five cousins, all boys, and I'm the second youngest, so when we'd play I would always get thrown into net in road hockey. I fell in love with it. I've seen pictures where I wasn't wearing any chest protector, just the pads and gloves, though, I'm sure it didn't feel great (shots),” he said.
“I feel bad for my parents ( being a goalie). It's expensive, but I loved getting new pads. Growing up we had a shed ( by the house) with some synthetic ice. My dad would rip pucks at me. He never played hockey, but he's got some meat on him.”
Brett doesn't, but he's soldiering on.
“A lot of people have told me it (size) was why I didn't get drafted (NHL),” Brochu said. “You can believe whatever you want. Maybe if I had done more and changed their (scouts) minds more, if we had playoffs (cancelled). But I don't see my size is an issue. Helps me be different than other goalies.”
“I like watching Carter Hart, a lot. And Saros, he's only fivefoot-10 1/2. I love him. I watch a lot of smaller goalies to see how they are because I play the same style. I'm not six-foot-eight like Bishop,” said Brochu, who is strong on his angles because of his size.
Again, he would like to be the average NHL goalie (six-foottwo), but he's not. Garand is only an inch over six feet and Levi exactly that height. So, not big.
But, Brochu didn't get any size genes.
“In Grade 9, I was only five feet tall. On draft day in the
OHL I was five-foot-seven and 115 pounds,” said Brochu, who was picked in the sixth round by London after playing minor midget for Chatham-kent, where he stole a ton of games with his acrobatics.
“Growing up it's always been a battle to get myself into certain situations ... everyone has told me I wouldn't be able to play at higher levels because I was small or not good enough. I grew up a lot smaller than I am, even now. I was always five or six inches shorter than other guys,” he said.
“Actually, my dad is six-footone and 240 pounds and my mom is five-foot-eight, not too small for a woman, and my brother is over six feet tall. What happened to me? Maybe I'm waiting on another inch. Five-11 is what it is. You only have one job and that's to stop the puck,” Brochu said.
“I was low 150s when I left London (March). When people come into the crease, you can't really hold your ground at that weight. My dad owns fitness centres, so I had all the equipment to work out (during the pandemic). He's always been on me to get in the gym, it helps that he pushes me. I was lucky to have a gym.”
Brochu was just part of the goalie mix in London as an OHL rookie, a 17-year-old who had played Junior C in Ontario the year before. “I got cut from four Junior B teams at home so I went to play in Dresden. That was a blessing in disguise, the age is up to 21 years old there,” he said.
“It's good to play wherever you play, doesn't matter what level. If you do, somebody will notice you. The Hunters love watching hockey and they were watching me even in Junior C.”
Last year in London, he was 32-6 with the Knights. He won 19 of his 20 starts in 2020 before the OHL season was scrapped because of COVID.
LAFRENIERE NOT RELEASED
The following is a statement on behalf of Hockey Canada from Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams, regarding Alexis Lafreniere, No. 1 overall pick by the New York Rangers:
“After ongoing discussions with the New York Rangers, Hockey Canada has been informed that Alexis Lafreniere will not be released to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. Although we are disappointed Alexis will not be able to join our team for World Juniors, we understand and respect the decision made by the Rangers.”