Goalie prospect has will, skill team loves
All it takes is a quick glance at the goalies who started in the second round of the NHL playoffs to understand what Michael DiPietro has to overcome to be an impact player for the Vancouver Canucks.
Not one is shorter than 6-2. “They’re all pretty big and they all have a good blend of technique and athleticism,” said Dan Cloutier, the Canucks’ goaltending coach.
“So, if you are going to be a smaller guy, your athleticism has to be through the roof and your mental side has to be, too. You need to beat the bigger guys in something and I think that’s where DiPietro makes up for it.”
It was still a big year for smaller goalies in the NHL. Antti Raanta and Juuse Saros finished in the top 10 in save percentage and they have similar builds to the six-foot DiPietro. There’s a theory that a faster NHL game will re-align how the league thinks about goalies and size.
It’s not something Cloutier was worrying about leading up to the 2017 draft. What Cloutier was concerned about was DiPietro’s work ethic and mental toughness.
“Every goalie has different ingredients and no goalie is the same,” Cloutier said. “The two areas he’s really strong in are two important ones that I like.
“Those were the two main reasons, for me. Those are the qualities of a goalie that I tend to go after. You see a lot of the same qualities in Thatcher Demko. Those are the types of guys I get attracted to.”
Cloutier said it translates in a game when you see DiPietro’s push to never give up on a play.
“His mental preparation and toughness is up at the top and that’s what makes the difference between him and a six-foot-two guy or 6-6 guy,” Cloutier said. “You have to be that much better in those areas to make up for (the size) and those are two of his biggest strengths.”
DiPietro had a nice year against junior-aged players in the OHL, earning himself the league’s honour as goalie of the year. But as he progresses, Cloutier said the Canucks prospect will need to balance his sprawling style with more control and technique.
“Mike is an athletic guy who has the will to stop the puck and it doesn’t matter how he gets to that rebound. It doesn’t matter if he needs to use his leg or his head,” Cloutier said.
“As soon as he makes his read, he jump son it. For him, when you jump levels, he’s going to need to adjust technically. But at the same time, it’s a fine line because you don’t want him to lose that athleticism that makes him so good.
“I think he’ll realize it in every step he takes that he’ll need more control in these areas. Even this week he’s probably realizing, ‘OK, I need a little more technique in certain situations.’”
This week, DiPietro is doing his thing for Team Canada at the world hockey championship. He was picked for the roster as the third goalie in a development role that is far more challenging than it looks on paper. Winnipeg Jets prospect Erik Comrie went last year, after two seasons in the AHL, and his biggest takeaway was how different life is in practice when you’re facing NHL all-stars every day for more than a month.
That’s for a guy already playing professionally. The jump from the OHL to an NHL all-star team is that much steeper.
There are risks to getting lit up in an environment like this, especially if there’s not a lot of instruction on how to cope and video work to understand why and how these NHL stars are exploiting and beating you.
But the Canucks are convinced this will be a positive experience for the 18-year-old, who has been drawing rave reviews from his teammates because of how hard he practises. He’s already been spending 40 minutes after practice working with shooters onsomedays.
Demko had a similar role with Team USA in 2016 and the Canucks think DiPietro can have a similarly productive experience.
“For us, as an organization, it’s great for us that a top prospect gets to go up and face NHL shooters for a number of weeks,” Cloutier said. “This tournament is long and he’s going to get really good practice time.
“Their management staff has former goalies, so he’s going to get some really good quality time and will learn a lot.”