DEMKO’S CHANCE
Goalie eager to gain NHL experience after being sidelined with injuries last season
Prospect to mind Canucks’ twine
The question was expected. The answer wasn’t.
Asked how difficult it was to endure a concussion and knee sprain last season, Thatcher Demko shrugged his shoulders and gave a quick retort.
“It wasn’t that tough,” the Vancouver Canucks goaltender said of being limited to just nine NHL and 16 AHL games in 2018-19. “It’s tough, but it’s important for every player to go through that. I learned a ton from it and what it takes to sustain yourself at this level.
“My routine is definitely more intense this year to make sure I’m taking care of myself a little bit more before and after practice. It sharpens you mentally and I’m more mature because of it.” That’s good.
Demko will see a string of games as the starter with Jacob Markstrom being granted a leave of absence to attend to a family matter and Zane McIntyre has been recalled from the Utica Comets on an emergency basis.
“Obviously, you don’t want to see a good friend go through anything like that,” Demko said of Markstrom. “At the same, I’ve got a job to do. You’ve just got to stay sharp because anything can happen as we’re seeing here. If you’re going through the mindset that you’re just a role player and something happens, it’s hard to flip that switch. You have to have that game-like mentality every day and I’m just excited to get in. No matter how many games, I’ll be ready to go. I was playing a lot of games in Utica and I’m used to carrying the load.”
The 23-year-old, who has long been the franchise’s prized prospect, understands the physical and mental demands of the position. The second-round 2016 NHL draft pick is being groomed here, but hasn’t been a true backup since the 2011-12 season. He was a 15-year-old junior stopper with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.
The San Diego native also has a fascination with human development. He studied psychology and philosophy at Boston College and also took sports psychology classes to better prep for the pro experience.
“It definitely laid a foundation for me,” added Demko. “You figure ways to apply what you’ve learned to the NHL and (schooling) is something that’s in the back of your mind.”
With the possibility of backstopping the club beyond today against the Detroit Red Wings — the Canucks play Thursday in St. Louis, Saturday in New Jersey and Sunday in New York — the time is right for Demko to gain a stronger NHL foothold. Markstrom is expected to return by the weekend and in the interim, Demko can make an impression to help reduce Markstrom’s 60-game workload the last two seasons.
Demko amassed a 4-3-1 record, 2.81 goals-against average and .913 save percentage for the Canucks last season. His future deployment isn’t all hinged on how he plays today, Thursday and beyond. It’s how he reacts. A stark reminder of the work that awaits was allowing six goals on 29 shots in a 6-2 pre-season loss to Ottawa on Sept. 25 at Rogers Arena.
“If you want to be up here, you’re going to have games like that and learn how to put it behind you,” stressed Demko. “It’s definitely one of the things that all great goalies have learned to do. They might give up six and then win 2-1 the next night. It’s something I’m eager to have in my game.
“It’s easy to make the game a lot bigger than it is. Personally, I don’t perform as well when I do that to myself. I’m going to go out and smile and have a lot of fun.”
That may sound odd, considering a wild roller-coaster ride last season.
Demko suffered a concussion in practice on Sept. 23 when struck square in the mask by a Brendan Leipsic shot and was sidelined two months. He returned Nov. 21 and recalled after Anders Nilsson was traded to Ottawa on Jan. 2. Mike McKenna was also acquired in the multiplayer Nilsson swap, but was claimed by Philadelphia.
With Richard Bachman already on the shelf with an Achilles injury in December, Demko was fasttracked to the NHL. But his season went sideways again in Philadelphia on Feb. 5 with a knee ligament sprain in the warm-up skate.
OVERTIME: Canucks coach Travis Green is trying to get Micheal Ferland going and the winger will align again with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson against the Wings. Josh Leivo drops down to join Brandon Sutter and Jake Virtanen, while Tyler Motte is over an upper-body injury and is expected to skate with Jay Beagle and Tim Schaller. Judging by practice rushes Monday, Adam Gaudette and Loui Eriksson were the odd men out. Former Canucks defenceman Alex Biega, traded to the Wings for minor-league winger David Pope on Oct. 6, makes his Detroit debut today in a pairing with Langley native Dennis Cholowski.
My routine is definitely more intense this year to make sure I’m taking care of myself a little bit more before and after practice.